a runner stop his forward momentum through the friction created between the body and the ground, thus reducing the likelihood that he will run past the base after touching it. This is important because in most cases a runner is in jeopardy of being tagged out if he loses contact with the base (the most common exception is that a batter-runner may overrun first base when initially reaching that base as long as he immediately returns to first base without attempting to advance to second base). Because the runner must balance the need to reach a base as quickly as possible with the need to avoid overrunning the base, sliding provides a rapid means for the runner to decelerate, allowing the baserunner to run at top speed as long as possible before needing to slow down. Interfering with the defensive player (take-out slide) Sliding can sometimes be used as a means of interfering with the play of the opposing defensive player who is covering the base being approached. For example, when it is possible that a double play might occur, and the baserunner approaching second base has already been put out, he might still try to slide toward the defensive player who intends to throw the ball to first base. If the defensive player moves away from second base as he prepares to throw the ball toward first, the baserunner may still slide directly toward the defensive player, even though that means sliding away from second base itself. This has the effect of hampering that defensive player's ability to complete the play, either directly by making physical contact with him, or indirectly by distracting him by making him fearful of such contact. A slide performed exclusively for the purpose of hampering the play of the defense is called a "take-out slide". Whether a particular instance of a take-out slide is legal within the rules of baseball is a judgement call made by the umpire, usually based upon how close the baserunner comes to the base they are approaching during the slide. If a baserunner strays too far from the base when attempting a take-out slide, the umpire may declare the slide to be an example of illegal interference and call an extra out. As a general (but not absolute) guideline, even if the baserunner clearly slides toward the defensive player and away from the base, so long as the baserunner