While Beltré is known for his wild defense, his style is somewhat unorthodox. Master infield instructor and former Rangers manager Ron Washington, stated that the proper way to approach a ground ball to third base is to "flow through" the ball. After the Rangers signed Beltré to a five-year contract before the 2011 season, they sought to improve his skill by pairing him with Washington. He opined that Beltré's technique is wrong because he stops before catching and then throws in spite of relying very little on the positioning of his feet. Beltré explains that his arm was so strong that early in his career he was making so many throwing errors, and that by planting his feet he was able to improve his accuracy to the point where he is able to pivot and release with uncanny precision from any angle without the proper foot positioning that is so critical for other third basemen.