NHSA Base Running Clinic
Baserunning is the most important component in softball to score runs, but the least coached component!
There are a number of different areas of a coach’s offensive philosophy that can be emphasized in order to
improve this important aspect of the game. Tonight we are making a point of emphasizing (and
sometimes over-emphasizing) a baserunning philosophy. A major factor in your success this season and
beyond will be the way you take advantage of baserunning situations.
Tonight we will work on an aggressive, yet smart, mentality on the bases. Some teams are aggressive, but
do not think well on the bases and take themselves out of scoring positions, rather than creating them.
Home To First
Getting Out Of The Box
Regardless which side of the plate you hit from, your first step out of the box is a crossover step. Drive
out of the box as if you were stealing a base. Get in the habit of getting out of the box quickly; this helps
you at the close play at first and may just turn that long single into a double.
As you take your first couple steps, pick up the ball. Assume there will be a play at first base on any ball
hit on the ground or on a line. Once you know where the ball is heading, focus in on where you are going.
Run Every Ball Out! Hard!
Run every ball out and run it out hard. It doesn't matter if it's a slow roller to the pitcher or a pop fly to the
center fielder, get your legs going and hustle down the line.
Run Through First Base
Once you've determined that the ball is going to be fielded by an infielder, focus on the front part of first
base. As you hit the base, start breaking down. This gives the illusion to the umpire that you were at the
bag sooner than if you breakdown after you pass the base. After you have crossed the base, slow down
and look to your right to see if there was an errant throw.
Take A Turn
If the ball is going to make it past the infield, get ready to round first base. Do this by moving off the line
and into foul territory to set yourself up for the turn at first. Try to hit the inside corner of the bag. Be
aggressive with your turn, put pressure on the outfield to field the ball cleanly and make a good throw.
There's a fine line between being aggressive and being stupid. Put yourself in position to take advantage
of any mistakes but don't get caught being too far off the base.
First To Second
Leading Off The Base
Once you have reached first base, your first priority is to look over to your third base coach for signs.
There is nothing more frustrating for a coach than to try and give a sign and not have the player on base or
at the plate looking at the same time. Get in the habit of looking to your coach for the sign right after each
pitch.
Stay on the base until you have received the signs from your coach and the pitcher has made contact with
the rubber. Once the pitcher has made contact with the rubber, you can start taking your lead.
When taking your lead, remember the following:
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Stay in an athletic position. Don't walk to take your lead.
Keep your eye on the pitcher the entire time.
Do not crossover with your left leg going in front of your right. If you do so, your back will be
toward first; then you are not in a position to dive back. Pitchers are trained to look for a crossover
step by the runner and make a pickoff move the moment they see a runner crossover when taking
their lead.
Assuming you are not stealing.
o Do not get picked off if you are not attempting to steal second. Always know the value of
your run. You worked hard to get to first base, make sure you are not picked off because of
a mental mistake. (ex. taking a larger lead than necessary, not paying attention)
o Early in the game, if the pitcher has not made a move to first, take a larger lead than you
normally would and try to get the pitcher to throw over. The entire team should pay
attention to see what kind of move the pitcher has. It is essential when you do this that you
expect the pickoff move and are ready (actually anticipating) going back to first.
Shuffle
Once the pitcher has started his delivery, you want to take your secondary lead. The purpose of the
secondary lead is to shorten the distance to second base and have some momentum going toward the base.
To get to your secondary lead, you want to take two shuffle steps toward second base. The goal is to
complete the second shuffle step as the ball crosses the plate. If the ball is hit on the ground, you just
crossover and continue to second base. If the catcher catches the ball, return to first base quickly.
On Contact
When the ball is hit, you quickly need to read the trajectory. If it's a ground ball, perform a crossover and
run hard to second. If the ball is hit on the line, freeze and make sure it makes it past the infield before
continuing on to second.
Sliding
Most kids are scared to slide and do not know how to do it properly. Scabs and a jammed wrist can be
avoided if we teach at a young age how to slide properly. Don't assume because kids can slide that they
know how to slide. That's like assuming a player can hit because he can swing a bat. The most important
slide to teach is the bent leg slide. The biggest problem with the bent leg slide is that kids tend to slide on
their side. The proper and less painful way to slide is on your butt. The second problem is that kids often
want to put their hands down as they slide. This can lead to jammed fingers and wrists.
Bent Leg Slide
A good way to teach a bent leg slide is to teach it the way you teach many skills, in steps.
1. Start by finding out which leg is going to be bent during the bent leg slide. With the player
standing have him stand on one leg and bend the other leg at the knee, bringing it behind the other
leg.
2. Have the player raise both hands over his head.
3. Have the player start to squat, while he keeps his bent leg up, then sit down. The player will
naturally roll back on his back and his feet will come up in the air. Although this won't happen
when he slides, it will during this stage. When he has rolled back to a seated position, he should
still have his hands up and his front leg should be bent not straight.
4. Once comfortable with this, have him take a couple steps and slide (I always practice sliding on
grass). Then have them jog and slide and finally run full speed and slide.
Checkpoints for each step:
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Hands should above head not on the ground. Don't worry too much about how high the hands are.
Keeping them above the head is used to avoid the natural reaction to put them on the ground.
Player should be sliding on his butt, not side.
Front leg should be bent to allow for give when sliding into the base.
Unless you're stealing second, don't slide head first into second base. The chances of being stepped on and
injured are too great. For younger players, the head first slide is not recommended for anything other than
diving back to first. A head first slide puts you in a vulnerable position where it is easy to injure your
hands, shoulders, and head. A good bent leg slide straight into the base is the best and safest way to get to
the bag, protect yourself, and break up a double play.
Go to any youth softball game and you'll see players who have scrapes all over their legs from sliding.
Player's mistakenly think that a bent leg slide is performed by sliding on the side of the leg. The proper
way is to slide on your butt. Practice sliding in grass and check the stains on your pants. If they are on the
side of your leg, you're not sliding properly. Another common problem in sliding is putting your hand
down during the slide. This is often the cause of jammed fingers, wrists, and sometimes shoulders. Get in
the habit of sliding with your hands up. If you can remember to slide on your butt with your hands up, you
will be sliding pain free from that point on.
Stealing Third Base
Steal Off The Pitcher
A cardinal rule of baseball: You never want to make the 1st or 3rd out at third base. How does this effect
making the 2nd out at third base?
This means you're extremely valuable as a runner when you get to second base. You're in scoring position
and just a base hit away from scoring a run. So, why risk stealing third base when it's such a short throw
for the catcher to make? You or the coach may risk it when it increases your chance of scoring and you're
confident in your ability to make it. Even though it's a shorter throw for the catcher, there are a couple of
things that can give you the advantage.
Rhythm
You usually steal third in this situation because of what the pitcher is doing, not because the catcher has a
weak arm. Even a catcher with a weak arm can throw out a base runner if they get a poor jump from
second. Pitchers, especially young pitchers, often get into a rhythm on the mound. They get the ball, get
into stretch, set, ?one-thousand-one? and pitch. When stealing third, lead off in the same way you would
when not stealing. You don't want the pitcher or infielders to notice anything different. However, your
jump is different. In the timing described above, once the pitcher sets, it's 'one-thous' and you're off. That
half second gives you a couple of steps toward third and a great chance of making it. Make sure you don't
break too early as the infield will notice and call for the pitcher to step off.
Pitch Count
Another key about the pitcher to observer when stealing is the count and the pitcher's tendency with that
count. For example, if the hitter has 2 strikes and no balls and the pitcher likes to try and strike batters out
with a low and outside curveball, you have, if he throws that pitch, a great pitch to steal on.
Right-Handed Hitter
Finally, when stealing third, it's a big advantage to have a right-handed hitter at the plate. When the
catcher receives the ball and has to throw, that throw becomes much more difficult when he has to throw
around a batter.
Runner at 3rd Pass Ball
It gets more difficult and happens less often as players get older, but in youth softball a wild pitch or
passed ball often presents a great opportunity to score a runner from third. As I watch many youth softball
games I'm amazed at how many scoring opportunities are missed because players don't take an aggressive
lead and aren't prepared for the ball to get away from the catcher.
It can be a difficult decision for a player to decide whether to try and score or not on a passed ball. That
hesitation is often what takes away the opportunity. The first thing I try to do is take the pressure of
making that decision away from the player. Our philosophy is that we're going on a passed ball until we
see that we can't make it. The player is to look to score on every opportunity and as the third base coach I
will help him in determining when NOT to go. Obviously there are situations where we are going to be
more conservative, but I can handle those on a case by case basis from the third base box. I try to get my
players to expect a passed ball on every pitch. I find it's much easier to stop a player from going home
than it is to get them started. Communication is essential from the third base coach and needs to happen
on each pitch. Once a player gets to third base I remind them of the situation and I let them know how
aggressive we're going to be in trying to get home on a passed ball. In situations where I want to be really
aggressive I remind them on each pitch to anticipate a passed ball and to be aggressive in taking their
lead.
Pressure on the Coach
Being aggressive on passed balls will put pressure on the third base coach in knowing when to have a
player go home and when to stay. If you're not confident in making that decision then it may be tough for
you. What I have found is that you will pick it up quicker than the kids because you're there every inning.
No matter what player is on third you'll be learning when you can score and when it's better to stay. It
takes practice and you'll probably have some kids thrown out at home, but you'll also score some much
needed runs during the season.
At practice put a pitcher on the mound with a catcher behind the plate and runners at third. Take the third
base coaching box as you would during the game. Instruct the pitcher to throw pitches and every couple
throw one in the dirt. This is good practice for the catcher on trying to block the ball; the pitcher on
covering home; the runner on being aggressive; and for you in making a decision on when to go. Run this
drill at a couple of practices and you and your players will be more confident in these situations during a
game.
What to Look For at the Field
One of the most important things you can do is find out how the ball comes off the backstop. Some that
have wood will bounce right back to the catcher and make it difficult to advance. Others will bounce to
the sides or stop dead at the fence. Try to find out what the ball does before the game. This will help you
make quick decisions as the ball gets by the catcher.
Taking A Lead
We use the rocker-step to take our leads at every base. We feel like it gives us the best timing and jump.
We expect everybody to use the same lead and be aggressive. Our non-base-stealers are key in helping
our base-stealers get better jumps. We expect that we will have at least one baserunner called out for
leaving early in each game we play. We do not discipline our players for being aggressive.
Another key to taking a lead is our use of a secondary lead in scoring situations. We use our secondary
lead in most situations with a runner on second base. Our secondary lead is an extension of our regular
lead. In a regular lead situation, we take three aggressive steps. In our secondary lead, we look to take
four or five aggressive steps and we back our lead of the baseline approximately two-to-three feet. By
deepening out our lead, it allows us a good angle to third base on balls hit to the outfield. By taking a
better angle, it allows us a better opportunity to score on a base hit.
All parts of our baserunning philosophy begin with an aggressive lead. Our players know that if they do
not get a good lead, they are in control of the decision-making process and we do not want them to make
poor decisions on the bases. We do not want to discipline our baserunners for being over or under
aggressive depending on the situation. We want to encourage and promote aggressiveness.
Base-Stealing Situations
Base-stealing is not as much a matter of speed as it is taking advantage of a situation and catching the
defense off-guard. Baserunners with average speed can be successful base-stealers, if they pay attention to
the game and are opportunistic. We believe the key to being a successful base-stealer is getting a good
jump and accelerating quickly. Our first step in a base-stealing situation is an aggressive crossover step, in
which we pull the upper body through with the left arm and drive the left leg across our body.
We also try to identify the best situation to steal a base. We try to read the pitcher's tendencies and
identify the best pitch in each at-bat that we can run on. We are more apt to use the hit-and-run or buntand-run early in the count and wait to attempt to steal bases late in the count. Our philosophy is that
pitchers are more likely to throw off-speed pitches or pitches that are tough to handle later in the count if
they are ahead of the batter.
Drills
Reading the Ball in The Dirt
A big part of any baserunning program should be about "reading the ball in the dirt." This drill helps the
players earn how to read the trajectory of a pitched ball that will bounce in the dirt. Players are set up at
all three bases. They are independant of each other because different bases have different rules for a ball
in the dirt. A coach pitches from the rubber and mixes in strikes and balls in the dirt to the catcher. Any
time the ball is about to bounce the whole team must yell "DIRT." This helps you make sure everyone is
paying attention. Baserunners on first should automatically go when they know the ball is going to
bounce. If they leave after the ball has bounced, they left too late. Runners on second need to react to the
ball in the dirt and then decide if they would be safe. Tell them to read it and decide. If the ball kicks
away from the catcher they should've gone. If the catcher blocks the ball in front of him the base runners
should stay. The runner on third base is similar to the one on second. He takes his lead, gets a good crow
hop as the ball nears the plate and reacts to the ball in the dirt. Again, he reads and decides.
Coaches should emphasize that each base is independent of each other. Just 'cause the runner from first
goes to second doesn't mean the runner on second has to go. Coaches should also emphasize good
secondary lead technique. It also helps if you have at least 2 catchers.
Dive Back Drill
Runners start at home plate. Swing and round first properly taking a wide, aggressive, turn and dive back
into the bag. Runner gets up quickly, takes an aggressive lead, takes off to steal 2nd sliding into the bag.
Runner then gets up takes an aggressive secondary lead and dives back into the bag. He then steals third
repeating the slide, getting up and taking an aggressive lead off third, in foul ground, dives back into the
bag, coming back on the foul line. He gets up and sprints home (no slide at plate). The next runner takes
off from home when the previous runner completes his dive into first and touches the bag.
The focus of this drill is to make our runners very aggressive and not be afraid to get dirty!!! It also gets
players practice in sliding and diving properly, which will hopefully keep us from injuries and out of
court. It also tends to develop players who want to work hard and get dirty.
Relay Races
Split the team in half, with one group of kids behind home plate and other half behind second base. Give
the first kid of each group a ball (this will be the "baton" for the relay race). At "GO!" the first kid from
each team begins running the bases, ball in hand. After making a complete lap around the bases (back to
each kid's starting point), that kid hands the ball off to the next kid in line, who continues the relay race.
First group of kids to finish the race wins.
Kids often beg for rematches and will VOLUNTARILY run the race ALL OUT at least three or four
times! Even the coaches participate on occasions. The kids love it!
Stealing Third Base
We look to steal third base more than we look to steal second base. There are a couple of reasons for this
philosophy. The first is the fact that people expect you to steal second base more than third base. The
defense is more alert to that situation. The second is the fact that it is easier to beat defensive coverages
when you steal third base. We want to put baserunners in a foot race with the shortstop covering third
base. We feel it is very difficult to catch a ball on the move and apply the tag. If we feel that the third
baseman is playing back, we are more than likely going to attempt to drag bunt down the third base line
and attempt to create a defensive coverage miscue.
We are more apt to look to steal third base, when we have runners on first and second base. Even if our
runner does get thrown out at third, we can still advance a runner into scoring position at second base.
Delayed steals are also very successful in this situation. We look to read if the shortstop and third
baseman rotate all the way to third base on every pitch. If they do not, we can extend our lead and look to
delay steal on the throw back to the pitcher.
Baserunning Guidelines
Alertness and quick response will be key tools to your success on the bases. The following guidelines are
samples of an offensive philosophy. Use them or create your own.
1. We will always look to take the extra base. We have to come out of the batter's box aggressively and
look for the extra base on every at-bat.
2. When the baserunner has visual sight of they ball, she is on her own and must look to be aggressive.
Base coaches will bring runners back with a verbal call, if needed.
3. If the baserunner cannot maintain visual contact with the ball, she must make early visual contact with
the base coach to pick up visual signals.
4. Whenever a baserunner hears a verbal (STOP) call, he/she must immediately return to the nearest base.
5. Baserunners must always use an aggressive primary or secondary lead. Their lead must appear the same
in both base stealing and holding situations.
6. Baserunners must always be aware of the situation. Score, inning and outs are their responsibility. They
must also be aware of the speed of other runners on base, if they are present.
7. Baserunners are responsible for seeing bunts down, line drives through and fly balls down or caught,
before advancing.
8. Baserunners are responsible for the tag and their jump in all tagging situations. They do not wait for a
coach to tell them what to do. They will return to the bag immediately and see the ball caught before
making their break. They must break aggressively in all situations. The base coach will use a verbal call to
bring them back (not tell them to go).
9. Baserunners must slide in every situation that it is warranted. Breaking up a double play is vital, when
possible. They must also expect to slide on any multiple base hit or advancement.
And most importantly, our baserunners must remember the golden rule of baserunning:
10. RUN HARD & TURN LEFT. No situation allows them to jog or let up. They must implement good
corner turn techniques and drop the inside shoulder and touch the inside corner of the base to minimize
distance covered.
Baserunning Keys
We ask our players to be very observant and look for a number of keys that can assist our baserunning
philosophy. Some of the keys we look for are Ï
A. Outfielder arm strength. This is vital. We have to identify which outfielders we can attempt to take
extra bases on when the situation presents itself. Pre-game warm-ups are a good time to look for this.
B. Catcher's arm strength and throwing techniques. We look at this early in the game. Does she throw the
ball back to the pitcher from her knees? Does she lob the ball back to the pitcher? What type of throw
does she use in steal situations? What is her demeanor after a passed ball or wild pitch? These are some of
the questions we look to answer.
C. The pitcher's motion. We use the rocker step, so it is very important that we get our timing with the
pitcher's motion. Everybody has to work on this early in the game and be consistent throughout the game.
D. Defensive aggressiveness to the ball. Do the outfielders attack the ball or are they conservative? This is
key to our ability to take extra bases on base hits to the outfield.
E. Defensive positioning and coverages. How deep are the outfielders playing? Who covers bases in steal
situations? What does the defense do when we show bunt? These are key questions we look to answer
very early in a game.
F. Field and weather conditions. How long is the outfield grass? How deep are the fences? What direction
is the wind blowing from? Is the ground hard or soft? Is it raining or is the grass moist? These questions
give us a lot of insight into how aggressive we are on the bases.
Conclusion
It is everyone's goal to take advantage of every scoring opportunity during a game. Some are conservative
and wait for those scoring opportunities to present themselves. Your philosophy should be to create as
many scoring opportunities as we can during a game. Your baserunning philosophy is a key factor in your
overall offensive philosophy and must be communicated with everyone on the team for it to be effective.
Thank you for allowing me your time and attention.