Denville PAL Girls' Softball

Base Running Fundamentals

Overview

Having good speed does not make you a good base runner. A good base runner must also be aware of the count on the batter, the number of outs, the score and the inning, the coach’s signals, and the location of the defensive players. All runners must understand the mechanics of base running but they also must understand the different game situations that change they way they run the bases.

Home to First

There are four basic components in running from home to first: sneak a peak, run full speed through the base, look right, and break down.

  1. Sneak a peak – The runner should not watch the ball as she runs to first. However, the runner should check to see where the ball is on her way. After the ball is hit, the runner should run full speed towards first base until she is 5-6 feet away from home plate. At that point, she should take a quick look to see where the ball was hit but should not slow down in the process.
  2. Run Full Speed – The runner should run full speed toward first base. The runner should stay to the right of the foul line and run in a straight line towards the safety base.  As the runner is running towards first base, she should be listening for instruction from the first base coach. The first base coach will indicate whether the runner should overrun first base, make her turn towards second base, or continue on to second base. When overrunning first base, the runner should touch the front edge of the base with the foot that comes up first and should sprint through the base with a few additional steps before slowing down.
  3. Look Right – As soon as the runner crosses first base, she should look to the right, turning her entire head in that direction. With her head turned to the right, she should look for the ball, searching for a possible overthrow and an opportunity to advance to the next base.
  4. Breakdown – After crossing the base and taking one or two steps full speed, the runner should begin to brake by bending her knees and crouching slightly to lower her center of gravity. In the case of an overthrow, the runner can pivot and head to second base. If there is no overthrow, the runner should return to first base quickly with her eye on the ball and second base. She has the possibility of advancing if the defense forgets to cover second base or if the ball is overthrown. The runner should remain in foul territory if returning to first base.

These components are used in all divisions. However the Kindergarten and Clinic divisions do not advance more than one base on any play. Therefore, they do not need to consider rounding first base or looking for the overthrow to advance to second base. They should, however, turn their heads to the right as they pass first base to avoid being hit in the face with the thrown ball.

Rounding a Base

The runner should round a base when she clearly will be safe and there is no play being made at that base. Rounding the base puts the runner in position to possibly advance to the next base. When rounding a base, the runner should lean toward the infield as she touches the inside corner of the bag with either foot. She should take 3-4 steps more and stop, couching low with her feet apart to see if she can advance further or return to the previous bag. As indicated above, the Kindergarten and Clinic divisions do not advance more than one base on any play and do not need to be taught to round the base.

Touching all the Bases

When a ball is hit to allow either the batter or a base runner to advance more than one base, the runner should run in a path that will allow her to advance around the base path as quickly as possible. The figure below shows the correct path the runner should take when touching all of the bases. The first base coach will provide instruction to the runner while she is traveling from home to second base. The third base coach will provide instruction to the runner while she is traveling from second base to home. As indicated above, the Kindergarten and Clinic divisions do not advance more than one base on any play and do not need to be taught this concept.

Tagging Up

A runner may not advance on a fly ball until it is caught. With fewer than two outs, a runner can tag up on a fly ball. To tag up, she should have one foot on the base, in a crouched position, ready to advance to the next base once the catch is made. A runner may tag up on a fly ball and fake advancing to the next base. This is called “drawing the throw” and is done when the ball is not hit deep enough to advance on a normal tag up. In this situation, the runner should tag up and sprint three to five steps only to stop. The runner should attempt to convince the fielder she is advancing to get the fielder to hurry the throw. If the fielder hurries the throw, there will be a higher likelihood it will be off-line allowing the runner to advance. If a good throw is made, the runner should return to the bag.

Leading

In the Travel, Senior, and High School Divisions, the runner is allowed to leave the base as the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. In all other divisions, leading is not allowed and the runner must remain on the base until the ball reaches the batter. When leading, the runner should attempt to get 3-5 steps off the bag when the ball is pitched. This gives the runner a good head start in advancing to the next base in the case of a batted ball or a past ball. When 3-5 steps off the bag, the runner should be facing the ball in a crouched position with feet wide apart. From this position, the runner is prepared to advance to the next base or quickly return to the previous base.

Stealing

Stealing is allowed in the Travel, Junior, Senior, and High School Divisions. However, in the Junior Division, the runner must remain on the bag until the ball reaches the batter. In the Travel, Senior, and High School Divisions, the runner can leave the bag as soon as the ball leaves the pitchers hand. Some keys to stealing bases are getting a good jump, running hard, and sliding to avoid the tag.

  1. Getting a Good Jump – For the Travel, Senior, and High School Divisions, a perfectly timed jump is one in which the runner’s foot leaves the base just as the ball is leaving the pitcher’s hand. In the Junior Division, a perfectly timed jump is one in which the runner’s foot leaves the base just as the ball reaches the batter. The runner will be called out if she leaves the bag early.
  2. Running Hard – The runner should take 4-5 explosive steps towards the next base and then peak back at home plate while still running full speed. The reason for peaking back to home plate is to see if the ball was hit, where it was hit, if it was caught by the catcher, or if it was a past ball. If the ball is hit on the ground, the runner should continue towards the next base, be prepared to make a good hard turn, and look for opportunities to go to the next base on the throw to first. If the ball is hit in the air in the infield, the runner should brake hard and head back towards the previous base. If the ball is hit in the air in the outfield and looks to be caught, the runner should brake hard and wait approximately halfway between the bases to see if the ball is caught. If caught, the runner should proceed back to the previous base. If not caught, the runner should continue to the next base and look for opportunities to advance further. If caught by the catcher, the runner should continue running hard into the next base and be prepared to slide if there is a throw. If the ball gets passed the catcher, the runner should continue towards the next base, be prepared to make a good hard turn, and look for opportunities to go to the next base if the catcher does not get to the ball quickly.
  3. Slide to Avoid the Tag – The runner should slide when there is a throw even if the throw is going to be a little late. The runner does not want to risk overrunning the base and getting tagged out after a late throw.

Sliding

Sliding should be taught to all divisions except Kindergarten and Clinic. There are three basic types of slides: the popup slide, the hook slide, and the head first slide. The hook slide and head first slide are more advanced and will not be addressed in this section.

The correct body position for the popup slide is as follows. The player should be in a sitting position leaning slightly to the left and backward. The right leg should be fully extended but the knee should not be locked. The left leg should be bent at the knee and folded under the right leg. The left ankle should be positioned under the knee of the right leg. Both arms should be raised up with the palms facing out. The head should be turned away from the direction of the throw. This protects the players face from poor throws and allows her to see overthrows giving her an opportunity to advance to the next base.

When sliding, the player should hit the ground prior to reaching the bag. She should slide into the bag with her right foot, using the bag and her left leg for leverage to pop up off the ground.

Watch for poor fundamentals that can lead to injury. It is important that these bad habits be broken early in the player’s development. Make sure the player begins her slide prior to reaching the bag. Starting the slide at the bag can lead to a leg or ankle injury, particularly if the bag is anchored down. Make sure the player is not sitting on the left ankle as she slides. This can lead to scrapes or other injuries to the knee. Make sure the players arms are up high. Players have a tendency to land on their hands as they begin their slide to break their fall. This can lead to hand or wrist injuries.

Many young players fear sliding because they think they are going to get hurt. For this reason, it is one of the most difficult skills for a coach to teach. Since sliding is so difficult to teach, plan on teaching it in segments across several practices. Do not attempt to teach sliding at full speed on day 1. See the Sliding Drills section for a recommended progression.