Baseball drill
Rabbit and turtle baserunning race
Two runners race from home to first base: the turtle starts first, and the rabbit chases once the turtle passes a cone. A quick, competitive way to get players running hard all the way through the bag.
At a glance
- Sport
- Baseball and Softball
- Skill
- Baserunning
- Ages
- 6U to 14U
- Players
- Pairs, the whole team rotating through
- Time
- About 10 minutes
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Home plate and first base, One cone, Batting helmets
- Indoors
- Needs a field
Telling players to run hard through first base works for a rep or two. Giving them someone to chase works for the whole drill. In this race the front runner, the turtle, gets a head start and the trailing runner, the rabbit, tries to catch her before the base. The runner in front runs hard because she is being chased, and the runner behind runs hard because she can see who she is chasing.
It takes a few minutes, needs only a cone, and works well at the end of a baserunning block or as a finisher to a practice. Change the head start so each pair finishes close.
Setup
- Place a cone on the first base line a short way from home plate, about 10 to 15 feet to start.
- Pair players of similar speed. The turtle stands at home plate; the rabbit stands just behind her.
- A coach stands near first base to call who got there first and to watch the finish.
How to run it
- On the coach's call, the turtle sprints toward first base.
- The rabbit waits until the turtle passes the cone, then takes off after her.
- Both run hard through first base, not to it, and slow down in foul territory.
- The coach calls the result: the rabbit caught the turtle or the turtle held on.
- Players switch roles for the next race and jog back to home plate along the outfield side of the line.
Coaching points
- Explode out of the start with low, driving steps rather than standing straight up.
- Run through the bag. The race ends past first base, not at it.
- Eyes on the base, not on the other runner. Looking back slows the turtle down.
- Move the cone after each round so the races stay close. A blowout teaches nothing.
Common mistakes
- The rabbit leaving before the turtle reaches the cone. The coach watches the cone and restarts the race.
- The turtle easing up near the base because she thinks she has won.
- Both runners crowding the same lane at the bag. Have the rabbit finish just outside the base in foul territory, or use a second base beside first.
Printable drill card
Take this drill to the field: the setup, steps, coaching points and equipment on one card, with the video's address to find it again. Free, no account needed.
Print the drill cardSmaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).
By age
Coach pitch and 10U
Give a bigger head start so the turtle usually wins and players learn to finish through the base, and keep the pairs close in speed.
12U and 14U
Shrink the head start, time the races, and keep a running score by pairs so the drill has a winner at the end.
Next: Free wristband generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you keep runners from colliding at first base in a chase drill?
Give each runner a lane. The turtle uses the base and the rabbit runs past a cone or a second base set beside it in foul territory, then both slow down straight ahead instead of turning across each other.
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