Run through first base drill

At a glance

Sport

Baseball and Softball

Skill

Baserunning

Ages

6U to 12U

Players

The whole team, in one line at home plate

Time

About 10 minutes

Level

Beginner

Equipment

Home plate and first base, Batting helmets, One cone (optional)

Indoors

Needs a field

Most young runners slow down before first base. They jump at the bag, stutter their steps to hit it with a certain foot, or pull up because they think the base is the finish line. Every one of those habits turns a close play into an out. This drill gives the whole team a lot of quick reps of the right way: full speed through the bag, a step on the front edge, then a controlled stop in foul territory.

Run it early in the season and come back to it as a warm-up. It needs only home plate, first base and helmets, it keeps the line moving, and it sets up the next steps of a baserunning progression, rounding first and going first to third.

Setup

• Line the team up behind home plate in helmets, with room between the line and the batter's box.
• Put a cone in foul territory 10 to 15 feet past first base as the spot to run to.
• Stand near first base where you can see each runner's foot hit the bag.

How to run it

1. The first runner takes a stance in the box, swings without a bat or simply starts on your call, and sprints for first base.
2. The runner hits the front edge of the bag in stride, without leaping or reaching for it.
3. After the bag the runner keeps running straight toward the cone, then chops the feet to slow down in foul territory.
4. As the runner crosses the bag, the head turns right to look for a ball that got past the first baseman.
5. The next runner leaves once the runner ahead has touched the base, so the line keeps moving. After everyone has gone, the group jogs back along the outfield side and goes again.

Coaching points

• Run through the base, not to it. The cone past the bag is the finish line.
• Step on the front edge of the base, the part closest to home. It is the nearest point and keeps the runner off the first baseman's foot.
• Take whichever foot arrives. Changing steps to touch with a certain foot costs time.
• Look right into foul territory right after the bag. If the ball is loose, the runner can take second.
• Pump the arms and keep the eyes on the bag, not on the ball in the infield.

Common mistakes

• Slowing down two or three steps before the base. Fix it by moving the cone farther past the bag.
• Jumping onto the base or landing on the middle of it, which slows the runner and can roll an ankle.
• Turning toward second after the bag without meaning to go, which lets the defense tag the runner out.
• Watching the ball out of the box instead of running hard down the line.

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.

Smaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).

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Frequently Asked Questions

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