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Baserunning Fundamentals
by Dave
Monday, June 08, 2009
When the word "fundamentals" is used in a softball or baseball context, most often the images conjured up have to do with hitting, fielding, or throwing the ball. We don't often think of anything to do with baserunning as "fundamental" per se. In baseball, where the important parts of the running game don't emerge in the early years - leading off base appears in late stages say at 12U travel (50-70) or when the bases move to 90 feet at 14U - it is understandable that base running fundamentals are not taught at 8U or 10U levels. In softball, the bases and most of the rules remain pretty much the same from 10U on up. And we really do need to teach these fundamentals as much as any others.
There can be restrictions at 10U regarding bunting and stealing but for the most part, what remains unchanged from 10U through the highest levels are 1) you can't leave base until ball release, 2) after the ball is released until it is back in the circle, you can pretty much do anything you want, at risk of being put out, and 3) once it is back in the circle, you must proceed directly to a base (referred to as the look back rule).
I'll take a moment and explain the "look back rule" which is what compels the runner to proceed immediately to a base once the ball is back in the circle because I think sometimes folks can get confused about this. Obviously, in softball, we don't have leading the way they do in baseball. So, after the pitch, when does the runner need to be on the base? The runner needs to be on the base for the period of time leading up to the pitch. So, once the ball gets back into the circle, runners have to go wherever they are going so the game can proceed.
There is not an obligation that a runner return to the base last occupied. She could attempt to move up a base. But the time to decide and go is now, once the ball is back in the circle. So, a runner could lead off base on the pitch and then stand there while the catcher fakes a pickoff throw. But once the ball gets back in the circle, she must proceed to the next base or go back to the one she's gonna stay at. If she does not, the ump can call her out. The only exception would be if the pitcher were making a play. A pitcher is considered making a play if she has the ball in her throwing hand and is threatening to throw, like holding the ball in a cocked position.
There is no requirement, express or otherwise, that the pitcher "look" the runner "back" but sometimes people around me have expressed that this is precisely the meaning of the "look back rule." It isn't. A baserunner waiting to be "looked back" to base stands a decent chance of being called out for failing to return!
The reason I harp on this subject is because it plays an important part in the baserunning fundamentals I'd like to see you all teach. That is, a very important part of baserunning fundamentals is returning to base. But I suppose we should get on base and then lead off first.
The first element of baserunning fundamentals is necessarily the movement from batter to baserunner. The "easiest" way to get onto base is via the walk. What I want my hitters to do when they walk is drop the bat immediately and then run to first as if they are trying to beat out a grounder. I do not want them over-running first but I want a full out sprint to get to the bag. We often see habits from rec days of girls getting concerned about their new bat being put away properly or they do not wish to make the coach get up off the bucket and retrieve the bat. So, when the ump says "take your base," they smile and then start looking around for a nice place to put the bat down or for a coach or teammate to reach out and grab for it. That's no good. Drop it and go.
Another less popular way to get on base is the ole strike em out drop the ball play. I want my batters to, after striking out, be told by the first base coach that they are out. I don't want anyone to ask questions, look back at the plate ump or anything like that. Drop it and go. Coach will stop you if you are out. This is critical for a number of reasons. First off, the rules are, the batter is allowed to try to make first provided that the base is unoccupied with less than two outs or at any time there are two outs.
This rule is actually more complex than it seems. Think of it this way. If there is a runner on first and she steals right before you strike out, is first occupied? Yes it is and the batter is out via the K. But grab hold of anyone, particularly the catcher and ask them this question while telling them they have 2 seconds to respond and what you'll typically get is a throw to first to make sure the batter is out. In other words, your runner from first gets to steal for free.
Further, at the moment of the K, it is somewhat unusual for the catcher to know automatically how many outs there are while also contemplating the rule about when the batter is out. If there are two outs and first is occupied, there is some chance that she will grad the ball and then roll it out to the mound while neglecting the runner headed to first. Or better yet, there is a chance she'll try to throw out the runner stealing from first at second. I've seen it happen dozens of times.
OK, here's one final thought on th9is subject for you. Let's say it is strike three but the pitch hits the dirt as the batter swings at it and the catcher, thereafter, makes a clean play on the ball - she does not drop it. What happens then? This may seem a bit pedantic to some of you but I have heard at least one person get this wrong once a year for the past 30 years. The answer is, if the ball touches the dirt, it isn't a clean catch - you have to tag or put out the batter before she reaches first. All that has to happen is the ball has to hit dirt. It doesn't matter how the catcher deals with it so long as she doesn't snatch it from the air before it contacts the ground. But that's enough of that.
A final way to get on base involves hitting the ball into play and reaching the bag before being put out. What I have seen taught is running through the bag and then curling into foul ground after reaching the bag or, alternately, if the ball is hit into the outfield, curling into foul ground and then rounding out towards second. I want neither.
As a first consideration, I want everyone to understand the use of the safety base at first. If the ball is hit into the infield, the runner should use the outer base, the one in foul ground. If the ball is hit into the outfield, you should use the inner base, in fair territory. On balls hit to right where the RF seems like she might be making a play on the runner at first, I would stick with the outside bag unless the 1B was using it. But this gets tricky. Technically a ball hit to RF is in the outfield and the inner bag should be used. But because this play seems more like an infield one, I think runners should be taught to use the outside base.
Another consideration is the run through the bag and then curl into foul ground thing. There are some popular misconceptions in this. First, particularly at very young ages, there is a misunderstanding of the rules which tells beginners that the runner at first needs to turn clockwise into foul ground. There's no such rule. You can over run first and turn whichever way suits you so long as you don't make a movement like you are going to go to second. Once you make towards second, you have to go or get back to first - it doesn't matter which way you turned.
More importantly, I don't want girls in practice to run like the wind through the bag and then slap the coach's hand out on the outfield grass. Rather, at the moment of striking the base with their foot, I want runners to work towards coming to a stop. "Breaking down" is the term usually used. You reach the base and then do whatever you can to stop while taking a glance towards your right into foul ground, just in case there is an overthrow, you may see the ball go flying away. Otherwise, you stop and then turn on your bionic hearing in case your coach tells you to go.
If the ball is hit into the outfield, except right, our batter-baserunner should easily reach safely without having to over run the base. I want her to turn and get slightly off the bag, stop, look and listen. I do not want her to round big time, and then see what is going on. This is softball not baseball. The distances are closer. If you enter high school ball with the idea that you should round the bag when you get a hit to center, well, you're gonna get thrown out at least once before your career is over. I want girls taught to round slightly but not take big lead offs of first following a hit. If there is any chance the ball is going to get by the outfielders, the base coach should see that long before the runner gets there and then, hopefully, direct her to go, go, go!
But so much for just getting on base. Those are important fundamentals but not the ones I want to focus on. The ones I want to focus on involve being on base, leading off and getting back. The first element we encounter is the proper stance to take at the bases. Often coaches will use the baseball stance which is basically your old athletic 'ready position" with weight evenly distributed and the butt low. But this stance is intended for situations with leading in which the baserunner is just as likely to have to go back to the bag as he or she is to proceed to the next base. That doesn't work as well when the objective is to get off the base - one directional. here we want to put weight on the pivot foot and take it off the stride foot. We want to explode off the base at the precise moment the ball comes out of the pitcher's hand.
The pivot foot must have a solid base from which to push as the runner strides towards the next base. If the bases are anchored to the ground as most are, using the base itself as a sort of starting block is fine. If they are not, it is preferable to put the foot next to the base and use solid ground to push off of. If you come to fields and notice that bases are not anchored, I suggest asking the umps during the pre-game meeting, if it will be ok for your kids to put their feet next to the base - while of course still making contact with the bag.
Most girls stride strongest with their right leg so it is the left foot which should be firmly on the ground and bare the majority of weight. The right leg should be back behind the base. The arms should be coiled. And as the pitcher begins the downward journey of her arm through the windmill motion, the arms should come forward and the stride leg explode into running position. In this manner, the runner is into a full stride, though she has not lost contact with the base, as the pitcher's arm comes down to the release point. Thereafter, she pushes off the base, hopefully, at the exact moment the ball comes out of the pitcher's hand. The more practice a kid can get with an actual pitcher pitching, the better. But you have to go over technique first.
Let's be clear that the runner is not allowed to lose contact with the base before the pitcher releases the ball. If she does lose contact early, she can be called out. But if you are playing a preliminary round game with just one ump, or if there are two umps and other runners on base they are watching, it would seem to be ok to come off the base a little early. That's true when it is unlikely to be called. A single ump behind the plate is almost never going to call out a runner at first for leaving early. The same is true with two umps and the field one concerned mostly with the runner at second or third. We want to teach girls to be aggressive so it is important to teach them to recognize when they should more quickly leave the base.
Along the same lines, I once took my team aside and asked them if they understood when to leave base. There was some minor confusion but for the most part they understood. So then I asked them what happens if you leave early. Everyone said, "you get called out." I said, "no you don't. You get called out if you leave early and the umpire sees you do it." That's gonna sound like cheating to some but I suggest to you that it is not. It is merely being aggressive. My next question to my charges was, "if you get called out for leaving base early, is that: 1) always really, really bad; 2) no big deal; or 3) it depends. They loooked at me funny and then concluded that it was always bad since you get an out and have to leave base. One girl said her father would "kill her" if she ever got called out for leaving base early.
I told the girls that if nobody on this team ever gets called out for leaving base early, that would be a bad thing since we aren't being aggressive enough. I also let them know that if they're on third in a tie game, in the last inning, well, then getting called out for leaving early is a bad thing. But generally, I do want my girls to be aggressive enough to sometimes get called out for leaving early. We talked at length about situations in which it would be good, those in which it would be bad, etc. But I didn't want the point lost that I want them to be aggressive. I want somebody at some point to get called out for leaving early.
So, that's getting off and the next question is, what do you do once your right foot is striding and your left has left the bag. Well, that too depends on the situation.
I want my runners at first to get a 3 stride running lead and then stop in the old ready position, weight balanced, ready to go in either direction ... unless the ball is contacted. If it is contacted angle down, I want them ready to proceed to second. If it is angle up, I want them to freeze unless there are two outs (and we'll get to that).
I want my runners at second to get a 5 stride running lead and again stop in ready position. That's because the fielders are further from the bag. If the 5 stride running lead puts them in front of the SS, the strides are too long and I want them to shorten up. If a girl is not stealing, I never want her all the way out to the SS. The opposite is true as well. If the SS is cheating so far towards third that you find yourself miles away from her, I want you to go a bit further, unless the 2B is creeping in behind the bag. So generally go as far and no further than the closest infielder to second. I would say you want to be a full running stride closer to second than the closest fielder so you can get back before they even get there. Of course, if you are trying to pull a delayed steal, then perhaps you should go out all the way to the fielder. But delayed stealing is a subject for another day.
At third base, you are far too valuable of a commodity to play around. I want a two walking step lead and no more than that. I want you off the bag and ready to head for home but I don't want you to make yourself a target for a pickoff play, despite the piece I just wrote about catchers not trying to pick off runners at third. There are certainly situations and baserunners who i ant to try to draw a throw to third but I'm talking broad generalities here and in general I want no more than a two step walking lead at third. i don't think I need to discuss the fair ground/foul ground aspect of the lead at third. I think that's obvious.
So we're off base at whatever distance, depending on which base we occupy, and now what do we do? Go back, of course! But let me be crystal clear about this. This is really the crux of what I have to say today. You get on base, get into a good lead off position, lead on the pitch, somewhat aggressively, see what's up and then GO BACK. I don;t want dancing. I don't want taunting. I want you to be ready for action and barring any developments, I want you safely bag to the bag ... NOW. You have to be heads up just in case something happens like a wayward throw back to the pitcher. -; But there's no point in being off base if all that is happening is the catcher is throwing the ball back to the pitcher and getting ready for the next pitch. So go back. Get on the bag.
I have had some kids play for me who stroll back to the bag. I've had many who feel the need to taunt and dance. I've had some who like to saunter back as if some predatory cat looking to show off its athleticism. I don't like this as a general rule. I think this is just too showy and not about getting business done. I want you back unless we are going to try something like a delayed steal.
If we are going to try something, we aren't just going to stay off the base and make it obvious since everyone else is continually rushing back to get on the bag, we are going to set it up. We are going to try to play with the other team's head. But 90% of the time, I want you off and then back. We need not get into the other aspects. We're talking fundamentals.
It is absolutely critical that girls on third not saunter back or lounge around. When you return to third, you turn your back from the ball. So you need to get back immediately and leave no opportunity for the opponent to pick you off while you're napping.
Lest I forget when I say go back to base, I am of course forgetting about the situation with two outs and any sort of contact. I suppose I have seen more players at high levels not go all out on hit balls when there are two outs, than any other mistake. It is important to explain to girls at length that when they are on base and say the ball is popped out to the OF, you gotta go. The onyl two out situation during which you shouldn't go is when you are on second, not forced, and the ball is hit right in front of you. Then you have to hold and as soon as the ball is thrown, you proceed to third and turn the bag in case the throw gets away.
On a 3-2 pitch with two outs, runners who are forced must go as if they are stealing. Of course, we always want girls to try to pick up the ball in order to avoid interference. But all forced runners must go on the pitch with a 3-2 count and 2 outs. Sometimes, when runners go all out with two outs on struck balls, fielders make mistakes. For example, I have seen shortstop throw the ball home to head off a run. I've seen pitchers do this too. I've seen infielders who had to chase a ball down turn to make a force out throw at a secondary base because they didn't think they could get the batter out at first. If runners proceed immediately with two outs, sometimes this very event can open up an inning.
I think that is enough information for one posting - probably way too much. We touched on some important fundamentals of base running. We've talked a bit about look back and some other rules. I mention this stuff today because I watched a team break almost all of my cardinal rules this past weekend. I saw a situation in which one run was going to make all the difference in the outcome of a game. One team had a runner on second who took a two step walking lead. I'm not sure why since neither middle infielder was covering the bag after pitches. And both were cheating towards the foul line. This girl could have taken a 7 step running lead and never been challenged. But she didn't. So when the first pitch was thrown into the dirt, she didn't go. Her coach yelled at her to come unless he stopped her. But he never questioned her lead. When the next pitch got away, she started towards third but stopped when the coach realized she would never make it in time and held up his hands. Had she taken the lead the defense had given her, she would have made it without a throw. When the next one got away, she finally ran but she was off to such a bad start the catcher easily threw her out. I heard the coach talk to the kid about deciding to go sooner. He never noticed that her lead stunk and was the primary reason she was out.
Later that same game I saw the same thing again. the girl failed to advance until a grounder was hit to second for the second out. Had she advanced as she should have, she would have scored on that play. Later as that game went into ITB, there was another girl on second. A ball was hit to the SS and this kid, who also got a bad lead raced towards the kid making the play on the ball. From what I could see, she intentionally made contact with the SS. Obviously the umpire called interference. The kid was out, ball game over.
I saw this play develop in slow motion. I turned to see what the coaches looked like in this moment of losing. They had no idea the ump would call interference. They all had looks of jubiliation on their faces. They thought something good was going to come out of this play. Had I been able to quiz them at this moment, I believe they would have said they thought obstruction would be called against the SS and the runner would be awarded third. In the moment after the call, as the other team left the field happy they had just won the game, I saw these same coaches look puzzled. Nobody understood the call!
Preparation is critical. Coaches need to know the rules. Players must be steeped in fundamentals, not just fundamentals of hitting, fielding, throwing but also fundamentals of baserunning. No kid should get a two step lead at second. No kid should be ignorant of rules regarding what they can, should, or are prohibited from doing on the bases. Fundamentals are the key to winning games.
 
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