By: Jon Toner, President / Northampton Little League
Baserunning is a great equalizer among players. Even the worst hitter will occasionally get on base. If he can take advantage of that walk or HP to contribute to the offense, not only is he helping the team, but he also feels like he is contributing. T-Ball and Farm Leagues don't allow stealing, so runners are used to standing on the bag waiting for something to happen. A drill I use to break them of this habit is institute a simple rule at all practices. If the catcher stands up to return to the ball to the pitcher and a baserunner is still standing on a base, the baserunner is out. The kids quickly learn to jump off base. And guess what... You're catcher learns to jump up and quickly return the ball to the pitcher. I'll even use this ground rule during scrimmages against other teams. By Opening Day, all my kids are aggressive and ready to run on every pitch.
Date: April 29, 1998 at 23:49