Pressure Baserunning

with Randy Schneider,
former Ankeny Centennial (IA) High School Head Coach;
former Iowa State University Assistant Coach;
former University of Wisconsin Associate Head Coach (2013 Big Ten Tournament Champions);
Former head coach at Valparaiso University, where he left as the programs all-time wins leader;
2008 Horizon League Co-Coach of the Year

When people talk about offense, much of the talk and focus is on home runs. However, an aggressive running game can help take the pressure off big hitters and help generate runs when your power game has an off day.

In this video, Randy Schneider explains the baserunning drills, leads, and rundowns to strategically apply pressure to opposing defenses and force them to make mistakes.

Baserunning Drills

Get out of the box quicker and more efficiently! Coach Schneider introduces several drills that will help your runners get to and round first base faster. You'll benefit from a structured, easily implemented routine that breaks home to first base-running down into all of the important pieces, which include:

• Starts - Explosively getting out of the box.
• Open Window - Proper timing of looking up to see if the ball made it through the infield.
• Hitting the Bag - Whether hitting the front of the bag on a close play or hitting the inside corner of the bag when rounding, foot placement can be the difference that puts maximum pressure on the defense.
• Breakdown - After hitting the bag at full speed, knowing how to properly stop is important for avoiding injury and for forcing the defense into making mistakes.

Use the Starts drill to get out of the batter's box more efficiently. This is a skill that can benefit hitters on almost every at-bat. Players practice getting to the end of the swing, staying balanced, and driving out while keeping the head low and running through a cone a few feet away.

Leads

Once on first base, learn how to take an aggressive lead that will draw the defense's attention. Coach Schneider explains how to drill different leads for second and third base. Learn how to take a lead off of an aggressive catcher who likes to pick off frequently, while taking a more aggressive lead against a less skilled or lazy catcher.

Rundowns and Situations

One side benefit of being an aggressive baserunning team is that your defense will practice against your base runners, better preparing them for defending against a team that runs aggressively. Coach Schneider does a terrific job of incorporating offensive and defensive work into the same drills to optimize the use of practice time with a small ball scrimmage that keeps the focus on short game skills and aggressive baserunning. He shares techniques for developing an aggressive baserunning program into the typical batting practice that helps players become comfortable between bases. Multiple baserunner scenarios are incorporated to help players understand the dynamic of not being alone on the base paths.

Coach Schneider shows you 12 drills to help you keep pressure on the defense. The more pressure your baserunning game can apply to the defense, the more errors they will make and runs you will score. Let Coach Schneider show you how to help your baserunners apply the pressure!

48 minutes. 2018.