Blueprint for Explosive Baserunning: Getting Out of the Box, Takeoff from First, Stealing & Slides

What happens when teams face a dominant pitcher and their power hitting fails? Being aggressive on the base paths can help a team score runs and be the difference between winning and losing.

Rick Fremin lays out a solid blueprint for teaching your athletes how to dominate the base paths. He presents the most effective strategies for getting out of the box and down the baseline, base running from take-off positions, reading the ball, how to effectively get back the bag, how to be aggressive by looking for the opportunity from the overthrow, sliding variations and how to be more successful with sliding. He points out the most common mistakes and how to fix a lack of aggressiveness during base running.

Getting Out of the Box

Shave tenths of a second off your home to first times by getting out of the box more quickly and efficiently. Coach Fremin breaks down the specifics for teaching slappers how to get out of the box and quickly turn their hips to get down the baseline as fast as possible. He has a simple approach to teaching proper foot place and a power step to get up the line.

A key emphasis is placed on teaching athletes how to run with forward body lean while eliminating wasteful motions toward the mound. Coach Fremin demonstrates five drills to enhance athletes' speed and accuracy to create a performance advantage.

Stealing

Getting a jump off the base as the pitcher releases the ball is critical to stealing a base. Learn how and where to place your foot on the base to get an explosive jump when taking a lead or stealing. Coach Fremin teaches a three-step safety lead to use in close games, as well as an aggressive five-step lead to push the defense. Learn how to dive back to a base safely on a pickoff attempt while still putting yourself in a position to be ready to go to the next base on a defensive miscue.

Form Running

Coach Fremin provides detailed information about running skills: creating proper stride length, arm action, and leg action while running in a straight line. He teaches runners to run with correct form to develop efficient running skills. You'll learn a drill with five progressions where players can run at different percentages of their full speed to master proper form running mechanics.

Sliding

The key for athletes becoming more successful at stealing bases is learning how to use an appropriate slide variation while avoiding tags. Coach Fremin teaches his runners four different types of slides which can help them avoid the tag from a fielder, and how to pop back up looking for the over throw and opportunity to take the next bag.

Coach Fremin teaches the finer points of aggressive baserunning to help your team score more runs. From getting out of the box quickly, to stealing bases and sliding around a tag, Coach Fremin offers an approach to help your team score even if power is lacking from your lineup. In a close ballgame, when one run will make the difference, help your team come out ahead by teaching them to run the bases aggressively.

41 minutes. 2016.