Base-runner drills — by age group

Base-running drills are the most under-coached training block in baseball. Most teams skip them entirely. The teams that do not — the teams that dedicate twenty minutes per practice to base-running work — give up fewer outs on the bases and take more extra bases than their opponents, every game. That is a measurable, trainable, high-leverage edge that costs nothing but practice time.

How to use this library

Find your age group below. Sliding drills appear at every age, with proper safety setup — wet tarp or sliding mat, spikes off, repeated reps until the slide is automatic. Leadoff and jump drills appear once leagues allow leads, typically 12U and above. Reads off the bat — first, second, and third base — appear at every age in some form. Situational baserunning drills layer in at middle school and above with realistic game situations.

Each drill page includes the demo, the developmental notes for the age, the coaching points, and the most common mistakes. Base-running work should be live, not theoretical. Set up situations, run them, repeat them. The runner who has practiced scoring from second on a single does it in games; the runner who has not, holds at third. Time stolen-base attempts. Time home-to-first. The data tells you who needs which work.