It's very important that in every practice you set aside some time
to go over situations that may happen during a game. If you neglect
one aspect of the game, and the situation comes up during a game,
your team will be unprepared.
Run Downs are a situation that may or may not occur during a game;
but you want to be prepared if they happen. Explain to your players
that the goal of the Run Down is to chase the runner back to their
original base. Most players feel that the goal is get the runner out
and in doing so will make too may throws. The more throws, the more
of a chance for a mistake and for the runner to advance. THERE SHOULD
BE NO MORE THAN 2 THROWS in a rundown.
For this drill you will need 1 base runner and 3 fielders (a pitcher,
1st baseman and 2nd baseman). The pitcher starts with the ball. The
base runner takes a big lead and attempts to steal 2nd. The pitcher
makes a throw to 2nd or 1st, depending on where the runner is running.
After the throw, the pitcher FOLLOWS HIS THROW. It is very important
that after each throw, the throwers follow their throws, that is run
in the direction of the throw and take the place of the player who
caught the throw (if the 2nd baseman throws to the 1st baseman, the
2nd baseman follows his throw and now becomes the 1st baseman). It
is also important for the fielders to first run at the base runner
and not simple throw the ball back and forth. Remember, the goal of
the Run Down is to chase the runner back to their original base and
THERE SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN 2 THROWS in a rundown.
