MLB Pros Share Basic to Advanced mechanics for running bases and stealing.
On this page, you’ll find baseball instruction – technique and tips – for improving your baserunning skills. Also, pro tips for stealing bases.
Click on the red links to get the step-by-step breakdown for each skill, as well as some advanced tips to help you take your game to the next level.
Generated Video Summary:
- This video features a baseball coaching session focused on foundational baserunning and stealing techniques. The coaching staff emphasizes the goal of “winning 90 feet” by shaving off tenths of a second in various aspects of base stealing.
- Key takeaways include:
- Foundational Preparation: Players are taught to check the defense on every pitch (2:18) and ensure the pitcher is engaged with the rubber before taking their lead.
- Lead Mechanics: Coaches discuss working off the back edge of the base (2:45) to gain a better angle and shorter path when diving back or stealing to the next base.
- Consistency and Visualization: Players practice finding a consistent, comfortable primary lead distance—with 13 feet being the goal (5:06)—and using landmarks or “tees” to train their muscle memory (6:16).
- Pitcher Perspective: Players visit the mound to see their lead from the pitcher’s perspective, helping them understand how their positioning looks to the defense (7:24).
- Return to Base: The session includes drills for returning to first base safely after a pickoff attempt, emphasizing directional steps rather than just turning around (11:32).
- The coaches stress that mastering these small details and margins is critical for success on the bases, encouraging players to work together as a unit to improve their reaction times and jumps.
<a class=”x1fey0fg xmper1u x1edh9d7″ href=”https://www.purplerow.com/purple-row-community/80543/colorado-rockies-purple-row-after-dark-come-learn-how-to-steal-bases-with-doug-bernier”>https://www.purplerow.com/purple-row-community/80543/colorado-rockies-purple-row-after-dark-come-learn-how-to-steal-bases-with-doug-bernier</a>
Base Running | |
| 12 Signs of a Good Base Runner | Twelve things that every good base runner does. You can use this as a test to see if you have mastered this skill. |
| Base Running Tips 1: Rules of Thumb | Three “rules of thumb” that every baserunner needs to know. |
| Base Running Tips 2: How to Slide | How to pop up slide, hook slide, sliding head first, and other important sliding fundamentals. |
| BaseRunning Tips 3: Getting to 1st base | Tips for getting to 1st after hitting a ground ball |
| BaseRunning Tips 4: How to Take a Lead at 1st and 2nd Base | How to take leads at 1st and 2nd. Base running tips for taking leads that can greatly enhance your chances of avoiding pickoffs and advancing to the next bag. |
| BaseRunning Tips 5: Reading Batted Balls from second Base | Reading hits when on 2nd can be difficult. Here are some points to help you out. |
Base Stealing | |
| 3 Things to Know before Stealing 2nd Base | Three important things to know before you steal 2nd. If you know these three things, you will know whether you should challenge the pitcher and catcher and go for the steal. |
| How to Steal 2nd off a Righty | Several strategies for reading right handed pitchers, including strategies for reading the pitcher and some common tells that will help you predict the pitcher’s moves and improve your stolen bases. |
| How to Steal 2nd off a Lefty | How to tell if a pitcher has a pre-determined move or is reading the baserunner, and several strategies for for each when stealing 2nd |
| Stealing 3rd Base | Pro tips for stealing third base. |
| Advancing on a Wild Pitch | Couple things to help you advance on wild pitches, balls in the dirt, or passed balls. To create havoc and be disruptive on the bases, anticipating pitches thrown in the dirt will allow quality offensive baseball player to take advantage of opportunities and move up to the next bag. |
| What is a Balk? | This article answers the question “What is a Balk?” and describes how to recognize when it happens. |
Also, Check out this blog post with three keys from Juan Pierre for how to steal bases.
Juan Pierre is leading all of MLB’s active players in stolen bases at 560, and is number 21 on the all time stolen bases list. In this post is 3 tips from Juan on how to steal bases. Even if you are not the fastest guy on your team, these 3 points will really help your offensive game.
Or, return to all Baseball Instruction
Running and stealing bases are critical offensive skills that can make a big difference in winning games. Running hard and smart can turn back to back singles into a scoring opportunity. A savvy runner often means the difference between single RBI home run and a 2 RBI home run because he doesn’t get picked off or thrown out unnecessarily. Violating common rules of thumb will embarrass you and cost your team runs. It’s important to know how to run bases, take leads, steal, read the pitcher, read batted balls, etc. so you will give yourself and your team the best shot at success.
I hope you have found these articles helpful. If you have a question or topic suggestion, I invite you to leave your feedback in the comment section below. Play hard! – Doug
9 Comments
very good site. Thanks for this articles ;)
My 13 year old struggles with confidence at the plate. Loved your article about “be who you are”. I lose sleep over his passion and emotion when he has a bad few games or hits a slump. He either is slamming them out of the park or wont even swing. We will be on this site alot!
What is the traverse principle? How it is violated during running to bases?
Awesome website people can find everything here THANKS
Jorgest,
Thanks, I am glad our website has been able to help you out.
Doug
the is a great web site to learn anything you need to know about baseball
i like thiswebsite because i am in kid pitch so i can steal bases so it is a good website for me.
Thanks Parker,
Good luck and I am glad you are learning from our website
Doug
Thank you very much. We plan on adding a lot more content soon. Keep checking back.
Doug