Softball Baserunning Drills - Home to First

Purpose: This drill teaches players the basics of base running and allows them to practice techniques for running to first, including developing quickness out of the batter's box.

Procedure: This drill requires a batter, feeder, and five scattered defensive receivers. The remaining players rotate running to first. The first-base running lane needs to be drawn. The batter-base runner hits a ball off a soft toss or a machine and focuses on getting quickly out of the box. She heads to the center of the running lane. She takes a brief look and decides whether to make a turn for second or run straight through the base, pulling up short as soon as she hits the bag. The coach can use chalk lines or a cone as a reminder of when to look briefly at the play. The runner rotates to the first-base coaching box to see if the next runner touches the front half of the base. She then rotates to the end of the line at home.