Baserunning Drill: Dirt Ball Reads (Baseball)

Runners at each base with helmets on Pitcher/coach on the mound with catchers at home plate in full gear, taking turns Runners take initial lead from the bases, take secondary lead when the ball is delivered home Pitch is delivered in the dirt for the catcher to block. Catcher blocks and recovers, gets in position to throw the ball to a base Runners will read the pitch and decide if they can advance to the next base Runners can read independently or in unison with the other runners Coach has the option to put infield defense in place for catcher to throw to bases Each player rotates through the line so that they each lead off of 1st base 5 times

• Get a good secondary lead on every pitch
• Read the ball into the dirt immediately
• Make your decision before the catcher recovers the ball
• If the ball gets away, be aggressive and go
• If blocked cleanly, get back to the base quickly
• Always assume two outs - be aggressive but smart