Base runners who understand spacing and angles beat runners who are confused about where to go. This drill turns that into a game so kids remember it.
Equipment needed: Four cones, two bases (or bags), a stopwatch or timer on your phone.
Setup: Set up a diamond at 45 feet per side using cones at home and first base. Mark “halfway” between home and first with a cone at the 22-foot line. You stand at first base.
How to run it:
- Line the kids up at home plate in pairs.
- The first pair races to first base: one runs the baseline (the chalk line), one runs a wider angle around it.
- Call out who wins each rep. The runner on the baseline will almost always win. Now they see it.
- Next rep: they switch which runner takes which path.
- Do 4 rounds so each kid runs the baseline twice and the angle twice. They’ll feel the difference in their legs.
What to look for: The straight line beats the curve. Some kids will still try to run the wide angle because they think base running means “running to the side.” It doesn’t.
Variation: