HeyIn any sport, a small margin can go a long way, so by working hard to give yourself an edge, you can make huge profits. Base stealing in baseball is one such area that you can master if you use the right exercises to help you.
Effective base stealing involves some key skills that can be trained, and while this may not seem like the most obvious or attractive area to focus on, it can be key to your team.
What makes a good basic styler?
Obviously there is a mental element to stealing bases. It is very important to use your playing IQ to learn the movements and intentions of the pitcher.
However, effective base stealing also requires fast reflexes, explosive takeoffs, and good sprint speed over short distances. You can run workouts to work on all of these attributes.
A good jump and mastering the final slide will also increase your chances of being on time.
What drills can I use to steal a base?
There are a number of different drills you can use to steal a base. Any exercise that improves your reaction time, running speed, quickness, jumping, explosive power can be useful.
Here we will focus on three drills that should help you improve your game.
tennis ball drops
This is a classic exercise used in many sports, in particular to work on reaction speed as well as speed. Here’s how:
- Start with a three-point or base stance on the line five yards from the coach.
- The coach raises his hand with a tennis ball in his hand
- Once the ball is thrown, burst forward to catch it.
- Try to catch the ball before it bounces twice
- Repeat for specified repetitions
- The trainer takes two steps back to increase the distance after a successful catch.
- Sets/rests: 10-15 with 15 to 30 seconds rest.
Standing long jump
Another portable exercise that can become part of your training in other disciplines. Here’s how to do this exercise that works for your fast jump and explosive power:
- Get into a relaxed and ready position
- Bending your hips and knees, sit in a quarter squat.
- Extend your arms back exaggeratedly
- Swing your arms forward quickly and explode with your legs at the same time to jump
- Move your body forward as far as you can
- Earth with a stable foundation; absorb the impact, allowing the body to return to its original position and immediately repeat a total of four jumps
- Sets/reps: 58 with 60 seconds rest between sets; do sets 2 to 4 while holding a light medicine ball
resistance sprints
Speed is important here, and this exercise will increase your strength and therefore your maximum speed. You will probably need a friend for this if you don’t have special equipment:
- Get into the starting position for the sprint
- Wrap a large bath towel around your waist
- The partner stands behind you, holding on to the ends of the towel.
- Sprint forward 15 yards
- Have a partner run behind you holding on to a towel to provide steady resistance.
- Sets/rests: 10-15 with 30 second rest.
What else can I do?
Doing situational drills in a game is always a good way to practice. If you incorporate the above exercises into your training or training program, you will find yourself stealing base more effectively in practice and in matches.