Run downs can be a crucial aspect of a game. Often times we are stuck in a mode where we act recklessly under pressure in a situation like this. Here are 10 tips to help you be more successful in a rundown situation. Be sure to practice to get better and feel more comfortable to perform in games. Also, be sure to remember that if there is a rundown between first and second or second and third and there is a runner at third, she can advance to home during this situation when attention is not on her. Be sure to keep her in your peripheral vision so that you can adjust your attention should she try to advance home. Your first priority in that situation would most often be to prevent the runner from scoring.

 1. Be at a place where you would best be utilized in that situation: Ask yourself, are all of the bases in front of the runner being covered? If the runner is at first or second base, it is imperative that there is coverage at the bases in front of the runner. Your number one goal is to get to a spot that you can be utilized. If you are doing nothing and either backing up or covering nothing, you are doing the wrong thing! Ask yourself if there are there enough girls that are involved in the run down. Ultimately there needs to be at least 3 girls defensively in order for things to run smoothly. Keep replacing each other after throws.
 

  2. Run the girl back to the girl she came from. The worst case scenario is that a runner gets to the base she intended to advance to, or worse yet, advances more than 1 base or possibly scores. Your job should be to get the girl out who is in the rundown, however the next best thing would be to get the girl to go back to the base that she came from so there would be no damage done from the situations and she’d be back to the base she started from. This mean that while running at the runner, be sure to run her closer to the base she came from. When she is headed in the direction of advancing to the next base, throw the ball to that base sooner so that there is less margin for a timing error with the throw.
 

 3.  Close the gap: This means that the person about to receive the throw from the person who has the ball in a rundown, should be creeping towards the runner. This closes the gap between the two of them which can be confusing for a runner who believes that she has more space before the next base than you are allowing for. You also eliminate the room for error as it makes a shorter throw to the person who will be receiving.
 

  4.  Keep the ball out  of your glove and in throwing position as you are running down a person: This allows for a quicker transition when you are ready to throw. This also keeps the runner on her toes because you don’t know the time in which she is about to throw the ball. If the person with the ball starts with it in her glove not only does it take more time, it is more obvious when she takes the ball out of the glove that she is ready for the throw. Remember that when the ball is in your hand, you can tag the runner with the ball in your hand. Do not tag the runner with your bare glove.
 

5. The best run down is zero throws: To start a run down, run at the girl to get her to commit to a base before throwing. There may be situations in which the girl freezes and commits to a base so late that you are either close to tagging her or you can actually run her down from wherever you were without a throw. The less throws the better as it creates a smaller margin for error.
 

6. Create a throwing lane: Be sure that your team practices making a throwing lane when doing a run down. If the person about to receive the ball is hiding behind the runner, the ball is more likely to be throw at the runner which would allow her to advance more easily due to a ball hitting her and escaping the path of the throw. Get out of the baseline by a little bit in order to make a clear path for the person with the ball to make an accurate throw. Be sure to give a nice target in an athletic position when receiving.
 

7. Get out of the way after the throw: In order to avoid interference with a runner, you MUST get out of the way after a throw. If the runner runs into you because you failed to get out of the way in time, she will advance to the next base safely through an interference call from the umpire. After getting out of the way, follow your throw to the next base so you anticipate having the next base covered should the rundown continue.
 

8. Keep the ball under control- Do not wind up and throw the ball as hard as you can in a rundown situation. The person receiving the ball is often much closer to you than a normal throw and although your nerves and excitement of the situation might be giving you strength, its best to control that energy so that you throw a quick dart to the person receiving. A ball thrown too hard is one that is hard to react to when close to each other and may end up as an errant throw and extra bases for the runner.
 

9. When the runner turns her back to you, throw the ball: When the runner turns her back to the person with the ball, this means that she has committed to a base. THROW THE BALL TO THE BASE SHE IS HEADED AT THAT TIME.

10.   Communicate- In any situation communication is huge. If you are involved in a run down situation, communicate when a throw should be thrown. If you are covering a successive base, be sure bases are covered and shout to those who could be better help in other positions. Be sure everyone is where they should be and communicate if there are problems. Run downs can be chaotic, but when loud and helpful to others, this can set your team up for success.