Proper Rundown Assignments

I think Bear, Paul, Scott and Gerald have covered things pretty well. I teach it pretty much like Paul described.

Three points deserve emphasis:

(1) Get the ball in front of the runner ASAP to chase him back toward his last base.

(2) The "chaser" should try to get the runner up to full speed ASAP by charging him aggressively(no jogging) while the "tagger" comes off the bag(his backup moves up to the bag to replace him) to "close the gap." A runner at full speed can't reverse direction as quickly as one who is jogging.

(3) I teach my runners caught in a "pickle" to run right at the glove of the "tagger" to block the "chasers" clear throw to his target. I also teach them to plant and reverse ASAP after the throw and try to make body contact with the "chaser" to get the obstruction call from the umpire. Of course, I teach my "chasers" to peel off immediately after the throw to avoid obstructing the runner.

Good point about having the "tagger" yell "NOW!", Bear.

Thanks.