How to teach kids to lead off and steal bases.

Kids love to steal. It is fast, a little sneaky, and it puts them right in the middle of the game. But a lot of young runners get picked off or thrown out because nobody showed them the simple steps. Here is how to teach it the right way.

First: can your kid lead off and steal?

Before you teach a single lead, find out what your league allows. Rules on leading and stealing change a lot from league to league and age to age.

• Many younger baseball divisions: no leads at all. Runners wait on the base until the pitch reaches the batter. In Little League Baseball's younger divisions, for example, a runner who leaves too early is sent back after the play.
• Older and travel baseball: leads and steals are often allowed, and the pitcher can try to pick runners off.
• Softball: runners usually cannot leave the base until the pitcher releases the ball. Leave early and the runner can be called out.

So check your league's rules, and ask your coach how they handle steals. Many coaches give a steal sign, and some only let certain runners go. Teach your child to follow the coach every time.

If your league doesn't allow leads yet, don't skip this. A great first step off the base still matters, and they will be ready when the rules change.

How to take a lead (where it's allowed)

A lead is just a few steps toward the next base, so the runner has less distance to cover. The golden rule for kids: only take a lead you can get back from.

1. Start on the base: foot on the bag, eyes on the pitcher, not the dugout.
2. Step off calmly: walk or side-shuffle off a few steps while the pitcher gets set. No crossing the feet.
3. Get athletic: feet a little wider than shoulders, knees bent, weight on the balls of the feet, hands loose.
4. Test the lead: they should be able to get back to the base with one crossover step and a reach.

For a 9- or 10-year-old, a short lead is plenty. Start small, then add half a step once they get back easily every time. On a pickoff try, teach them to get back to the base standing up and touch the bag. Diving back can come later.

When to go: reading the pitcher

Coach BK likes to say "Pitchers are basically pizza delivery guys." For a young runner, that means the pitcher is just delivering the ball, so watch for the delivery and be ready to go the second it starts.

The key for kids is one simple read: go when the pitcher commits to home. In baseball, that is usually when the front leg starts moving toward the plate. Once the motion is clearly going home, a throw to the base usually isn't allowed.

Left-handed pitchers face first base, so they are harder to read. With a lefty, it's fine to be patient and only go on the coach's sign. Rules about pickoff moves and balks vary, so check your league's rules.

In softball, the read is simpler. The pitcher is going home every time, so the runner's job is timing: leave the base right as the ball is released, not a split second before.

The first step and the run

Most steals are won or lost in the first two steps. Teach the crossover start:

1. Turn the right foot: pivot it to point toward the next base.
2. Cross over with the left: the left leg drives across, low and quick.
3. Stay low for a few steps: no popping straight up.
4. Peek in: after a few steps, a quick look toward home tells them if the ball was hit.
5. Slide: feet first, every time, unless the coach says stand up.

For softball, teach a rocker start: one foot on the front edge of the base, the other foot back, and a rock forward so they are moving at release. Check your league's rules on how runners may start.

Sliding is part of stealing, so teach it safely first. Our guide on how to teach a kid to slide safely walks through it on grass. Helmets on any time they run the bases, and check your league's rules on head-first slides.

Steal games for practice

Steal starts get better with lots of short reps, a few every practice. Try these games at the park, 10 minutes at a time, with a helmet on.

• Pitcher Says Go: you play pitcher. Step toward home and they break; spin toward the base and they get back. Five rounds, then switch who is pitcher.
• Get Back: they take a lead, you call "back!" and they return standing up and touch the bag. Count clean returns in a row.
• Two-Step Race: race from a lead to a cone two big steps away. Only the crossover start counts.
• Release Start (softball): you mime the pitch and say "now" at release. Leaving before "now" is a reset.

Coach BK also says "Two choices: A. Do everything in your control. B. Anything but A." For a young runner, that means the lead, the read and the first step are all in their control, so they can own those every time.

Getting thrown out is part of learning. Praise a good read and a hard first step, even when the throw beats them.

What to do this week

Check your league's rules on leads and steals. Then play Pitcher Says Go and Get Back for 10 minutes twice this week, and cheer every clean read.

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Sources: Little League University: Is a runner out for leaving the base early? (softball and baseball) · American Baseball Coaches Association: Four keys to stealing bases