This is one of my favorite [tag]softball practice drills[/tag] that I find to be a great end of practice activity. It involves working most base running situations and conditioning.
Set up an extra home plate and first base a good 8 to ten feet wide of the base line and normal home plate.
One runner at each of the bases. Two lines of batter/runners. The batter/runners at the normal home plate will take an imaginary swing. The batter/runners at the extra home plate will square and make an imaginary bunt.
The runner at first will go first to third as if on a hit and run, the runner on second will score as if on a hit, the runner at third will go on “contact”, the batter/runner at the plate will go first to second and the “bunters” will run through the bag turning their head to look for an over throw.
When a cycle is complete, the “bunters” become the runner. Runners that score go to the end of the lines.
You have to give everyone a chance to get set for the turn. All runners have to imagine a setting and going to the plate so secondary leads can be taken etc. Many times I had to verbally call out, “Pitcher on the rubber” lead, “Pitcher goes home” secondary lead…batter swings bunter bunts. I usually go through the exercise once so each batter/runner gets a turn bunting and swinging.