How fast to first base????

[JAD]

As for how these numbers compare to how it looks in real life -- I'd say my two fastest players are two of the fastest players we've played, so I don't think 2.68 overly exaggerates their speed. Our players in the 3.00+ are what i would consider average to slow. Put another way, I think if I timed using the bunt/soft toss, I'd add about .20 to their times.

I understand your logic of "as long as your are consistent" you can measure improvement, but I would not give out these numbers to others. Here is a chart showing the times of the Olympic softball team - including Natasha Watley.

Home to 1st (righty) Home to 1st (lefty) 2nd to Home Home to Home
Slow Above 3.0 Above 3.0 Above 6sec Above 12.5sec
Average 3.0 sec 2.7 - 2.8 5.75 sec 11.50 - 12.00
Good 2.8 sec 2.5 - 2.6 5.3 - 5.5 11.00 - 11.3
Great 2.6 sec 2.3 - 2.4* 5.2 or lower 10.8 or lower
* Natasha Watley - US Olympic Team


Softball Excellence

 

[SBFAMILY]

Sorry to break your bubble but all NFCA camps are posted for college coaches. No one is as fast as you guys are posting. It is timed in the 40 without a swing an using a electronic timer, not a stop watch. Google it. DD was the second fastest time at the Queen of Diamonds out of hundreds of kids at 2.84. I have talked to Natasha and have watched her and some of the best slappers in the world, and I have only seen one kid in college beat her time. DD got to work and talk to Laura Berg , who was another very fast slapper US Olympic Team . If you want to learn speed work with Marc , who has his own thread on this forum. He is very good and we learned a bunch at his clinic. There is more than speed involved. Quickness is what Marc will teach you.

 

[MsDinosaur]

I think DD turned in a 3.58 indoors on a gym floor at a camp in December. I'll have to ask her if they did a simulated swing. As I say, she's not very fast, but I was hoping they'd time her again in January so I could see what affect the speed and agility training has had. Unfortunately, I didn't see a home-first time listed on her January sheet. Maybe next time!

It sounds like others have had pretty dramatic quantifiable improvements in team running speed.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Most camps don't use a simulated swing. They want to see how fast you are, so no advantage being a lefty. It is about pure speed so they can see how fast you can run from first to second ! So everyone is in the same boat. I think there is roughly 500 plus players a year based in different camps around the US. They measure speed, bat speed , pop time for catchers, and all the different pitchers a pitcher throws, Plus outfield throws , BMI and bat speed. You must be selected based on guidelines such as GPA. The two we attended had College coaches bumping into each other ! Just a little bragging but DD finished third in BMI in the nation in 2011. 89.4% impressive for a female.

 

[MsDinosaur]

Ok, that can't be the same BMI that my doctor talks about, where my number should be lower than it is. What does that stand for?

 

[JAD]

BMI is Body Mass Index, which basically calculates the fat content of your body. Most people give their reading as the percent fat, which would mean lower is better, but it can also be read as a non-fat percentage, which is what I believe SBFAMILY was doing at 89.4%, which would be 10.6% body fat.

 

[CrazyNani]

My top 14U players home to first time is about 3 seconds. I consider anything under 3.2 to be fast and 3.3 - 3.5 to be the average. Anything over 3.5 would be slow. For a 9 YO I would add about a second to these times. On the low end your DD's speed would be considered average and on the high end slow.

Isn't that a bit fast for the age group, to consider anything above 3.2 average? Most girls are closer to 3.75-4.0 at this point. If you're talking elite 14u teams, where only the fastest girls are on the team, maybe. But, aren't we talking "average"?

 

[riseball]

There are several collegiate softball players whose home to 1st times are sub-3.0 seconds. Even a few down in the 2.6's.

So these collegiate players can keep right up with the fastest man in the world, ever? Usain Bolt ran 20m (21.9 yards) in 3.05 seconds in track shoes, out of starting blocks. But these girls can keep right up in cleats on clay? I have seen the video of Radar Grandpa. Is there one of Stopwatch Grandma?

 

[ang2bmd]

I'm very confused about home to first times or standing 20yrd dash as it has been measured at the last several camps my daughter has been too. She is 13u 2024 and has clocked in the 2.9s at both camps and according to the data given to parents this is considered average but the #s posted above are much slower...just don't know what to think.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[joe720]

Never got the point of not doing a simulated swing and run. I've always timed girls that way. I've yet to take part in or see any game where a batter was allowed to get into a runners position after hitting a ball. If your foot work isn't good after a hit, who cares how fast you are from a sprinters position?