- Oct 17, 2014
- 123
- 18
#'s for bench and squat would be 1RM......although it would be great to see big numbers, I'm more interested in just seeing that a kid is actually involved in some type of strength training program and learning proper technique. Many kids send me videos of them at workout sessions. I can tell how athletic a kid is by the way they move. If I was running a combine company, which I've thought about, I would test power output using force plates, which are really expensive. That way you would get a # that was strictly amount of power produced, and not necessarily tied into whether or not a kid is lifting.
Any type of strength training a kid can get, with proper technique, will give them a big advantage in the fall of their college freshman year, especially at D1 level.
Also, we bench press and have kids do overhead lifts. We use a closegrip press instead of a wide grip. Pitchers bench with dumbbells. Closegrip and dumbbells take some of the stress of the shoulder area. Would be even better if you could press with a swiss multi-grip bar.
Our kids back squat, front squat, split squat, deadlift, and power clean. Proper instruction is key to avoid pain or injuries.
OF pop time - paint a line or use cones to set up a distance from home (150 feet is what we use). Grounders must be fielded at the line. We just toss up a fly ball at the line. Measure glove to glove times to determine arm strength and ball transfer/footwork times.
College coaches are recruiting earlier and earlier and we want to know a kid's test score as early as possible. 1-Can she get into school? 2-How much academic money will she qualify for?
The more academic money a kid is eligible for, the more valuable they are to us because we can put together a better package. Our tuition is 44k for out of state students. We could offer a 50% athletic scholarship and if the kid doesn't have a high enough test score they will get zero academic money. 50% athletic scholarship isn't so great if you still have to pay 22k a year out of pocket.
Plus, the earlier you take the test, the easier it is to identify weaknesses and work to improve those areas. If a kid hasn't taken the test by spring of junior year, it is a huge red flag. Often we are looking to fill a late spot with a kid who may be entering their senior year. Every kid who hadn't taken the test yet and finally did so wasn't able to make the cut and often times they weren't NCAA qualifiers. We've had to pull significant offers from kids once we got their test scores. Only good things come from taking it early.....why wait???? I took it my 8th grade year just so I could get familiar with it and see where I was. I don't understand why kids/parents would spend thousands of dollars on travel ball, camps, showcases and not insist their kid take the ACT/SAT. It is your main moneymaker, and if you can't get above an 18 on the ACT, maybe you should spend less money on softball and more money on tutoring and extra classwork.
FYI......these are solely my opinions.....YMMV
Any type of strength training a kid can get, with proper technique, will give them a big advantage in the fall of their college freshman year, especially at D1 level.
Also, we bench press and have kids do overhead lifts. We use a closegrip press instead of a wide grip. Pitchers bench with dumbbells. Closegrip and dumbbells take some of the stress of the shoulder area. Would be even better if you could press with a swiss multi-grip bar.
Our kids back squat, front squat, split squat, deadlift, and power clean. Proper instruction is key to avoid pain or injuries.
OF pop time - paint a line or use cones to set up a distance from home (150 feet is what we use). Grounders must be fielded at the line. We just toss up a fly ball at the line. Measure glove to glove times to determine arm strength and ball transfer/footwork times.
College coaches are recruiting earlier and earlier and we want to know a kid's test score as early as possible. 1-Can she get into school? 2-How much academic money will she qualify for?
The more academic money a kid is eligible for, the more valuable they are to us because we can put together a better package. Our tuition is 44k for out of state students. We could offer a 50% athletic scholarship and if the kid doesn't have a high enough test score they will get zero academic money. 50% athletic scholarship isn't so great if you still have to pay 22k a year out of pocket.
Plus, the earlier you take the test, the easier it is to identify weaknesses and work to improve those areas. If a kid hasn't taken the test by spring of junior year, it is a huge red flag. Often we are looking to fill a late spot with a kid who may be entering their senior year. Every kid who hadn't taken the test yet and finally did so wasn't able to make the cut and often times they weren't NCAA qualifiers. We've had to pull significant offers from kids once we got their test scores. Only good things come from taking it early.....why wait???? I took it my 8th grade year just so I could get familiar with it and see where I was. I don't understand why kids/parents would spend thousands of dollars on travel ball, camps, showcases and not insist their kid take the ACT/SAT. It is your main moneymaker, and if you can't get above an 18 on the ACT, maybe you should spend less money on softball and more money on tutoring and extra classwork.
FYI......these are solely my opinions.....YMMV