18u DD Running, Hitting, and Steaing

[AdamTheSoftballDad]

Good job on the speed training. It definitely is hard to get under that 3.0 mark. I didn't really have to do any speed training with 3/4 of my DD’s. However, we did have to do speed training with our oldest DD (21yr). we got her to 3.07 and then the training sort of plateaued and to this day she still hasn’t but been able to break 3.0. However, that doesn’t mean to give up cause your DD might be able to break that barrier but don’t be disappointed if she doesn’t cause 3.1-3.3 honestly Isn’t slow. Oh also here is my list for what I consider fast, average, and slow.

Super slow: 3.8-4.0+ (Speed training is necessary)
Slow: 3.6-3.7 (You can get away with running this slow if you’re hitting home runs a ton)
Pretty slow: 3.4-3.5 (speed training isn’t necessary if the girl is hitting super far into the outfield but it is greatly recommended)
Average: 3.1-3.3 ( A nice average speed. At this speed you can steal every now and then and you don’t have to hit super far in order to get on base)
Quick: 3.0 (A nice quick speed. You can steal quite a bit at this speed and can get doubles on hits that are hit into the outfield pretty easily)
Fast: 2.9-3.0 (it’s a huge achievement if a player gets under 3.0. It takes a lot of speed. Genetics play a big role in deciding who can run faster than 3.0. These girls will tend to be the speedsters of some mid teams and most lower level teams. These girls can be a decent threat bunting and can beat out throws to first that would get most other girls out)
Really Fast: 2.8-2.90 (At this level of speed it’s nearly impossible to catch these girls stealing. These girls will tend to be the fastest on some high level teams and most mid level teams. These girls are a big threat bunting and slap hitting and have the ability to make up for bad hits by beating out the throw to first. These girls have a good chance of turning a ground ball in the infield into a single by beating the throw)
Elite Speed: 2.79 and under (At this speed these girls are monsters on the basepath and will steal whenever they get the chance and the chances of getting them stealing are slim. These girls have most likely been the fastest on every team they’ve ever been on. These girls are usually the fastest players on the elite level teams. Good luck trying to get these girls bunting and slapping. These girls can turn a ground ball in the infield that is usually suicide for most players into a single by beating out the throw.)
A Literal Bullet: 2.5 (This is a speed that is basically impossible for anyone but Caitlin Lowe. At this speed you will most likely be the fastest person on the Olympic softball team.)

Of course all these times depend on how a person times the girls. For example some people time the girls from first step and timing like that they can get times like 2.1 and 2.3 (I personally hate this style of timing cause that first step adds a lot of time and not adding it can turn a 2.8 into a 2.4 but that’s just my opinion) Of course I’m not expert on this and am mainly using my experience as a parent and assistant coach to make this list. I would recommend to start timing people and gathering your own information in order to make your own list of what you consider fast, average, and slow.

Oh wow thanks for the response. From what little timing I’ve done I’m pretty sure our teams fastest girl is somewhere in that 2.9-3.0 area. Good to know about the speed training stuff as well. We’ll keep training and try our hardest to break that 3.0 barrier. Oh also nice tip. I’ll start timing players more often and gather my own information like you said.