How fast to first base????

[Westwind]

Yep- we have a local athletic training program that is run by a husband and wife. They train kids from 8+ and teach them running form and train core strength, mostly by “doing” in a group format. The program and business was originally created by physical therapists. Their claim to fame is training very young athletes in a way that prevents injury and results in early development.

I think a large part of the success is the personality of the wife. Let’s call her “Shannon”. She is an IT analyst by day but has a larger than life persona in the gym. She is constantly cajoling, kidding, singing, prodding and celebrating those little moments when she pushes someone to the point of vomiting. She had “I Hate Shannon” tee shirts made for the kids. They just love her.

They mix ages in the classes. It’s exactly what they talk about in “The Talent Code”. Local semi-pro football players could be working out right next to a ten year old kid. Everyone comes out drenched in sweat.

Also just like in “The Talent Code”, this all takes place in a very ordinary environment. It’s far from a glistening well lit workout facility. Some parents turn their noses up at it. The running portion is in the warehouse of a heating and air conditioning business. It’s HOT in the summer.

This may all sound exactly like what responsible parents shouldn’t do but it was one of the best things our kids were ever involved in. The instructors are all certified, when you talk to them they can explain what they are doing and why it works.

 

[Lemond]

Yep- we have a local athletic training program that is run by a husband and wife. They train kids from 8+ and teach them running form and train core strength, mostly by “doing” in a group format. The program and business was originally created by physical therapists. Their claim to fame is training very young athletes in a way that prevents injury and results in early development.

I think a large part of the success is the personality of the wife. Let’s call her “Shannon”. She is an IT analyst by day but has a larger than life persona in the gym. She is constantly cajoling, kidding, singing, prodding and celebrating those little moments when she pushes someone to the point of vomiting. She had “I Hate Shannon” tee shirts made for the kids. They just love her.

They mix ages in the classes. It’s exactly what they talk about in “The Talent Code”. Local semi-pro football players could be working out right next to a ten year old kid. Everyone comes out drenched in sweat.

Also just like in “The Talent Code”, this all takes place in a very ordinary environment. It’s far from a glistening well lit workout facility. Some parents turn their noses up at it. The running portion is in the warehouse of a heating and air conditioning business. It’s HOT in the summer.

This may all sound exactly like what responsible parents shouldn’t do but it was one of the best things our kids were ever involved in. The instructors are all certified, when you talk to them they can explain what they are doing and why it works.

Thanks WW! It actually sounds like the change came from within your DD first. Do you think she would have found that in any other program? What do you think brought out that desire to change?

 

[Westwind]

I think that program was well suited for her because she liked going and she does well in a group environment. There was a subtle competition going on. I think It helped to work out with older kids too. In her head I think she thought “I can do what those older kids and boys are doing”. She loved beating the boys, lol. I don’t know if that would have happened in an individual setting but I’m sure a really talented one on one or small group instructor would have no problem doing it.

Another thing: Her original 10u coach worked on base running every practice. (This was one of many smart things that guy did. He was awesome.). We parents would joke tongue in cheek “how this team was built on speed” and we would laugh. Well, after a couple years of this and our dd working out, we went to a big tournament that had opening day activities and we won a team base running contest. It shocked all of us parents. I guess it had been a slow transformation that none of us recognized.

Speed can be worked on but it has to be in the right environment. We just got lucky I think.

 

[Lemond]

I think that program was well suited for her because she liked going and she does well in a group environment. There was a subtle competition going on. I think It helped to work out with older kids too. In her head I think she thought “I can do what those older kids and boys are doing”. She loved beating the boys, lol. I don’t know if that would have happened in an individual setting but I’m sure a really talented one on one or small group instructor would have no problem doing it.

Another thing: Her original 10u coach worked on base running every practice. (This was one of many smart things that guy did. He was awesome.). We parents would joke tongue in cheek “how this team was built on speed” and we would laugh. Well, after a couple years of this and our dd working out, we went to a big tournament that had opening day activities and we won a team base running contest. It shocked all of us parents. I guess it had been a slow transformation that none of us recognized.

Speed can be worked on but it has to be in the right environment. We just got lucky I think.

Hard work is never lucky!

 

[Westwind]

I really think we were lucky to stumble into a good situation!

My youngest is a hs senior and I have unintentionally been reflecting on the opportunities we had that were really good, opportunities missed and things I wish we would have different.

For those out there with young players who want to stay in the game, pray for the wisdom to make good decisions and the good perspective to keep the environment as healthy as possible.

This is a long, hard road. The beast has to eat and it will eat you up if you let it. I think a lot of people who think they are on the path to success are missing the warning signs of trouble around the corner.

 

[Hawk_]

So I won’t get into any times, but a word of encouragement.
my DD is slow as the day is long, but also has the highest OB% and hits hard. Work on speed but becoming an elite hitter will always help. Then use the rules (DP/flex) to your advantage. Have that fast girl with a low BA ready to run. Makes all the difference in the world.

 

[Jordan]

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?

You would actually be surprised how fast these girls can get. However, very few softball girls can actually break the 3 second mark and I know reading these things makes it seems like the average softball girl should be running a 2.9 however most run 3.0-3.2. However, it’s not impossible for a girl to break the 3 second mark. Many have been laser tuned in the 2.9s, 2.8s, and very rarely the 2.7s and 2.6s. Also no obviously the girls can’t beat Usain Bolt in a 100m race but they could beat him in a 20 year dash because like all professional track runners Bolt takes a while to get to full speed. In fact the whole 20 yds would probably just be Bolt accelerating while the fastest softball girls accelerate as quickly as they can.

 

[Lemond]

You would actually be surprised how fast these girls can get. However, very few softball girls can actually break the 3 second mark and I know reading these things makes it seems like the average softball girl should be running a 2.9 however most run 3.0-3.2. However, it’s not impossible for a girl to break the 3 second mark. Many have been laser tuned in the 2.9s, 2.8s, and very rarely the 2.7s and 2.6s. Also no obviously the girls can’t beat Usain Bolt in a 100m race but they could beat him in a 20 year dash because like all professional track runners Bolt takes a while to get to full speed. In fact the whole 20 yds would probably just be Bolt accelerating while the fastest softball girls accelerate as quickly as they can.

Now we're talking my pace!

 

[Imalt]

You would actually be surprised how fast these girls can get. However, very few softball girls can actually break the 3 second mark and I know reading these things makes it seems like the average softball girl should be running a 2.9 however most run 3.0-3.2. However, it’s not impossible for a girl to break the 3 second mark. Many have been laser tuned in the 2.9s, 2.8s, and very rarely the 2.7s and 2.6s. Also no obviously the girls can’t beat Usain Bolt in a 100m race but they could beat him in a 20 year dash because like all professional track runners Bolt takes a while to get to full speed. In fact the whole 20 yds would probably just be Bolt accelerating while the fastest softball girls accelerate as quickly as they can.

I send my 7yo to a speed and agility class for this reason. She is very fast and runs track in a 9yo division. Her problem is that just like a sprinter it takes her a second to get to full speed. At 20 yards she will barely beat kids, but at 40 yards she will be 7 or 8 steps ahead of them. Her favorite race to run in track is the 200m.

 

[codeman9]

Also no obviously the girls can’t beat Usain Bolt in a 100m race but they could beat him in a 20 year dash because like all professional track runners Bolt takes a while to get to full speed. In fact the whole 20 yds would probably just be Bolt accelerating while the fastest softball girls accelerate as quickly as they can.

Assuming you meant 20 yard dash vs 20 year dash.

This is a very common misconception about Usain Bolt. He may have looked slow due to his long legs, but he was in fact one of the fastest accelerators out there; he could just accelerate longer (for more time/distance) than anyone else and he took less strides doing so. That makes it true that it takes him longer to get to full speed, but his full speed is much faster than anyone else’s. One of his 20m times was 2.87s (20m is farther than 20 yards). Only a very very very small percentage of the world’s population could run that fast, let alone faster.


Here is a site comparing his 10m split times with other greats: http://speedendurance.com/2008/08/22/usain-bolt-100m-10-meter-splits-and-speed-endurance/

Here is a site showing his 10m splits for 2 of his races: http://speedendurance.com/2009/08/19/usain-bolt-10-meter-splits-fastest-top-speed-2008-vs-2009/



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