Is this fast for 12u?

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Dec 10, 2018
34
18
Hey folks, I have a 11 year old daughter that is in her 3rd year of travel ball and first year of 12u. I've seen fast kids all over DFW but I swear I haven't seen a single one that can get down the line faster. Right now her best times are averaging about 3.1'ish from home to first from the right hand side and I know she still has more in the tank. She spends most of her time roaming the outfield which she's finally embraced. Now...if she can ever figure out how to read a ball off the bat and really commit to getting underneath it, I don't think there will be much she can't get to.

Just wondering how these speeds might compare with other fast runners.

Thanks!
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
Anyone getting down the line in 3.0 seconds is fast at any level. College level slappers are doing it in 2.6 or so. She really needs to work on batting from the right side.

At 12U, I'm sure she is stealing everything. But, it isn't too early to start learning how to steal bases correctly. Have her work on sliding as late as possible. As soon as she starts sliding, she starts slowing down. So, try to get her to stay up and running for one more step. She should know how many steps it takes her to get to 2B and on what count she starts her slide.

This is a video of a kid who could really play the outfield.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KP0uoO_Lmjg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Last edited:
Dec 10, 2018
34
18
Yeah she's pretty much been given a green light on the bases. Even if the catcher has a cannon, the pitch and throw down has to be perfect to even have a chance. She's bunted or hit a single and then stole her way around the bases more times than I can count. Of course she's been caught but its almost always because of her hesitating or getting a bad jump on a delayed steal or something like that. She's been working on slapping and she can do it occasionally but its still very much a work in progress.

thanks for the information about sliding later and knowing how many steps to 2nd. Hadn't really thought about that before.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Has she hit that big growth spurt yet? My DD was the fastest on every team she was on til this year. She went from pre-teen to young woman, physically, over the summer and now several girls who haven't had that spurt yet can beat her now. It's so interesting to watch how MUCH they change in 12U.
 
Jan 28, 2017
1,662
83
During my DD 12U tryout we had a former college coach and a JUCO HC at the tryout. We have a girl that can fly and I heard the JUCO coach tell her dad to turn her around and if you run a 2.6 down first it an automatic scholarship. They had her switch around and I think she ran a 2.7 but I'm not sure what her time was. She normally hits behind my DD in the lineup and I'm always scared she is going to pass my DD.
 
Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
"At 12U, I'm sure she is stealing everything. "


2.7 to 3.1 time? That is a huge difference. Is that from contact to foot strike? So if the catchers pop time is 2 seconds(pretty fast for 12u) and the pitch is throw about 50 mph (.5 second) and the throw is on target the runner is getting throw out often at high level 12u.
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
I've got a local 12U (6th grader) hitting student that's consistently down the line at 2.7/2.8 sec.... she's easily the fastest kid around my neck of the woods.
So, if your dd is getting 2.8 numbers... yeah, shes got wheels
 

Top_Notch

Screwball
Dec 18, 2014
512
63
My daughter joined a new 'A' level team @12U that had the fastest girl I've ever seen. She could easily get track scholarships but enjoys fastpitch. She was only out once all season, called for leaving early which was a bad call, but I digress. Of all the 12U and 14U tournaments we played I never saw a girl that was faster. Apparently so did the coach of the best travel team in the midwest and you can guess what happened next.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
Hey folks, I have a 11 year old daughter that is in her 3rd year of travel ball and first year of 12u. I've seen fast kids all over DFW but I swear I haven't seen a single one that can get down the line faster. Right now her best times are averaging about 3.1'ish from home to first from the right hand side and I know she still has more in the tank. She spends most of her time roaming the outfield which she's finally embraced. Now...if she can ever figure out how to read a ball off the bat and really commit to getting underneath it, I don't think there will be much she can't get to.

Just wondering how these speeds might compare with other fast runners.

Thanks!

She's only 11...keep hitting her fly balls of all types...she'll get there. Don't forget about teaching the right techniques for line drives and grounders. Work on the mental part of playing out there, which many underestimate. A good OF can often predict where the ball will go based on what she sees in the hitter, and knows what to do with it BEFORE it's in her glove.
 

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