2018 freshman needs some advice

How big are you?  Height and Weight? 

Speed hurdles (the short ones), bounding on the hill, form running drills. Weight lifting as well, bigger muscles are more powerful muscles.

 

 

Biography says:   5'6" 173 lbs i4 y.o turn 15 6/2015.

 

Welcome to the forum Catcherkid18. You will see that it's a tremendous sharing platform and that you will benefit greatly from it in many ways.  My initial suggestion would be to find someone who has done what you are trying to do and ask for their help.  A Junior or Senior baseball player at your school that either you or a family member may know, might be a tremendous help to you.  You might be close enough to look into:  http://www.catchingcamp.com/.  The New England Catching Camp is run by Jay Weaver and he does an outstanding job helping develop ball players your age.  Good luck!

Maybe a session or two with a speed and conditioning coach?  Coach or player on the track team could help?  I know my guy went to a speed coach for several sessions...changed his mechanics some...and times dropped. 

 

Also....bat bat bat.  hit hit hit.  If you can hit the ball, you can work your way back in the lineup/team.

 

Catcherkid18 - Don't give up! Took my son three tries to make his High School team. I posted his story under a "Getting Cut" Forum. He worked hard both on his game and his conditioning, and impressed the coaches with some wondering why he hadn't made the team the year before. Stay positive and work hard.

Well that would have required me to look. 

 

I would say a few things.  First, you might be carrying a few extra lbs.  If you are, drop them.  This alone can speed you up and make you more athletic.  

 

Make sure you have a good athletic diet.  Eat the right foods in the right amounts. 

 

If you can find a speed and conditioning program in your area, join it.  They will train you on proper athletic movements.  Good luck. 

I want to say that I like your attitude.  You aren't making excuses and you are ready to get to work.  Keep that up!  It will serve you well.  Stay determined.  Good Luck!

I agree with this wholeheartedly.  When I started reading your post my first thought was "here's another person who is going to gripe and complain about getting cut and how unfair coaches are" but you didn't.  You can tell you're upset (which you should be) but you're focusing this emotion where it needs to be - in getting better.  You're a 14/15 year old freshman yet you're wise enough to come to a place and ask what to do to get better.  There are some adults who aren't smart enough to do this.  I truly hope that you are able to use the great advice here and get better.  I hope you make the team next year and tear it up because you have the right attitude and outlook.  Good for you and I'm pretty sure everyone on here is pulling for you.

 

Lot of great advice above and not really anything I could add.  Keep us updated as to how you're journey progresses.  Good luck

+1 on this as well.  Rather then come in here complaining you have the right attitude.  I hope you keep working at it.  Have you thought about attending a speed camp or school?  Not sure where you are located but there are many of them in my area and a lot of kids get a benefit out of going to them.

Wait - your tryout consisted of nothing other than a 60 and a mile?  Was the coach aware this was a baseball tryout?

 

 

Coaches... Thank you for the responses. I asked my dad about a speed school and we made a deal. He's getting a 1/2 cord of wood delivered on Saturday and I have to split it with the sledge hammer and wedge. He'll then pay for the classes (I hope). I told my dad about this forum and showed him the responses. His advice was simple. Never leave anything to chance again. If I want that spot, to go out and take it. Get so good that I can't be denied. We don't have a lot of spare money, that's why I was looking for some DIY speed stuff. I have 2 brothers who play FB in college and my older brother is going to work with me when he gets back. I wanted to attend a PG showcase in June, but my 60 time was a 8.1. Should I wait a year to see if I'm faster. My summer team will be attending all the other PG events,

While you are working on your speed skills you may also want to work on your negotiationg skills.  Hopefully you got your dad to commit and now you simply have to follow through on your end of the deal.  Don't let your dad convince you that splitting wood is a privledge.  Next thing you know he will make you start paying for half the wood for the privledge of then splitting it.

 

Good luck.

I see some PG profiles without a 60 time...I am guessing that they skipped that part of the showcase.  Do other posters know, can you just skip the 60? Is that looked upon negatively?

I like your dad. 

 

You get good exercise, and compensated for it.  That's a double win.  He's right too about the approach you need to take.

 

If you search around the Perfect Game website, there is an article about improving your 60 time that has some good advice. Maybe somebody here has the link...

 

Generally speaking, you need to strengthen your legs to run. I think you have a good start with what you are doing.  Search around the web for different exercises you can do that will improve your explosive strength.  My son increased his speed dramatically with a few months of work in the gym.  Tons of various squats, box jumps, etc.

 

There really is a ton of info on the web for this stuff, so look around and find what will work with what you have available.

 

As for PG, really at your age I wouldn't sweat a showcase. Especially if money is an issue.  Get yourself in the best shape you can first. If your skills are good, the extra few months won't make much of a difference. Since you seem to be rational about your skills, I'll say this... if you were unable to make your school team - you do not yet possess the tools that will impress anyone at a PG showcase. Tough advice, but I think you will appreciate the honesty.

 

Play during the summer.  Work out.  Refine your skills.  Then, in the fall if you think you have improved maybe try a small local showcase and get a good independent evaluation of your talent.  If you like what you hear, then give PG a shot.  

 

 

Honestly, if you're only 14 and didn't make the HS team and money is an issue, I would attend a PG event yet. Not sure how it would benefit you in your position. I would focus on physical conditioning, athletic movements, and speed training, along with obviously baseball fundamentals. 

 

You could paint a speed ladder on the ground for the cost of a can of spray paint and some tape and accomplish a lot.

 

Don't just sit in the cage and hit, that's the easy part. Become an athlete by doing the stuff that isn't as fun.

Your 60 times are only recorded at an actual showcase.  Many of the profiles are for players who have played in a PG tourney, but have never been to a showcase.

 

You certainly can skip the 60 - they just won't have a time for you.  If it is a negative will depend on who is looking at the profile and what they are looking for.

Here is the article about running faster. http://perfectgame.org/Article...ew.aspx?article=1300

You don't have to go to a PG showcase to get recruited.  You also don't want to go unless you have something to "show"case.  Browse through the perfectgame.org website for recent showcase results and see the grades and times for other 2018s and see how you may stack up.  (It may also be fun/enlightning to research players from your favorite college team and see what is on their PG profile.)

 

If your summer team plays any PG events or tournaments, you will get in the system.

 

As for 60 times not showing up on a PG profile, or asking that PG not report it, you can be darn sure that any coach recruiting you will have a stopwatch timing home-to-1st and pop-times and can get his own results if none are reported from a reliable source. 

 

For your first "showcase" you may want to find a reasonable priced one at a nearby college just to get the experience and some feedback, maybe after your sophomore year of HS.....and that will be after you have made the HS team!

 

 

Without knowing all the details on your workouts, I would start out with someone timing you today and then periodically time yourself to see your improvement.  Running up hills or bleachers helps in one way (building power) , but don't forget to run down them as well (builds quickness).  (this is similar to swinging a heavy and a light bat).  Down hill running will work your muscles in an entirely different way.  High knees while doing both ( you should be able to help  your speed and quickness by adding hip flexor work - anything bringing the knee up towards the chest works the hip flexor - even straight leg sit-ups)  You can change up the work out by wearing boots vs tennis shoes.  On the day you need to run your 60, wear the lightest shoes you have.  There are articles out there that talk about slow twitch (power) and fast twitch (speed) muscle fibers and how you can work on both. You can look for some youtube video on form (like keeping your head down when you start your sprint).  Good luck with the cutting and your speed work.

The advice I give my own kid is "When you have $600 worth of something to show, we will go, until then go practice".

 

There are no laws that say you must attend a PG showcase by 10th grade to get any attention.  I know of several kids that went during their junior and senior years who got offers, specifically they attended the uncommitted showcase, which I don't think is available for you yet.

My 2017 is getting recruiting action without attending a PG showcase.  We did go to a local one put on by PBR and his travel program has had 2 private ones when they brought in about 30 local college coaches.  I attribute the attention he has gotten to his travel team, their private events, and their reputation for turning out good players more then I do to the showcase event at this point.

Focus on improvement and making the high school team next year. Put showcasing on hold until then. Then, make a list of colleges you would like to attend where your baseball skills could be a fit. Then figure out what showcases and camps to attend to get in front of them. Don't attend PG just to throw spaghetti off the wall to see what sticks. Create a business plan and follow through.