60 time

K25 - While it is true, catchers do not necessarily grade well on their 60s, running is still a big part of their evaluation and projectability. Normally, GED10 runs in the 7.1 range, sometimes better, sometimes worse.

He ran a 7.9 at 14 years old, at 165lbs. He's now 16 and weighs 190lbs and running a little faster, but he's worked really hard at his flexibility and his "quickness". He really concentrated on getting up to speed, explosively. There is a natural balance for weight/speed in every player, the key is maximizing both.

On the other hand, they don't run 180ft in a straight line anytime while they play. The art of running well from home to 1st, 1st - 3rd, and 2nd - home is a better judge of ability and "game speed". GED10 runs the bases very well, so the 7 flat or 7.1 time for his 60 is just another piece of information.

Plus, as a player matures physically, they tend to run better too. But, as they continue to catch, their "times" are going to increase, it's an occupational inevitability.

GED10DaD

I think if he simply went out and ran a few 60s each day, his time would improve in a month, or so.

If you feel he still needs to get faster, contact a trainer who can critique the way he runs and, perhaps, make some adjustments. Do some more sprints.

I don't know if you want your 14 year-old to start lifting yet, but the best bang for your buck is probably squats and leg presses. That's A LOT of hard work. Don't risk injury to the boy by picking some workout off you tube. Take him to a pro so he learns the most important thing- technique.

And keep doing those sprints!

When son was in hs he ran a 7.4 60. We knew he was fast but he practiced and practiced and couldn't get below 7.0 60s
He went to a trainer who taught him the correct way to run, improved his starts etc. His 60 time improved to 6.5 +/- by the time he graduated

My son is a 16 yo soph catcher. At 14, he ran a 7.9 and he is now running 7.1. He has yet to work with anyone on his running. His increase can be attributed to physical maturing (a little), lifting (just started this summer) and good conditioning.

You don't need him "working" with anyone to improve his speed. His speed will naturally improve as he gets older due to things that redbird discussed. Now when he tops out on his own then you might want to get with a speed and agility guy, but now let him be 14 and grow naturally.

If you want to wait until your kid is 16 to make sure he runs correctly, that's fine. In football, basic running technique is taught to players when they enter the program, at age 7.

Have him work out with the track team---it worked for my guy--he had fun and he was with his buddies

By the way he was 6.6 in HS and got it down to 6.4 in college

quote:

Originally posted by Vicarious Dad:
If you want to wait until your kid is 16 to make sure he runs correctly, that's fine. In football, basic running technique is taught to players when they enter the program, at age 7.

I think proper form running is very important. My son has worked on mechanics for a few years.

Running ability is something that we have spent many years studying. I will try to keep this as simple as possible. There are several things a person can do to increase their running ability, but it would take a long time to explain all of them. Though, in the end, there are ways that will help improve running times more… This is the most important in the beginning in my mind. Take it for what ir is worth.

It is in an athlete’s best interest to learn good running form as soon as possible. However that is the easy part, the tough part is to make that good running form a habit. That is where the work comes in! IMO the younger good technique becomes a habit… The better! You won’t need a stop watch, you will actually see the difference.

We see kids running incorrectly, all the time. This includes many different things. We know right away that certain players can run much faster if they only knew what they were doing wrong. They simply don’t run with any efficiency or accuracy. They are not using their body parts correctly. This problem can be shared by both poor and outstanding athletes. Yes, everyone has his limits, but there are many who will never realize what they are capable of. We see this (poor running technique) in nearly every runner we see. Yes, even nearly all of the fast guys can improve.

Nearly all great runners/sprinters have several things in common in their technique. Yes there is some individual traits and mechanics involved, but they all utilize their body parts very efficiently.

The uninformed lack the knowledge to run efficiently and accurately. I know “accuracy” might be hard to relate to running, but it does. Most players tend to run “hard”. They hear words like “explosive” and “run hard” and that’s what they try to do. We all know that throwing too hard or swinging too hard can tighten up the muscles and actually slow down the body parts. Why would running be any different? Explosion is only good if it is precise or “accurate”. Just plain “explosion” often gets a runner off balance and started in the wrong line (accuracy) and out of control.

Regarding learning and practicing good running technique let’s compare it to throwing a baseball, hitting a baseball or any other athletic skill. If a young player has formed bad habits (ie. poor swing) it is easy to correct these flaws in practice, but the hitter is most likely going to take some time to utilize these corrections in the games. Muscle memory and concentration on the pitcher often causes the hitter to revert back to his old bad habits. Of course, it can and is done and the hitter improves as his new habits become ingrained.

The hitter depending on his or her age may have taken a very large number of swings the wrong way. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, the hitter has taken 100,000 swings doing something wrong that will keep him from being able to reach his potential of hitting at a high level. He isn’t likely to correct his technique overnight. He may now know what he needs to do, but he has to replace his old habits with new habits. It isn’t easy!

Where the hitter may have taken 100,000 swings, just think how many running strides the same player has taken in that same amount of time. Not just running but also walking. Yes, there are bad running habits that can be developed when walking. Millions of strides/steps that lack efficiency. An efficient stride is an efficient stride whether walking or running. I know this might not make sense and I don’t have time to explain it all, but part of our running lessons involved teaching people how to walk “accurately”. The reason… it gives them an additional way to practice “moving” while they can concentrate on what they’re doing. Help form the new habits! The more time spent practicing the sooner it becomes ingrained.

Some say people are born with the ability to run fast. To an extent that is true, but at the same time, whether by accident or genetics, these kids who run the fastest also run the most efficiently and accurately. You could say that they were not only born with running ability, but they were also born with good running technique. The kid who runs a fast time with bad running technique, sometime satisfies every coach and is left alone. Truth is that he might never know just how fast he could have been. Almost everyone can improve their running ability.

That’s enough, I’m worn out! I’ve probably only managed to confuse people here.

The good running/sprinting technique is readily available. There are many who can teach this and I’m sure google would provide some information. Some coaches/teachers are better than others, mostly due to the methods they use. Just remember that it is easier to improve running technique before the runner has run millions of strides the wrong way. I really wish they would make this part of elementary school activities for kids interested in athletics.

Please take all this in the spirit that it was given.

In the spirit of lively discussion, I offer another opinion. This is a topic that I have openly debated other coaches for years. There is a reccuring fallacy in evaluating baseball players based on 60 times. This fallacy has resulted in years of irrelevant conclusions. I am sure there are many who might disagree, but here is my deductive reasoning.(or just hot air)

Few, if any game situations, require a baseball player to run 180ft in a straight line. The evaluation of the skill is not relevant. I am NOT saying judging speed is not relevant, just the the manner of grading scale percentages based on a 60 times.

I've evaluated players who ran eye-popping 60s, but could not run 1st-to-3rd to save their own lives. Plus I've seen many OF's with those same great 60's, fail to get to a ball because they take horrible angles or they just can't adjust to a ball in flight. On the other hand, I've seen OF's hauling a trailer, make plays because they take great paths to the ball and/or read the ball in flight well.

Since baseball players run station-to-station, perhaps a better evaluator would be a short sprint to judge acceleration (+) plus (+) reaction time splits. This is a better judge of game speed or game running.

And.... evaluating positional speed is a better key indicator. We all agree corner guys and catchers don't need to run as well as an OF or MIF, but currently we grade them all on the same 80/20 scale.
I'm done!!!(falls off soap box) GED10DaD

GunEm,

You make some good points. For sure, the 60 yard distance is open for debate. However, there is one fact that no coach or scout will ever disagree with…

No matter how good a route or how advanced the base running skills… If that player improves his running speed… He won’t lose his instincts or start running bad routes or forget how to round the bases. He will just get there quicker! He becomes an even more valuable player!

I understand your point. Catchers and corner infielders don’t have to run as well as center fielders and shortstops. Therefore an average runner who happens to be a catcher has a tool that the slow catcher does not possess. True that there is more than “running speed” involved in playing the game, but if the player who has those other things mastered, wouldn’t he be even better if he improved his running speed? Wouldn’t that make him a more valuable player? And it’s something that every player can do.

If someone runs an 8 flat in 60 yards or a 5 flat home to first and he can improve to a 7.5 and 4.6, still fairly slow times, but much better… .wouldn’t that be a good thing that would be very important.

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff: .... wouldn’t that make him a more valuable player?

If he can improve to a 7.5 and 4.6, still fairly slow times.... wouldn’t that be a good thing that would be very important?

PG - Absolutely, improving a players ability to run, or any baseball skill that is improved with positive training repetitions (as you stated well earlier), is key to "value"! And... I would say it is an absolute for projectability.

Good Stuff!! GED10DaD