60 time help

I've posted this link to PGStaff's "Do You Want To Run Faster?" article several times. Good information.

 

http://www.perfectgame.org/Art...ew.aspx?article=1300

 

There has been multiple discussions on that subject.  Last week there were some great references.  Use the search engine for the topic.  Also, youtube has a lot of dash educational videos.  A lot of hard work, core training, leg workouts, and proper mechanics and you can easily improve your time.

If you have the funds available there are programs that teach how to run that specialize in running the sixty. Velocity had one when my son was in high school. There was also a local program.

A few years ago, I experimented at our Area Code tryouts in Fresno. A track coach from Fresno State offered to assist in our pre-60 yard test. Each player ran the 60 yard and received their times

All players listened to the track coach and practiced as a group for 1/2 hour and then ran the 60 a second time. Improvements were instant.

 

Baseball players meet your local HS track coaches and request assistance.

"Self improvement"+ confidence = success.

 

Bob

I have a 2018 that's been working really hard with strength and speed the past few months.  In particular the 60 for the past six weeks.  Our speed guy started with an assessment to find areas of tightness or if there was anything out of alignment.  

 

Result: backside of hips were really raised and out of alignment causing a lot of glute/hamstring tightness.  Hip flexors and IT bands were also really tight making the glute/hamstrings even more tight.  He couldn't drive his legs, he couldn't activate the primary driver - the glutes.  Absolute zero knee drive.  Also, he wasn't breathing, totally taught in upper body with the grimace in the face.  Ugly looking runner for an extremely athletic kid.  I was perplexed.  He had been bummed going from a reputation as a quick kid to now one with avg speed.

 

My son was shown a lot of stretches to be done on Styrofoam roller, he was shown a way to use a lacrosse ball to grind into the hip flexor and IT bands twice daily.  After two weeks his glutes and hamstrings were more flexible.  

Running wise: improving technique at start, but the emphasis was to get a forward lean over his hips in the direction of his run and stay low as long as he could without popping up out of his running posture.  He was popping up too quick at the 5 yd mark, losing momentum. HIs 10yd split was 1.7.  He's now after 6 weeks staying low thru almost 15 yds then getting more vertical.  His 10yd split now 1.48.  We haven't tested 60yd in last two weeks, but the 10,20, and 30yd splits have been dropping nicely.

Not trying to be the expert here.  Ex athlete, very interested in mechanical processes, but more focused on finding a coach that can engage my son and find progress to help him.  Out of breath with my run on sentences.  Oh, he is now breathing and relaxed when he runs.  

His goal of 6.7 in next few months is reachable.

Just a story..

 

2017 start speed training next week, if he is able to drop tenths the way you guys describe his stock is going to be going up...it has only taken me 2.5 yrs to convince him this is needed...sigh!

Nice. 

The hips are such an undervalued thing in training generally.  Baseball being such a "one sided" sport most guys end up with imbalances.  These are often seen in the hips....hips are sour, gluten don't fire, hammies are tight....a lot of disfunction.  Common in baseball players.  

A good trainer should always start a guy new to him with a movement screen, with that sort of evaluation.  The foam roller and lacrosse ball are great.  Once he feels the benefit of those....just not in training but in walking around in day to day life....he will be hooked on those.  

I have seen a real movement screen done exactly zero times in the high school, travel ball and college teams my son has been involved with.  Most trainers don't get into this too much either in my experience.  Show up, do a little warm up and here is a list of exercises....needs to be more. 

There are some very good speed trainers out there.  I agree with Bob W. about going to the track coach, he can help.

 

That said, it has been my experience that most speed guys and track coaches have not mastered the baseball start.  The start in baseball (basic lead off position) is much different and difficult than starting in the blocks or shoulders squared to the target (finish line)

 

However, once the body turns everything is the same.  We have had very (very) good luck  with teaching and mastering the start referenced in the link above.  It is the most efficient  start possible.  You seldom hear the word accuracy used in sprinting, but an accurate start will absolutely cut time in every case.

 

BTW, I don't know how many players we have timed over the years, probably well over 100,000.  I would estimate that over 90% of those players could have improved their times with a better start, let alone improving form and physically.  I know this will sound far fetched, but we have seen kids improve a full second or more with training and developing good technique.  But the quickest improvement and maybe even the most improvement happens in the first 10 yards, and maybe you could say the first 6 feet.

Probably not the best thread to ask, but could someone expand on the use of the lacrosse ball?  I'm assuming this is an actual lacrosse ball, but if so, I am having a hard time imagining how it is used to improve flexibility.

You use it in the same way as a foam roller, just a lot more focused.  You can roll your calfs on it, I use it on the pecs quite a bit and forearms, upper back and shoulders.  You can really find sore or tight spots and work them out with the lacrosse ball....it is not comfortable but it is effective.  

Wow, that is a fantastic 10-yard split for a 2018 -- actually, for any high school kid. Congrats to your son. Just out of curiosity, what are you seeing in the 30-yard split? 

 I don't recall the 30yd split..will keep you posted

 

 

  

Son stands in a door way and pressures the lacrosse ball into his hip flexor and kind of grinds into it.  Seems to help, but it looks very odd, nothing he'd do in public for sure.

My son learned this trick from a local college/Milb pitcher he trained with. The size and density of the ball is a great way to get at knots that can't easily be reached by foam rollers. You can really dig into a painful area. My son swears by them and my husband, who is a high school pitching coach, now keeps a supply on hand for the kids to use.

Thought I'd wait a little before chiming in. Early on in recruiting process, we sensed that 60 time would be key for 2015. I think when you are talking about improving 60 times, there are really 2 groups of players:

1) Those players who are slower and whose position may not call for speed, but want to improve time (hence indicate "in shape"to recruiters)

2) Those players who are generally quick, whose positions call for footspeed (MI/CF), and want to separate themselves from others who are at the lower timed 60.

 

For groups 1 & 2,inevitably, players times in high school should drop as the player gets older, unless the player's big emphasis is on weight gain, and his conditioning (speed/endurance) was ignored. A good place to practice is on a football field (the yard markers are there)

 

For group one, simple measures such as running in a straight line, keep head straight (not bobbing), and running through the finish line (not at the line) will drop 60 times. The more you run a 60 you will see that the start is key, but it's the last 10 yards where most runners get gassed. Endurance helps.

 

As for the second group, other posters noted additional coaching(track) could help with a runner's technique, repetition (routine),nutrition, and building (proper)muscles.

 

Like a number of parents on this site, we were new to the recruiting process, but son showcased freshman year to get the feel for what a showcase is and how he compared. We were told a 6.89 60 time at a showcase November freshman year was pretty good, and he could be a top runner. At this point we knew that son's speed (and grades) would be keys to his recruiting journey. He played soccer and indoor track in high school to strengthen this baseball tool. With track came the "free coaching" who was invaluable for technique; coach was also a certified personal trainer. Son's times did go down, each increment hitting thresholds he didn't think he would improve (first 6.7s, 6.6s, then 6.5's on two occasions. His 6.4 flat December Junior year was in front of 100 coaches, many of which were "the right ones." His suggestion would probably be that he runs faster when he didn't wear a cup for the sprint.

 

Finally, what we learned most about the 60 yard dash is that there are MANY conditions involved that can be favorable or unfavorable to a runner's time(surface, wind, indoor/outdoor, running by one self or another, stretched out/warmed up enough,/laser vs hand?).While we didn't pay for the "extras", we also watched the free videos at 60yarddash.com. If your son plays a baseball position that requires speed, the more tries he does, the better off.  On one day, the stars will align!

 

We started timing 10 yards this past year.  Actual had to get new laser equipment to do this.  Hand held timing is simply not accurate enough due to human error.

 

If you have ever been tioming at the finish line of the 60 with 50 or more scouts this becomes very obvious being a tenth or more difference between scouts is very normal.

 

That 10th second is still close enough that the runner will receive the same grade. In other words, whether you get a 6.5 or a 6.6 it's still very close.  However that same hand held in 10 yards being a 10th difference is a very big difference.

 

Also, the first 10 yards are only good if you are on target and on balance at the time. If the runner has somehow lost some balance or accuracy the first 10 can be quick but have a negative effect on the next 50 yards.

 

What you want is the accuracy and balance along with quickest possible start. The quicker you get squared to the target the better.  Picture running inside a tunnel that's just barely wider than your shoulders from first stride to last stride. The very first (starting stride or cross over) needs to be perfect in order to run the best time possible. Even if off line by a couple inches you will be off line and and will need to adjust.  Good athletes can be off line, a bit off balance, and not even realize it, they just automatically make the adjustment.  But any and all adjustments cost time.

 

BTW, proper breathing is important. Everything a good sprint coach teaches is important. Just have to understand how vital the start is and it is different than any other starting position in sprinting.

Any chance the "industry" is going to move away from the 60 and in favor of the 40?  I think the split for the 10 is going to get lots of attention and there may be some desire for additional splits.  Not sure I have ever seen a play in baseball where running an entire 60 at full speed was required, maybe 40-50 on a long foul ball.  I think those last 20 help demonstrate fitness and maybe the ability to top out with a long stride - neither of which are terribly high on a scout's checklist.  I also think Trackman will come into play, especially as it relates to first move times (i.e. reaction to crack of the bat).  Can see where such a drill would not be cookie cutter (how do you run a repeatable drill when you have to alter the ball launch) and therefore not perfectly comparable. 

Gov, this is just awesome. Stories like this are why I love my job as a sports performance coach. Props to you for being an ex-athlete and trusting the knowledge and expertise of a professional. I work with way too many dads who think they know exactly how their son should train and to put it nicely they almost always have no idea. It's refreshing to hear that your trust in your son's coach is paying off and he is seeing great results. It sounds like his coach is doing a fantastic job. Our industry needs more coaches like this.

 

It frustrates me when I see facilities that are designed around travel teams/batting cages/private hitting and pitching lessons try to implement a 'speed and agility' program. From my experience these programs are hardly ever worth while. They are simply put in place to add value to the facility and they hardly ever feature coaches with certifications and/or quality training experience.

 

It would be like me, a performance coach, trying to teach hitting lessons on the side. Yes, I played college baseball so I have a level of knowledge that could possibly help some athletes, but performance training is my expertise and that's what I should stick to. There's so much more to speed and agility training than simply running around cones over and over and over and over. There's so much more to strength training than core and rotator cuff work.

 

 

Thank you for feedback!  I appreciate your expertise on this board.

Good comments in here.

When it comes to 60 times making sure your start is sound is key, spend most your time on this and flexibility...(yoga isnt just a fad, its valuable to serious athletes) will pay dividends ...i also suggest spending a ton of time on 10 and 20 yard sprints during practice, rather than a ton of 60s...

Lastly core work and even shoulder strength play in...everything working in unison without weak or soft points in your physique matters. Good luck!  Shaving a 1/10 a YEAR can take a 7.00 freshman to 6.6, which puts him in a good place.