when people talk about having strong legs is that the same as being fast
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Well here is my .02 $-
Strong legs are not the same as fast legs. You need to have fast "twitch muscles" (don't know the techinical name) to be able to run very quickly and you should be flexable also. We do this one exercise for indoor track with the sprinters to get quicker repetitions of the legs and ill try to explain it:
Put your palms against the wall facing it. Stand your legs about 2-3 feet away from the wall. You Put your head closer to your hands (which should be head level). then you have to raise and lower your legs, like your running. You also want to land FLAT footed not on your toes. Do this for sets of 30 seconds as fast as you can but in good form.
In closing, strong legs will make you a little faster but there are much more inmportant things.
Anyone please correct me if you disagree with anything ive said.
Thanks
plp556
Strong legs are not the same as fast legs. You need to have fast "twitch muscles" (don't know the techinical name) to be able to run very quickly and you should be flexable also. We do this one exercise for indoor track with the sprinters to get quicker repetitions of the legs and ill try to explain it:
Put your palms against the wall facing it. Stand your legs about 2-3 feet away from the wall. You Put your head closer to your hands (which should be head level). then you have to raise and lower your legs, like your running. You also want to land FLAT footed not on your toes. Do this for sets of 30 seconds as fast as you can but in good form.
In closing, strong legs will make you a little faster but there are much more inmportant things.
Anyone please correct me if you disagree with anything ive said.
Thanks
plp556
curious to know is there any other drills or tips to get faster legs to run faster?
thanks in advance
thanks in advance
PLP556- Interesting drill. Can you tell what keys you are looking for in maintaining good form? Are the feet going pretty much up and down or are you looking for something more? Thanks!
One main point is you are always trying to keep your feet at a 90 Degree angle with your legs so you always land flat-footed. You want to go as quickly as possible.
There are also these 4 exercises you can do that can replace almost any weight-training done with your legs, AND it makes you faster. When my coach brought some kids down to Florida (were in NY) a world class sprinter showed them to us and when i did them for the first time it felt like a better work out then any of my lifting ones i did before that. I can't explain them but ill try to find a camera some how and post examples.
another question how do you know when you have strong legs
Well that is a tougher question. I don't think anyone can tell you when you yourself has strong legs. It's all about getting stronger. If you get stronger legs then you have now then you have strong legs. There is no solid line where on one side you have strong legs and one side you don't. All you should care about is improving your self. Also i have given alot of examples that don't involve weights. You should also involve weights in your workout plan if possible.
Thanks
plp556
Thanks
plp556
Speed is related to how much force you can apply to the ground. However, it is much more than that also. It really doesn't matter how strong you label your legs as because they can probably be stronger.
Strength is part of becoming faster, but technique has to be solid first. You could have the strongest legs in the world but have horrible mechanics and have to be timed with a calender in any timed running drills. You can only be as fast as you are designed to be genetically, but with good form, speed training of fast twitch muscle fibers and overall strength in your core and lower body (not just your legs!) you can reach your maxium genetically determined speed.
Jace,
That is interesting. Is that true, that people are already geneticly determined to be at a certain strength level, No matter how much they trian?
Thanks
That is interesting. Is that true, that people are already geneticly determined to be at a certain strength level, No matter how much they trian?
Thanks
It is true that you can't change your genetics and that plays a huge role in your speed development. However, that doesn't mean that you can't change your strength level. I'll try to explain:
The following is purely theoretical. Lets say that your genetics will allow you to 20mph. Without training you might only be able to run 10mph. With strength training you could run 15mph. Now combine strength training and perfect form you could get closer to maximizing your genetic potential of 20mph.
I hope that makes sense. I don't want to put words into Jace's mouth but I think this is what he is getting at as well.
Mike Griffin
No Excuses Baseball
The following is purely theoretical. Lets say that your genetics will allow you to 20mph. Without training you might only be able to run 10mph. With strength training you could run 15mph. Now combine strength training and perfect form you could get closer to maximizing your genetic potential of 20mph.
I hope that makes sense. I don't want to put words into Jace's mouth but I think this is what he is getting at as well.
Mike Griffin
No Excuses Baseball
when ur talking about a good form id that a big stride or something else
me persoanly im really fast kind of small though but i dont think i have strong legs the only bad habit i have is when im stealing i look back at the cacher and that takes some seconds of my running but i still get to second though most of the time standing up
me persoanly im really fast kind of small though but i dont think i have strong legs the only bad habit i have is when im stealing i look back at the cacher and that takes some seconds of my running but i still get to second though most of the time standing up
One of the things that contributed to my son's leg strength was the karate he took for 4-5yrs before becoming a pitcher.
I agree with all of you that leg strength and fast legs play 2 different scenario's in baseball. It's well known that good pitcher's have strong legs, thus, pitching longer and deeper inning's per game.
My son, however, is not the swiftest of feet on the team. He is currently doing some offseason training by doing resistance band training on his legs (and upper body). These bands increase these "fast twitch" muscles which are made up of thigh flexor muscles and abductor muscles, also including your glutes and hamstrings.
I ordered this workout program off the internet for about $30, which includes the pamphlet and resistance bands. If anyone is interested, I can get the website and post it. I don't have it with me at this time.
I agree with all of you that leg strength and fast legs play 2 different scenario's in baseball. It's well known that good pitcher's have strong legs, thus, pitching longer and deeper inning's per game.
My son, however, is not the swiftest of feet on the team. He is currently doing some offseason training by doing resistance band training on his legs (and upper body). These bands increase these "fast twitch" muscles which are made up of thigh flexor muscles and abductor muscles, also including your glutes and hamstrings.
I ordered this workout program off the internet for about $30, which includes the pamphlet and resistance bands. If anyone is interested, I can get the website and post it. I don't have it with me at this time.
Sorry, I have been on the road for the past week without internet connection, but yes, what mike said before is true. That is what I was getting at, but explaining reasoning and stuff like this is not always my best thing. Sorry for confusing you if I did, and thanks for Mike G to help clarify for you what I was saying.