Speed training advice for HS freshman?

My daughter (softball) was awkward running after growing from 5’2” to 5’10” from one season to the next. She went to Speed Camp at a college track powerhouse. Getting her running straightened out drastically improved her speed.

My son was always one of the fastest kids. After freshman year of high school I sent him to a training facility with focus on how to run a timed sixty properly.

The first thing to do is get strong in the legs. While it won’t change speed learn how to read pitchers for jump. Don’t compare your son to his teammates. Compare him to kids with college potential.

I said this on another post today, but the single most important thing we did for my son (hes a 2029) is find a 1x1 speed and agility coach he sees at LEAST once a week. He has been seeing him for about 13-14 months now. Game changer for my son. I just wish we would have started a little sooner. Hes also a great mentor to my son, and he loves going to that workout.

We found him by recommendation locally at the end of his 7th grade football season. He played starting DB on defense and 2-3 string WR in 7th grade football. He played primarily 2nd base and outfield up to that point.

Fast forward to his 8th grade season, starting QB in football and starting SS on his travel team. He was never really a bag stealer before, but he racks them up now.

It worked wonders for us.

I think you are on the right track with focus. Speed kills as they say. I once read that a kid will typically gain 0.3 per year upto age 16. Then it's harder to make gains: like another 0.1 per year upto age 18. So your son will likely naturally be sub 7. 

That said, I have a 2023 MIF who is a good fielder but undersized and runs 6.85-7.0. If he was a little faster, maybe it would have made a little difference. We know kids who are 6.5-6.7 and they get a lot of attention just from speed. My 2025 is a portly 6ft, 200lb pitcher and runs 7.0-7.2. But how he does it is he stands back from the laser start around 6-12 inches. Thus he trips it after he is already going a step. I've also used the app "seconds count" to exactly time them on a football field and slow down views of their foot strike, cycling, arm motion. I had them do a lot of A skips, B skips. But really you should have a professional help you.

just a reminder to also concentrate on quickness, as they are totally different things.

In baseball you obviously need to get to top speed quickly.

Youngest son did all the perfect game stuff for many years.  Top 10% in 60 speed, bottom 25% in 10 yard split.

By working on his quickness (he worked with a group called Parisi)  we moved into top 5% of 60 speed, just by lowering his 10 yard split slightly.

He's still better 1st to 3rd/home and patrolling CF than he is stealing bases though (and as a 60 year old former base stealer, I get so frustrated, but I digress..........)

Good luck.