Anyone who says that you can’t better your baserunning speed is without a doubt incorrect! Although each individual person has a maximum potential speed, hardly anybody actually gets to that. There is lots of room to improve, and it is crucial to do just that! Speed is a highly important component scouts look for while observing players. Of course, you can find exceptions to the rule, yet normally you need to have at the very least average speed to get a chance at reaching the major leagues. Do not fret if you’ve got below average speed though, as you can find a lot of ways to improve.
1. Proper Mechanics: This is the most important aspect to increasing your baseball “speed.” The greatest thing about this is that you don’t actually have to run quicker! You simply have to find out the way to run properly. Proper body angle while running, raising the leg high enough for the perfect stride, as well as swinging the arms high enough with the correct angle at the elbow joint are all factors you should work on when fixing your running technique. It would take much to long to show you how to do each one of these things in just one paragraph, however you can find an abundance of educational books and DVDs readily available which are specifically devoted to proper running technique.
2. Reaction Time: Reaction time is the length of time between the cue to run and when you actually start running. A baseball example of reaction time is the amount of time it takes you to be able to react when the ball is hit, or a baserunner taking off on a pitcher’s first movement. The best way to increase reaction time would be to simply practice getting balls hit to you in different places and then reacting to them and fielding them. There are also reaction balls out on the marketplace which will bounce in random directions and you have to react in time to field it. You do not have to have fantastic reaction time to succeed in baseball, but if you don’t you at least have to make up for it by outstanding positioning. For instance if you are a shortstop and you know what kind of pitch the pitcher is going to throw, you want to get yourself in a great position where the ball will likely be hit before the batter even strikes the ball!
3. Baserunning Skill: You may be capable of running fast, but how fast are you able to run the bases? Do you hit the inside corner of the bag as you round a base? If you don’t, you will end up making yourself take a longer loop towards the next base potentially increasing the distance you will have to run from around 90 feet to 100 feet or even more! Basic errors like this can be enough to make the difference between being safe or being out. Additionally being a smart baserunner can make a big difference! A smart baserunner can very easily turn a single into an extra base hit simply because he knows if each outfielder’s arm is strong, poor, or average.
4. Fitness: Most likely there is some area for improvement in your overall fitness level. By exercising on a regular basis and concentrating some of your baseball workouts on cardiovascular exercises like running on the treadmill or riding a stationary bike, your speed will improve in time.
Are you interested in improving your base-running speed or any other aspect of your game? If so, make sure to check out the website “best baseball workouts” for much more information as well as tons of great products to take your game to the next level! With this information, your baseball workouts will be much more effective than ever!