When you think of speed, you probably think of sprinting. But we all know that speed is much more involved than just merely being able to run or do something quickly. Speed involves acceleration, which can begin from either a dead stop or from a cruising speed. 

To be fast, you must be able to accelerate or build speed quickly to reach your maximum or top speed. Simply put, speed is the maximum miles per hour that you can run, and acceleration is how quickly you reach that maximum. When we talk about improving speed, we're also talking about improving acceleration. When you possess speed, you rise above the average and make seemingly difficult maneuvers look easy. No matter how good your game already is, speed instantly raises it to another level and adds quality to your performance.

Contrary to popular opinion, we're all equipped with the necessary tools to run fast. That is, we can be taught to increase our speed.

Phases of Speed

• Maximum Speed - 95 - 100% running effort. This is when highest stride frequency and stride lengths are reached. In most sports, including baseball, maximum speed is rarely reached.

• Top Speed - very short lasting. It occurs for only one or two seconds and is followed by a slowing phase.

 

Quick acceleration allows us to steal bases, get jumps on fly balls, beat ground balls out at first and make the outstanding fielding play in the hole. Improving your acceleration rate is more crucial than speed itself. Improving acceleration requires the following:

Specificity - Exercises and training drills that mimic the competition skill. 

• Resistance and Overload Principle - Challenge the muscles. Speed and acceleration only improve if the load is steadily increased.

• OverSpeed Drills - Process of forcing the body to move faster than its normal top speed.

• Mechanics - sound biomechanical efficiency.

• Mental focus - See yourself improving your speed and acceleration with focused work.
   

Baseball athletes are involved primarily in quick explosive movements. Lateral speed, agility and quickness are often more important than strength and speed. The sport of baseball requires an athlete to be placed in various angles ranging from straight up to bent over. The ability to possess quickness, strength and explosion in any angle is a must. Explosion out of the box, the thrust when stealing a base and fielding a bunted ball off the mound after a pitch are all examples of explosion with your body moving in an opposite direction.

When working to build explosion and agility we must work with a systematic training approach that is specific to individual sport needs. With proper development through various phases we aim and succeed in enhancing our athletes ability to move quickly and explosively in any direction. Speed-Power-Agility workouts aim to condition the body, be enjoyable and different, and incorporate fun and variety to obtain maximum gains.
 

High speed quick movements are a combination of ballistic firing patterns within the neuro- muscular system. Genetic potential at birth plays a key role in the ratio of fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers an individual may possess. In explosive quick movements fast twitch muscle fibers are the predominant muscle fiber recruited. Quickness consists of many independent parts involving the eyes, brain, muscles and coordination. Four main areas of quickness are:

• Recognition - what your eyes see

• Reaction - explosion with your body

• Reach - forceful thrust that propels you at an efficient angle

• Recovery - your ability to balance and regather at a quick rate

The ability to increase quickness only comes by increasing the firing rate of the neuromuscular system. We must train our feet and force them to move faster. Training our systems to perform at maximum speed is the only way to achieve these goals. We must teach our feet to apply a greater force when impact with the ground is made. This can only be achieved with rapid movement of the feet. Educating our feet and body to be explosive in any direction will only come with proper training, specific drills and objectives.