Exercises to increase speed

[urgatorbaitII]

Looking for some help here. My daughter has really acquired a love for softball and is really good at it. Her problem is that she is very slow. One reason is that her stride is really short. I am looking for some drills to help increase her speed overall, but also to increase her stride. I am planning on having her use the stairs two or three at a time for the stride issue. I also think some squat jumps and such may help. Looking to really increase her speed during the off-season. Any help would be appreciated. Any other exercises to help her softball or basketball would be greatly appreciated. No weights as she is only 11. Thanks.

[Dreamliner]

Google: Kelly Baggett speed.

Kelly's one of the best in the speed business and a nice guy. He'll actually answer short email inquiries.

What position does your daughter play ? Depending on position she can create the impression of speed by learning better anticipation, i.e., right-handed batter, where is the ball likely to go ?

Also, if you're going to try squat jumps, watch carefully to make sure her knees do not cave. This is particularly prevalent among girls and women.

[urgatorbaitII]

Thanks Dream. She plays all over the place and plays the field pretty well. She needs help around the bases though. Thanks for the info on the squat jumps, I will look out for that.

[Chirogator]

In general you gotta train fast to be fast, so if she happens to be doing a lot of long distance running you might see some improvements by cutting that out and replacing it with sprints. Jump squats, box jumps, and other plyometric exercises can definitely help but definitely agree with Dreamliner in that you gotta watch for the knees drifting inside the feet (especially during landing from the jump).

[holloffamer]

Originally Posted by Chirogator

In general you gotta train fast to be fast, so if she happens to be doing a lot of long distance running you might see some improvements by cutting that out and replacing it with sprints. Jump squats, box jumps, and other plyometric exercises can definitely help but definitely agree with Dreamliner in that you gotta watch for the knees drifting inside the feet (especially during landing from the jump).

Yes, plyometrics should help. Maybe spinning too?

[airrailey]

Realize this thread is a bit dated, but have you thought about CrossFit Kids? Not the same CrossFit routines you see on the games, this is designed for pre and early teens.