Physical Fitness Test

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

You might be confident but you are wrong.

It is a very good time for a girl but lots of baseball players can run that.

I'm happy for you to show me some data that proves me wrong. (I made my assertion without data, just based on my experience, so fair play).

My experience is that almost no baseball players run a mile that fast because it's a waste of time to train to be able to. It's not a skill that really translates in baseball. The 40-50 miles per week training to run a low 5's mile is better spent in the cage, weight room or field. I don't doubt that "lots" of young male athletes could train to run that fast, only that many would bother to.

The softball player you referred to as a top 15 player, is, almost by definition, an outlier (top 15 after all). To categorize 5:15 as a "very good time for a girl" is just an absurd dismissal of its rareness among non-track athletes.

But, again, I don't think mile time is a very important measure of anything for either sport (baseball or softball).

 

[softball007]

There is just no way any standard mile for any women's athlete would have a low range of 4:32 seconds.

 

[RADcatchers]

12 minute mile, you mean. Not relevant to pitching performance. There's no reason for softball pitchers to run any distance.

#1 Reason
Endurance conditioning!

If I thought through all the pitchers I have known could start a list of those that were long distance runners. The beginning of the list would be Diane Lewis.

 

[Strike2]

I'm happy for you to show me some data that proves me wrong. (I made my assertion without data, just based on my experience, so fair play).

My experience is that almost no baseball players run a mile that fast because it's a waste of time to train to be able to. It's not a skill that really translates in baseball. The 40-50 miles per week training to run a low 5's mile is better spent in the cage, weight room or field. I don't doubt that "lots" of young male athletes could train to run that fast, only that many would bother to.

The softball player you referred to as a top 15 player, is, almost by definition, an outlier (top 15 after all). To categorize 5:15 as a "very good time for a girl" is just an absurd dismissal of its rareness among non-track athletes.

But, again, I don't think mile time is a very important measure of anything for either sport (baseball or softball).

Agree. I was able to run a low 5s mile when I was in college, and could also do 20+ pullups. However, I had to drop 20+lbs from my HS football playing weight to accomplish that, and I'm certain that didn't help me one bit as far as football was concerned. Being able to run a mile is a pretty basic measure of fitness...any college athlete should be able to do that. Being able to run that mile exceptionally fast is nice, but doesn't mean better performance in any sport that doesn't feature/require endurance running.

 

[softball007]

Would love to know the benchmarks that need to be met. Squat your weight 10 times?

They have pretty detailed lifting workouts to do 4x /week over the summer but those numbers are not recorded on the team's big board during the fitness test day.

Overhand velo, Exit velo are included. Long jump, grip strength, Plank time.

 

[JayW]

#1 Reason
Endurance conditioning!

If I thought through all the pitchers I have known could start a list of those that were long distance runners. The beginning of the list would be Diane Lewis.

Kelly Maxwell's not running a mile. Canady. No. Pickens. No. Rothrock. No. Maybe as some kind of Platonic ideal. You know how a pitcher builds endurance? By pitching.

 

[Northball]

I'm definitely no expert, but it seems any fitness goals would be established on a personal level, not a single target for all players to hit. I'll take a pitcher anyday who can throw 65 with movement and control, but can't do a single pull-up because of a very large build, over the BP tosser who can do 15 pull-ups using one arm.

 

[JayW]

I'm definitely no expert, but it seems any fitness goals would be established on a personal level, not a single target for all players to hit. I'll take a pitcher anyday who can throw 65 with movement and control, but can't do a single pull-up because of a very large build, over the BP tosser who can do 15 pull-ups using one arm.

Agreed. It's softball, not crossfit. The goal is to excel at your softball position, not to be a fitness model.

 

[softball007]

Kelly Maxwell's not running a mile. Canady. No. Pickens. No. Rothrock. No. Maybe as some kind of Platonic ideal. You know how a pitcher builds endurance? By pitching.

I 100% know for a fact from that list above that you are wrong after my daughter was on the same team.

 

[softball007]

I'm definitely no expert, but it seems any fitness goals would be established on a personal level, not a single target for all players to hit. I'll take a pitcher anyday who can throw 65 with movement and control, but can't do a single pull-up because of a very large build, over the BP tosser who can do 15 pull-ups using one arm.

There is definitely a style to a program and who they recruit.
Interesting to see all the triggered responses from those who don't believe in fitness though.