Running

[jsnfltn]

Hey guys, I have no idea how to approach running with my daughter. not talking about long distance but the sprint. What is the proper technique used for running the bases? Is this just like a sprinter would use? Do you run on the balls of your feet and not your heels and leaning forward? My dd is slow but she runs straight up. Any help and drills would be great.

Thanks

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

I was wondering about this topic and why no one really discusses this subject...


Yes I always influence balls of feet.Also to get the right hand motion I have my girls sit down with legs straight out. I tell them to keep elbows in and to come up with with the palms of there fingers up to their nose and flick it back. Almost like picking their noses and wiping it on their shorts/pants. We start slow then progress faster

Another drill that we do is have them start low then gradually get taller. Usually we just stick a hand out semi low to get the feeling and then by mid first base then should already be taller in full sprint. Easier to visualize then to type it out. LOL

I have used parachutes, sprinting with their fielders gloves on, resistance, lots of foot work drills, cones. tennis balls. Invest in an agility ladder too. Best thing you can start off with.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I would offer to take her to a velocity training center. Most girls would listen more, there.

 

[sleepwalker]

When I was a fifth grader, I was preparing for an intra-city grade school track meet. As I ran with my fists clenched tight and my elbows flailing from side to side, putting anyone within two lanes of my running lane in danger, a savvy sixth grader looked at me and said something to the effect of "Hey, you are going to hurt somebody with those elbows." "You don't have a clue about what to do with your arms when you run, do you?"

The sixth grader then gave me the best running advice that I ever received. He told me that the secret to running is to reach out in front of your body with your right hand and pretend that you are pulling a rope. Pull the rope by your right side and let go and then reach out with your left hand and then pretend that you are pulling a rope and to keep alternating hands. He then demonstrated the pulling the rope running style.

He then told me that pulling the rope out in front would give me a slight forward lean and that letting the rope go by my side would keep my hands relaxed. He said that by pulling the rope and releasing the rope by my side would keep my arms moving from front to back in the direction that I was traveling and would take away the awkward side to side motion of my flailing elbows.

Teaching kids how to run is important. I am sure that there are hundreds of different of ways to teach it. I use the pulling the rope method for the kids I teach, because it is simple and even I, with my old and out of shape body, can demonstrate what to do with the arms when running.

I was at a practice several months ago where a coach asked for help at his practice. He was timing every child as they sprinted 60 feet. After watching the girls flail their arms from side to side, I asked if I could say a word about running, which he obliged. I showed them the pull the rope concept. As the coach continued to time them, they started to run a tad bit faster. This works for me, others may have better ways of teaching their girls how to run. I think teaching a child how to run should be taught and not overlooked.

Hope this helped.

 

[Coachw01]

I would definitely stress running on the balls of their feet and a word I use with my daughter is 'stride out'. There are times when I can tell she is not running properly by the sound of her feet hitting the ground. If it's loud and 'thuddy' her strides are short, choppy and she landing on her whole foot usually running too straight up. She just turned 9 and is pretty fast, only about 3.8 home or first but 14.5 home to home so she actually picks up speed as she runs. We make this a huge priority when we practice and I think it's something that is extremely overlooked. She takes a lot of pride in being the fastest girl on her team and is more than willing to work at it

 

[coach james]

Back in high school, our football coach would have the track coach contribute once a week. He would focus on staying forward on the balls of the feet rather than heel striking. He would have us sprint in the grass in our BARE FEET... open hands, like blades, pumping between our hips and ears and our knees coming upward at our hip level. And the only way to get faster with ANYTHING (running, pitching, batting) is to understand the proper mechanics along with timing and rhythm. So as advised above, consult a track coach, learn the mechanics and then, get to work! Train hard and often with extreme attention to all the details.

 

[JAD]

Running bases is a sprint and should be done on the balls of your feet. You might want to consult with a track coach for some drills to work on exploding off the base and reaching maximum speed asap.

 

[ArkFastpitch]

A lot of kids run really tense in there upper body. In order to get a good arm motion the upper body needs to be more relaxed with a open palm ear to pocket arm motion. The next big issue is a proper knee punch. The knee should punch more outward than upward with the foot landing in line with the hip.

 

[Indiana]

I like the rope analogy. I also like the bare feet training. Running in bare feet is a very basic way to have the girls see for themselves what proper technique should be. They won't land on their heals in bare feet, because it hurts. Their bodies will naturally adjust to the balls of their feet and keeping their feet under their center of mass.

To work on the arms, have them sit on the ground with their legs out straight. Now have them pump their arms- their rear ends will come up off of the ground and their bodies will move forward under the power of their arms and shoulders. This should allow them to feel what is going on when their arms move efficiently.

 

[quincy]

Best player I have seen in person was ahead of everyone on the field.

She was not the fastest kid on the field but she was.

Ball never left her sight, any fumble she was off.