How do I Increase my Speed to First Base
Baseball speed is about explosive movements. A player never runs 5 miles while playing baseball, instead players run 90 feet as fast as they possibly can up to 4 times in a row if they make it on base. This means for increases in speed to first base the most important thing to do is increase the rate of leg turn over. That is a fancy way of describing how quickly one leg can go from pushing off the ground back around to planting on the ground again for another push. One of the most overlooked muscles for higher rates of leg turn over are the hamstrings, and so this exercise will focus on them in a high intensity body weight movement.
Ball Hamstring Exercise
In this exercise it is important to maintain a straight body from knee to shoulders. This modified plank position will ensure that the hamstrings are the focus of the exercise and not the hip flexors or quads. You'll know you're doing it right when your hamstrings start to burn. Maintaining high hips throughout the movement will keep the focus on those hamstrings which is what we're really trying to work out here. Begin by doing eight reps with both feet on the ball, and then six reps with only your left foot on the ball and the right leg extended straight out. Then six reps with the right foot on the ball and the left leg extended straight out. Again, even during the one leg exercises maintain the modified plank position.
After you've completed the set of 8 two-leg and both sets of six one-leg, take a break set for about 1 minute then start the cycle over again. After four total rounds and at the end of the fourth round, begin a burnout set with both legs on the ball. Do not take a break set between your last cycle and the burnout set which will last for 30 seconds. Make sure to maintain position, with each rep being perfect and at a high pace. If you feel as though you're losing your positioning due to fatigue, stop where you're at, but the goal is to push for 30 seconds of burn out.
Leg Turnover is the Key to Speed
As we mentioned above, baseball is a game of sprinting. So to get the best results in our speed to first base it is important to train like a sprinter. All sprinting regimens include hamstring exercises intended to increase leg turn over speed. Most athletes don't reach their top speed until about halfway to first base or later, which means over half of the distance is spent accelerating. So most of the focus for increasing speed to first is increasing acceleration. This can be likened to a 100 meter sprint or better yet to the 40 yard dash in the Football Combine. In each of these sprints the athlete keeps their head down early and shoulders forward with legs driving backwards gaining acceleration with every stride. The same principles are translated to every trip around the bases in baseball.
Even More Training for Speed
Other muscles to focus on are the glutes, calves, and quads. All of these muscle groups are covered in various sections here on our site. There's also an entire section devoted to speed training, which I highly recommend. In this section you'll find more training tips for fast acceleration and quick leg turn over as we’ve mentioned here, but you’ll also find articles and videos suited to developing the neuromuscular response which is crucial for top acceleration and speed.