Posted by: Melvin () on Tue Feb 20 19:57:36 2001

Is speed and weight training a good idea for younger children? I found a site at www.superkidsathletics.com They said it was OK, just wondering what this site thought.

Reply:

The only speed training that applies to baseball is improving the skill of running, batting, throwing and fielding technique. There are no magic bullets consisting of weighted implement drills or other such stuff. There is only strenght, skill and flexibility; speed itself is not an improvable trait. You have to break it down to individual skills. Practicing them perfectly as they are performed in competition, with concomitant strength and flexibility work will make them faster. There is no other speed component that can be isolated and trained. You cannot train the nervous system by itself and expect a carry-over into skills. This is the biggest fallacy on Internet sports sites. Skill is specific. Specific means identical. The plyometric and explosive strength industry if ripping you all off and injuring your athletes. The only thing that will explode is biological tissue from its joint insertions.

Melvin