Base stealing can be one of the most underrated and most important skills for a baseball team to possess. Big power hitting teams can be slow and in baseball it’s very difficult to string together multiple hits to score a below average runner from first or second base. A team with speed (potential base stealers) can be much more effective at producing and manufacturing runs just by being at second or third base instead of first or second. One single from a base stealer can actually be as good as a double. Putting runners in scoring position without having to get another hit or having to sacrifice an out to move the runner over, can be huge in a baseball team's success. These base stealers sometimes do not even have to steal a base to be effective as they can put immense amounts of pressure on an opposing pitcher and throw them off their game just by being a threat to steal.
The reality is many pitchers aren’t very good at holding runners on base. Throwing over to first or second can cause throwing errors, balks, and more importantly can lead to the hitter at the plate getting more fastballs to hit as the pitcher is worried about throwing an off speed pitch which are much easier to steal on. Often, pitchers will make mistakes with fastballs down the center of the plate as they are trying to be too quick to home plate and forget their mechanics.
Becoming a better base stealer will lead to more runs and put pressure on the opposing pitcher and defense which can lead to more errors and better pitches for the hitter to square up. If you want to become a better base stealer, lower body Kinetic Bands from Myosource will help achieve these goals by making a base runner quicker, faster, and much more explosive off the base by using resistance training to increase these qualities in a base runner’s legs.
|
IMPROVED 60 TIME BY .4 SECONDS "Thank you for the speed training results with our Joe S |
The video above can be used as a visual aid on how to use the Kinetic Bands while practicing base stealing. Here is a list of some drills that can be performed with the bands on and off to make you a bigger threat on the base pads.
1) Take a lead as you normally would and practice returning to first base on a throw over. Explode with your right leg crossing back over your left and make sure not to open with the left foot first as this will decrease your time getting back to the bag by having to take an extra step. Try this a couple times with the bands on (resisted) then try it again by unclipping the bands and attempting it unresisted. The unresisted reps will show you the benefit of the Kinetic Bands and how you can permanently increase your time back to the base with hard work and repetition.
2) Do the same thing but this time take off like you are actually attempting to steal. Take your left leg and cross over in front of your right leg. Take about 3 or 4 explosive steps and stop. Repeat this resisted and unresisted a couple times each. Now repeat 2 or 3 more times resisted and unresisted and go ahead full speed to the next base. Every time you attempt this unresisted, you will see the dramatic increase in speed, quickness, and explosion.
3) Now perform a delayed steal with the same reps. Make 2 or 3 hops like you are getting a secondary lead and take off with the left leg crossing over the right leg towards second base with the same explosion (after the hops) as a normal straight steal. This is used for catching teams (especially the catcher) off guard. With a quick and explosive first step and thrust down the line, a catcher can be caught in a bad position and not ready to make an accurate throw down to second.
