It's a full count, 1 out, bottom of the ninth, man on first and you're a double play away from the championship. As shortstop, if the ball comes your way, you can help turn a double play and have the victory in hand. But your ability to make that play to help your team win the game depends on a variety of elements.

Training, fundamentals, mechanics, technique, instinct and yes - speed. Any infielder / baseball player knows the pain of not getting to a ball quick enough. Don't be the weak link in the chain. Increase your speed and effectiveness in the infield and be the baseball player to make a difference in your baseball games.

Resistance Band Training for Infielders

Adding resistance band training to your practice regime will help bring quickness to your position. Your hips are the driving force behind many of the movements you make in the infield. From snatching a ground ball, running down a base stealer or leaping for that line drive hit over your head - strong and stable hips will allow you to improve your reaction time regardless of the situation.

A simple lateral exercise with Myosource Ultimate Kinetic Bands / resistance bands will help a baseball player build strong and stable hip muscles. This will strengthen the glutes and hamstring muscles, which are intricate components to moving quickly off the ball. With the bands attached slightly above the knees, begin lateral slides taking 3-4 steps in both directions. Have a coach or teammate roll a ball to the baseball player to react and get after that ground ball.

Here are several things to remember when doing these baseball drillsl:

Don't Click Your Heels Together: You're not Dorothy and this isn't The Wizard of Oz so keep your feet apart as you slide laterally back and forth. Making sure your feet are apart improves the effectiveness of the exercise and keeps you from falling over. No one wants to waste time in the dirt let alone roll around in it

Practice Like You Want to Play: Since the goal is for you to improve your quickness, you want to practice how you'll play. Don't just "go through the motions." Go at game speed as you move from side-to-side. Kinetic Bands / Resistance bands will cause you to naturally lean forward in this exercise by curling your back but keep your back flat as you are in a fielding position. It will give you better form, maximize your workout and help strengthen your core

Resistance Bands exercises with Myosource Ultimate Kinetic Bands will work your hips, hamstrings and glutes. A strong lower body is incredibly important if you want to get the best jump on the ball you can. Remember these quick tips and get to work. A win could be up to you someday and you'll want to do everything you can now to get ready.