The focus today for [tag]youth little league baseball[/tag] is on sprints for strength and conditioning.
The second important running [tag]drill[/tag] is simple [tag]sprints[/tag]. Athletes should start at a designated point and run as fast as they can to another designated point. Coaches should watch the way athletes begin the sprint, making sure they keep their backs straight and their bodies compact, instead of letting their arms fly out to the side and letting their posture get low to the ground. Athletes should be able to do 10 short sprints with 30 seconds in between. A good length for the sprints is the distance between the bases. Have athletes practice sprinting between the bases.
Because these [tag]baseball[/tag] [tag]sprinting drills[/tag] are quick but intense, your athletes are going to need your encouragement more than anything during these drills. You need to time them and keep track of their improvement, pushing them to increase their speed and the power in their starts. Encourage your athletes to push through to the end of the sprint. It is customary for athletes to slow near the end of the sprint, especially when they know where the end line is. Train your athletes to keep up their power until after they cross the line. Those extra tenths of seconds can be the difference between wins and losses in an actual competition.