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Diamond Nine

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Acceleration Sprints 10/20 yd

SpeedFull field15 minAges 9-12, 13-15, 16+1-12 playersIntensity: hardPitch Smart OK

Short acceleration sprints with full recovery.

Your job today

Sprint hard to the cone, walk all the way back, then go again. Every rep is full effort — no jogging, no half-speed.

What good looks like: Your last sprint should feel as fast as your first. If you’re fading, take more rest.

Why it matters: Stealing a base, beating out a hit, chasing down a fly ball — every one is a short sprint from a dead start. This IS baseball speed.

How it works

After dynamic warmup, athlete completes 4 x 10 yd sprints then 4 x 20 yd sprints. Full recovery between reps (≥ 45 sec at 10 yd, ≥ 75 sec at 20 yd). Quality over fatigue.

Reps / rounds
4 x 10 yd, 4 x 20 yd
Rest between sets
75s
Space needed
half_field
Coaches
1-2

Equipment

  • cones
  • stopwatch or gates

Setup

  1. Complete DYNAMIC_WARMUP_8MIN
  2. Mark 10 and 20 yd lanes

Run the drill

  1. Sprint to cone at full effort
  2. Walk back fully recovered
  3. Repeat

Coaching cues

  • Push the ground back
  • Stay low first 3 steps
  • Sprint, don't drift

Common mistakes

  • Going on fatigue
  • Standing up too early

Scoring

Track seconds (time).

Adjust it

Make it harder

  • intro: self-start, 10 yd only
  • intermediate: add 20 yd
  • advanced: react to coach cue at start

Variations

  • Falling start: start from forward lean

Safety

  • full recovery required
  • no fatigue state
  • STOP_ON_PAIN: Distinguish acceptable muscle soreness from joint pain or severe muscle ache. Any pain, pop, or possible injury must be reported to a parent, coach, or trusted adult, and the activity stopped immediately. Any sign of illness or injury must be evaluated before returning.

Source

Author: platform · Status: Published · Last reviewed 2026-05-26