Speed Training with One of MLB’s Fastest Athletes: Inside Forrest Wall’s Base Running Training

In the high-stakes world of Major League Baseball (MLB), speed can be the difference between a stolen base and a caught runner. It’s not just about raw velocity; it’s about how quickly an athlete can accelerate, decelerate, and react to the ever-changing dynamics of a game. Forrest Wall, a highly skilled MLB player known for his base-stealing prowess, exemplifies how refining speed training can elevate an athlete’s game. In today’s blog post, we take a deeper look at the speed training regimen used to help Forrest maximize his linear speed, fine-tuning his explosive starts and lightning-fast sprints to become a consistent threat on the base paths.

1. Forrest Wall: One of MLB’s Fastest Athletes

When you think of speed on the base paths, Forrest Wall stands out as one of the fastest athletes in MLB. Having trained for several years with a specialized focus on sprint mechanics and acceleration, Forrest has honed his speed to a level that few players can rival. But what makes Forrest particularly impressive is not just his natural speed; it’s his dedication to continually refine his movements, ensuring that every step he takes is as efficient and explosive as possible.

His base-stealing ability isn’t just the result of sprinting fast; it’s the ability to explode out of the starting blocks and maintain top-end speed with precision. To maximize his base-stealing potential, Forrest’s training isn’t just about running fast—it’s about training his body to accelerate quickly and execute sharp, well-timed movements. Let’s dive into how this training is structured to enhance his speed.

2. Preparing the Body: Activation of the Lower Limbs

Before jumping into the more intense movements of sprinting and base running, Forrest starts his speed training with preparatory exercises designed to activate the muscles of the lower limbs. These exercises, though low-impact, play a crucial role in priming the body for the explosive movements to come.

The session begins with linear pogos, which are a staple in his training. These pogo drills target the calf muscles, improving elasticity and responsiveness. Forrest performs several variations of pogos: bilateral, pulsing, and alternating—all designed to activate the lower legs in different ways. As Forrest moves through each variation, the focus is on achieving a big bounce with each jump, ensuring that the body is primed for rapid foot strikes during sprints.

After linear pogos, the focus shifts to single-leg hops and single-leg hops with full leg involvement. These exercises are more intense, incorporating ankle, knee, and hip joints, ensuring that Forrest’s body is ready for the forceful ground contact and powerful push-off required during his base-stealing sprint. These preparatory exercises are essential for improving lower body stability, control, and explosiveness—qualities that are vital in any speed-based sport.

3. Plyometric Drills: Building Explosiveness and Coordination

Once Forrest’s body is primed and ready, the session moves into plyometric drills, which aim to further enhance acceleration and explosive power. Plyometrics are particularly beneficial for athletes who need to make quick, powerful movements, such as base runners who rely on their initial jump to gain an edge.

One of the first plyometric drills is power skips. Power skips are done both for height and distance, forcing Forrest to focus on vertical and horizontal explosiveness. For height, the drill emphasizes punching the legs upwards with each skip, driving the hip and thigh into the air. For distance, the focus is on pushing the ground away with each step, ensuring that each stride is as long and powerful as possible. These drills help Forrest develop a quick, powerful stride, which is essential for gaining speed right off the line.

Next, Forrest incorporates A skips and B skips, two drills that refine his sprinting form. In the A skip, the focus is on driving the thigh upwards, maintaining an upright posture, and ensuring that the foot remains under the body, not allowing the legs to kick outward. The B skip, which is a variation of the A skip, requires Forrest to pull his leg through after each stride, focusing on the pull motion that helps release the hamstrings and generate greater hip flexion.

As Forrest moves through these drills, he transitions into more advanced plyometric movements like straight-leg bounds and alternating bounds. The straight-leg bounds are performed with knees soft but straight, and toes pointing down toward the top of the shoes. The focus here is on building power and explosiveness while maintaining proper alignment and form. In the alternating bounds, Forrest emphasizes attacking the ground with each step while focusing on the trajectory of his shin as it moves forward. These bounds increase air time and distance with every jump, mimicking the kind of long, explosive strides Forrest needs during base running.

4. Neural Activation: Firing Up Fast-Twitch Muscles

The next phase of Forrest’s training focuses on neural activation, which is designed to activate the fast-twitch muscle fibers responsible for rapid acceleration and powerful sprints. This phase of the training is less about volume and more about quality—stimulating the nervous system to fire quickly and efficiently, improving the body’s ability to react and produce force at a high velocity.

One of the key exercises in this phase is the band-resisted piston run. Using a resistance band, Forrest performs short, rapid strides, emphasizing hip flexion and hip extension. The band is not pulled directly; instead, it helps guide Forrest’s hips into a more aggressive angle, forcing him to focus on accelerating his legs without relying on hamstring contraction. This drill works to improve hip mechanics, helping Forrest to quickly cycle his legs through the running motion and increase stride frequency.

Following the piston run, Forrest completes single-leg bounds while resisted by the band. This drill focuses on one leg at a time, teaching Forrest to push aggressively off the ground while maintaining his form. By working on single-leg explosive power, Forrest can improve his acceleration from a standing start and his push-off strength—key attributes for quickly gaining ground when stealing bases.

5. Sport-Specific Drills: Polishing Starts and Reaction Time

The final phase of Forrest’s speed training focuses on sport-specific drills that directly simulate the movements he’ll use during base running in an actual game. One of the most important aspects of base running is the ability to get off the base quickly, and Forrest’s training ensures that his steel starts are flawless.

Forrest practices his steel starts—his first movement out of the base—through a combination of predetermined and reactionary drills. Predetermined drills require Forrest to perform the same set of movements every time, ensuring that his body knows exactly how to position itself for maximum speed. These movements include proper foot placement, body alignment, and arm positioning. The goal is to create a consistent, repeatable pattern so that Forrest can launch himself from the base with minimal wasted motion.

Once Forrest has honed his steel starts through consistent repetition, he moves into reactionary drills, where he has to respond to visual or auditory cues. This simulates real-game situations where Forrest must react instantly to a pitcher’s movement or the sound of a stolen base attempt. The goal is to train Forrest to stay relaxed, loaded, and ready to explode in the exact right moment. Whether responding to a visual cue like a pitcher’s movement or an auditory cue like a coach’s command, Forrest’s body must respond instantly and with precision.

Conclusion: Polishing a Pro’s Performance

Forrest Wall’s speed training isn’t just about running fast. It’s about developing a finely tuned system of acceleration, explosion, coordination, and reaction that allows him to become one of the fastest athletes in MLB. By starting with activation exercises, progressing through plyometric drills, and finishing with neural and sport-specific drills, Forrest is able to refine every aspect of his base-running ability. With this kind of meticulous attention to detail, it’s no surprise that he continues to be a major threat on the bases. Through consistent training, Forrest’s speed isn’t just a natural gift; it’s a carefully crafted, finely tuned tool that gives him a distinct edge in the game of baseball!\


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