Lesson 1: Your Athlete Profile

Today's Lesson

“Bat speed is built in the body before it shows up in the swing. Six numbers will show what your body is holding back.”

Bigger is not the goal. Plenty of hitters add size every off-season and swing slower every spring. Training has four jobs: keep you healthy, make you stronger, faster and more explosive. That is the Strength & Explosiveness pillar, one of AHD’s four, next to the Swing, the Hitting Processor and the Mental Approach.

Today you test six markers and read your profile: strong but slow, fast but weak, or powerful but unstable. Then a 3-minute breathing reset and a second med-ball throw show you how much rotation your position was hiding.

Why It Matters

A strong-but-slow athlete needs different training than a fast-but-weak one. Testing first means you never waste an off-season guessing.

Today's Work

The test (25 minutes): 8-minute warm-up, then all six markers, 2–3 attempts each with full rest. Keep the best of each. Same surface and shoes every retest. Film the sprint and jump from the side.
• Broad jump: two-foot takeoff and landing, measure to the back heel.
• 10-yard sprint: start from an athletic stance, partner times from first movement.
• Rotational med-ball throw: hitting stance, ball between waist and chest, throw for distance (ball weight by age below).
• Push-ups: chest to a fist-height target, max reps in 60 seconds.
• Pull: ages 6–12, flexed-arm hang (chin above the bar) for time; 13+, max chin-ups.
• Balance: one leg, hands on hips, up to 30 seconds each side.
• Quick win: 90/90 breathing, 5 long exhales × 3 (feel the ribs settle down, not tucked), then dead bugs 8 each side with a full exhale. Retake the med-ball throw, 3 attempts.
• Shoulder check: light band external rotation, elbow pinned to your side, 12 slow reps each arm. Note if the elbow drifts.

Track It

Find your age group. First number = Solid. Second = Strong. Below Solid = Needs work.

Ages 6–9: broad jump 48 / 60 in • 10-yd sprint 2.40 / 2.20 s • med-ball throw (2 lb) 15 / 22 ft • push-ups 8 / 15 • flexed-arm hang 5 / 12 s • balance 15 / 30 s each side
Ages 10–12: broad jump 60 / 72 in • 10-yd sprint 2.15 / 2.00 s • med-ball throw (4 lb) 20 / 28 ft • push-ups 12 / 20 • flexed-arm hang 10 / 20 s • balance 25 / 30 s each side
Ages 13–14: broad jump 66 / 78 in • 10-yd sprint 2.00 / 1.85 s • med-ball throw (4 lb) 28 / 36 ft • push-ups 18 / 28 • chin-ups 3 / 7 • balance 30 s / 30 s + 10 s eyes closed
Ages 15–18: broad jump 72 / 86 in • 10-yd sprint 1.80 / 1.65 s • med-ball throw (6 lb) 32 / 42 ft • push-ups 25 / 38 • chin-ups 6 / 12 • balance 30 s / 30 s + 10 s eyes closed
Ages 19+: broad jump 78 / 90 in • 10-yd sprint 1.72 / 1.60 s • med-ball throw (6 lb) 38 / 48 ft • push-ups 30 / 45 • chin-ups 8 / 15 • balance 30 s / 30 s + 10 s eyes closed

Softball and girls: same tests. Broad jump about 15% shorter, sprint about 0.10 s slower, push-ups about 60% of the counts above, flexed-arm hang through age 14, and a 4 lb med ball at 15+ (Solid 26 ft, Strong 34 ft). Hand-timed sprints read 0.1–0.2 s faster than electronic timing.

Read the profile: jump, sprint and med-ball low while strength is Solid = speed-limited. Strength below Solid = force-limited. Balance below Solid on either side = stability-limited. Your lowest area is where training starts. Also write your throw before and after the breathing reset, and whether your elbow stayed quiet for 12 reps.

Follow the recommended 90-day plan, about two lessons a week; the training inside them still needs its rest days.

Next: Lesson 2 builds the 10-minute arm care routine that keeps you on the field long enough to use these numbers.