Flying Sprints: Training the Top-End Speed Behind a Faster 60

When a baseball player runs a 60-yard dash at a showcase, only about the first 15 yards are acceleration. The other 45 - three-quarters of the test - are run at or near top speed. Yet most players never actually train top speed, because every standstill sprint is spent accelerating; you run out of runway before you ever hit your true max. The flying sprint solves that, and it's the single best tool for improving the back half of a 60. This guide explains the why and points you to a drill you can run on any open field.

Acceleration and top speed are different gears

Speed has two distinct phases. Acceleration is how fast you build velocity from a start - it's a forward-leaning, ground-pushing action, and it dominates short, baseball-specific bursts like home-to-first and the first steps of a steal. Top-end (max-velocity) speed is the highest rate you can reach and hold - it's a tall, upright, relaxed action, and it's what the long middle of a 60 lives in.

They look different and they're trained differently. You can't get faster at top speed by only doing starts, and you can't measure top speed honestly with a test that's mostly acceleration - which is exactly the critique of the 60 as a baseball metric:

"Gauging a baseball player's speed with a test that is mostly spent in top speed when they mostly play the sport in acceleration is inaccurate." - Gerry DeFilippo, Elite Baseball Performance (source)

That critique cuts both ways: it means the 60 is a *top-speed* test, so if you want a better 60 time, you have to train top speed directly. The flying sprint is how.

What a flying sprint is

A flying sprint (or "flying 20/30") uses a gradual run-up to bring you up to near-max velocity, then has you sprint all-out through a marked zone where the clock runs. Because you enter the zone already moving fast, you spend the timed portion actually *at* top speed rather than building to it. As one explanation puts it, the run-up "allows the body to get moving and puts focus on the mechanics of the sprint" instead of the start.

The critical discipline is the run-up: it's a smooth build, not a blast. Players who sprint the build-up zone have nothing left and never reach a clean top-speed gear in the fly.

Top-speed mechanics are tall and relaxed

The shape of max velocity is the opposite of acceleration's forward lean. At top speed the runner is upright with tall hips and only a slight lean, with a long, smooth stride. The legs cycle with high knee drive and the foot strikes the ground roughly *under* the hips - not reaching out in front, which is overstriding and acts like a brake. And above all, the body stays loose. Tension in the hands, jaw, and shoulders slows you down; the fastest sprinters look effortless. Drills like high knees, straight-leg bounding, and speed bounds reinforce these same patterns.

The drill

The full step-by-step version - setup, coaching cues, the common mistakes to avoid, and a four-stage progression from relaxed build-ups to timed 60s - is in our member drill, the Flying-20 Max-Velocity Straight-Line Speed Drill. The short version:

1. Mark a 20-yard build-up zone leading into a 20-yard timed fly zone (cones at each end).
2. Build smoothly through the run-up to arrive at the first cone at about 90-95% speed.
3. Through the fly zone, run tall and relaxed - knees up, foot landing under the hips - and sprint all the way through the second cone.
4. Time the 20-yard fly. Four to six quality reps with 2-3 minutes of rest, charted over time.

Age-appropriateness and safety

This is a moderate-load drill, and the load matters: max-velocity sprinting puts the hamstrings under their highest stress of any running activity. That's why it carries a 12U age floor for full-effort flys and why the warm-up is non-negotiable. Never run flys cold - do a full dynamic warm-up plus a few build-up runs first, rest 2-3 minutes between reps so each one is genuinely fast, and stop the moment mechanics get ragged or a hamstring feels tight. Younger or newer athletes should spend more time on relaxed build-ups before adding the clock. Program it on lower-fatigue days, not after a hard lift.

Takeaway

If you want a faster 60 - or to run down more fly balls and stretch more doubles into triples - you have to train the gear that the back half of a 60 lives in. The flying-20 lets you practice true top speed and the tall, relaxed mechanics that come with it. Warm up well, keep the reps fast and few, and chase your fly times.

Sources

• Why The 60-Yard Dash Is A Poor Way To Test Baseball Speed - Elite Baseball Performance
• 5 Sprint Drills Designed for Baseball Players - Elite Baseball Performance
• How To Improve 60-Yard Dash Time - Baseball Training
• Top Speed Training For Baseball Athletes - Your Performance Lab
• Flying Sprints: How To Do Them + 4 Workouts - Marathon Handbook