Strength training is a cornerstone of athletic development. But at what point do additional strength and power gains stop translating into faster sprints? A recent study on trained football players used advanced statistical modeling to answer that question — and the results have direct implications for how we condition baseball athletes.

What the Study Found
Researchers tested 60 male outfield football players (average age 18) on a battery of strength and power measures, then compared those results to 20 m and 40 m sprint performance. Tests included:

• Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull (IMTP) for maximal strength,
  
  
• Standing Broad Jump (SBJ) for horizontal impulse,
  
  
• Countermovement Jump (CMJ) for vertical power, and
  
  
• Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE) for eccentric hamstring strength.
  
  

Key findings included:

• Sprint times were most strongly predicted by IMTP strength and SBJ impulse.
  
  
• Clear thresholds emerged:
  
  
  
  • IMTP ≥2.0 × bodyweight
    
    
  • SBJ impulse ≥0.29 m·s⁻¹
    
    
• Below these levels, improvements in strength and power significantly improved sprint speed.
  
  
• Beyond these levels, additional gains provided little added benefit — sprint performance plateaued.
  
  
• CMJ and eccentric hamstring strength were weaker predictors. Interestingly, lower hamstring eccentric force was unexpectedly associated with faster sprint times in this cohort.
  
  

Why This Matters
The study illustrates that the relationship between weight room outputs and sprint speed is nonlinear. Strength and power matter — but only up to a point. Once athletes surpass the identified thresholds, more is not necessarily better. Instead, the limiting factor shifts from force production capacity to how efficiently that force is applied during sprinting.

This aligns with what coaches often see: the strongest athlete in the room isn’t always the fastest on the field. At a certain stage of development, technical proficiency, coordination, and sprint mechanics become the dominant factors.

How We Apply This at VeloU
For baseball athletes, sprint speed is critical — whether it’s acceleration out of the box, stealing a base, or closing ground in the outfield. Strength and power development are non-negotiable early in training, but we must recognize when an athlete has reached the point of diminishing returns.

• Benchmarks for “Strong Enough”: An IMTP value of ≥2.0 × bodyweight and SBJ impulse ≥0.29 m·s⁻¹ provide objective markers. Once these levels are achieved, athletes have the necessary strength base to transfer into sprint performance.
  
  
• Shifting the Focus: Beyond those thresholds, the priority should move from building more raw strength to refining sprint-specific qualities — mechanics, first-step quickness, and efficient force application.
  
  
• Maximizing Transfer: Training should emphasize coordination under speed, horizontal force application, and skill development that links strength to actual on-field performance.
  
  

By using these benchmarks, coaches can avoid wasting valuable training time chasing “extra strength” that doesn’t translate, and instead ensure every adaptation is directed toward game performance.‍

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The question “how strong is strong enough?” now has clearer answers. For field sport athletes — and by extension baseball players — once strength and power reach identified thresholds, further gains don’t guarantee faster sprints. The focus should then shift toward movement efficiency, coordination, and skill. At VeloU, this means identifying when athletes are ready to move past general strength building and into the sport-specific applications that truly separate good movers from great ones.

Reference
Johnston, R. D., Weaving, D., Haff, G. G., Spence, J. R., & Kelly, V. G. (2020). How strong is strong enough? A novel approach to neuromuscular assessment in football players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(3), 307–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2019.1693320