Run or slide?
Dion Shirley
Running or sliding?
In the video I watched they had former college baseball player Jake Wood test which one was the fastest, running or sliding to the bag.
Sliding
Running a top speed of 18mph running threw first, they had him dive. Results show that Jake covered the last 10ft on average in 0.270 milliseconds
Running
Testing show that when running to the bag on average Jake covers those last 10ft In only 0.260 milliseconds, that 10ms faster then diving.
When they rewatched the footage they saw that as Jake dives he actually pulls ahead, but the moment his feet leave the ground he decelerates by 50%, by remaining upright Jake takes one more step forward and maintains his velocity threw the bag. Diving Is also riskier, Jake hits the ground to soon and slides into the bag, kinetic friction enters the equation between his body and dirt, increasing the rate of declaration on average another 90%.