13 Ways To Prevent Pitching Arm Injuries In Youth Pitchers Ages 7-14

Transcription

1 13 Ways T Prevent Pitching Arm Injuries In Yuth Pitchers Ages 7-14 By Steven Ellis, frmer Chicag Cubs pitching pr Did yu knw that nearly 49% f yuth baseball pitchers will suffer an elbw r shulder injury in 2015? 49%... And at the high schl level, pitching injuries are even wrse. Dctrs are nw perfrming five times mre "Tmmy Jhn" elbw surgeries than they were just a decade ag, accrding t the American Jurnal f Sprts Medicine. And Dr. James Andrews, ne f the mst acclaimed rthpedic surgens in the wrld fr the treatment f pitching arm injuries, has said his clinic has seen a tenfld increase in visits frm high schl and yuth pitchers in the past 10 years. 10 times. Lk, it's n secret that injuries amng baseball pitchers at all levels are n the rise, but elbw and shulder injuries in Little League and thrughut ther yuth baseball rganizatins are n the verge f becming an epidemic. Thusands f pitchers are seen each year cmplaining f elbw r shulder pain. Yur sn r a yuth pitcher yu knw may be ne f them Damage r tear t the ulnar cllateral ligament (UCL) is the mst cmmn injury suffered. This ligament is the main stabilizer f the elbw during a pitcher's release f the baseball.

2 The gd news is there's a lt we parents and caches can d t help ur kids pitch safe and stay healthy this seasn. As a frmer pr pitcher and nw parent and cach f yung pitchers, I knw firsthand hw imprtant it is t help ur kids pitch safe and stay healthy n the mund. Here are 13 ways (plus 2 bnus strategies) t prevent pitching arm injuries t pint yu and yur sn in the directin f success: 1. Make certain pitchers are prperly cnditined befre thrwing full velcity r pitching cmpetitively. 2. Make certain pitchers have and use a prper stretching and warm up prgram befre thrwing. 3. Develp a year rund thrwing prgram t maintain arm strength and stamina, flexibility, and nrmal range f mtin. I persnally recmmend 1-2 mnth rest perid at end f a lng seasn, and then begin a limited and mdified ff seasn thrwing prgram. 4. Teach and supervise a prper weight and resistance prgram. I recmmend the TUFFCUFF Jr Pitching Guide; caches r medical persnnel shuld be respnsible fr implementing this prgram. Many pitchers restrict their flexibility and range f mtin by imprper use f weights. Other pitchers have actually weakened themselves by ver stretching the shulder jint, causing t much laxity. 5. Have the pitcher thrw at reduced velcity and shrter distance when learning new techniques r new pitches. 6. Limit the amunt f thrwing a pitcher des during drills and practices if he plays anther psitin. The psitins which wuld cause the least amunt f stress n the arm are first base r utfield. 7. Make certain the pitcher dressed prperly fr warmth during cld temps, r t prevent early heat exhaustin during very ht weather. Als be aware f prper intake f fluids t prevent early dehydratin and muscle fatigue. 8. Dn't use a radar gun; emphasize the develpment f prper pitching mechanics, cntrl and accuracy in yung pitchers befre pitching velcity. Learn the fundamentals nw, and the velcity will cme later as the pitcher grws and matures.

3 9. Adhere t the fllwing pitch cunt guidelines established by MLB, USA Baseball and Little League Baseball. Recmmended pitch cunt limits Age Pitches/Game Surce: MLB "Pitch Smart", USA Baseball, Little League Baseball 10. Make sure the pitcher gets prper rest after pitching appearances in games (and even in practices and/r scrimmages) by adhering t the fllwing recmmended rest perid guidelines: Recmmended rest perids Number f Pitches Rest Perid days days day 1-20 Nne Surce: Little League Baseball

4 11. Cncentrate n age-apprpriate pitching skills. Nlan Ryan didn't start pitching until he was in high schl. Mst Big League pitchers didn't develp secndary pitches r breaking pitches befre the age f 13 r 14 years ld they threw nthing but fastballs and change ups. Recmmended ages fr learning different pitches Pitch Type Age Fastball 8 ± 2 Change-up 10 ± 2 Curveball 14 ± 2 Knuckleball 15 ± 2 Slider 16 ± 2 Frkball 16 ± 2 Screwball 17 ± 2 Surce: American Orthpaedic Sciety fr Sprts Medicine As fr the relatinship between certain pitch types and increased stress n the elbw, it has traditinally been believed that the curveball is a mre harmful pitch than the fastball r change-up. This led t recmmendatins by the American Orthpaedic Sciety fr Sprts Medicine that yuth pitchers refrain frm beginning t thrw curveballs until the age f Make certain a pitcher pitches with prper mechanics. While each pitcher thrws smewhat within his wn style, thrugh the critical phase f thrwing, mst successful injury free pitchers use very similar time-prven techniques.

5 Frm what I've bserved in wrking with hundreds f pitchers, is that frm the hand break thrugh the deceleratin phase f the pitching mtin, mst successful pitchers use basically the same arm actin. Other cmmn traits f successful pitchers include sme f the fllwing: Prper balance, flexibility and cntrl f the bdy Gd bdy and arm alignment Prper weight transfer A lng smth arc f deceleratin f the pitching arm When analyzing the pitching mtin f a pitcher wh is experiencing arm prblems, be n the lkut fr the fllwing pitching faults, which may ptentially be the rt cause fr the sreness r pain. Recmmended actin steps fr sre arms Pain Why it might be happening What t lk fr (mechanics) Bicep r Tricep A result f nt having enugh functinal strength in the arm as the demands f thrwing increase, especially early in the seasn. Failing t utilize legs, hips and trunk t thrw, making the arm carry a majrity f the wrklad. Shulder A result f pr thrwing mechanics and nt strengthening the small muscles in the rtatr cuff (particularly, the deceleratrs) and scap with a weekly arm care prgram. Releasing the baseball when the elbw is behind the chin and dragging the arm. Pstural inefficiencies. Elbw A result f pr thrwing mechanics and weak functinal strength in the wrist and frearms. Snapping the wrist when thrwing a breaking pitch; releasing the baseball when the elbw is behind the chin; and dragging the arm. 13. Take care f yur arm befre and after yu thrw. Obviusly, having a clean arm actin will eliminate a lt f prblems, but if yu dn't prep and recver yu will still run int injuries.

6 There are als ways t imprve yur arm actin with arm care activities such as the fllwing examples: Resistance tubing r Jbes exercises; Scap hlds and waiter walks (shulder stability); Wrist weight exercises (frearm stability); Rice bucket exercises (finger and frearm strengthening); 2-lbs. mini med ball thrws (reverse and pivt pickff); Sme kind f rhythmic stabilizatin (mini med ball thrws against a rebunder, kneeling stabilizatins, r the "shulder tube"); and Fam rll with lacrsse ball (rll the lax ball ver arm t find tender spts, increase pressure t release built up knts). And remember, arm care shuldn't stp just at the arm, either. Mbility and flexibility f the hips and thratic extensin f the back is just as imprtant. The hip flexrs, internal and external rtatrs, hamstrings and grin all need active and static care. 14. Bnus: Play multiple sprts (and multiple psitins n the baseball field). Different sprts, and different psitins, require different muscles but they all cntinue t imprve verall athleticism, cmpetitiveness and mental tughness that all translates back t pitching. Ftball develps strength, sccer endurance, basketball agility and endurance, and track speed. Yung kids will nly gain frm playing multiple sprts. This may als prevent burnut in ne sprt. 15. Bnus: Use the ff-seasn t rest cmpletely frm baseball. If yu're lking fr a schlarship r yur child wants t make baseball a career, playing may make him better, but t much f a gd thing will increase their risk fr injury. Finally, even thugh I recmmend light weight, full range f mtin cnditining and strength wrk like the prgram I put tgether in my TUFFCUFF Jr Pitching Guide, I sincerely believe that the single best methd t build thrwing arm strength and stamina -- and t prevent pitching arm injuries in little league age yuth pitchers -- is t thrw a baseball and thrw it mechanically crrectly all the time. Nw it s time t hear frm yu: Are there any pitching injury preventin techniques that I missed? Or maybe yu have an idea f hw I can make this checklist even better? Either way, send me a message t my persnal at steven@thecmpletepitcher.cm and let me knw what yu think f this list.