Message To Young Baseball Players (Especially Pitchers): Take Care Of Your Arms

Frequently on spring afternoons I hear the plinking sound of aluminum baseball bats and the popping of mitts as players ranging from six years or younger up to the local high school team work on their skills at the park in my neighborhood. Living close to two baseball parks gives me the opportunity to go out and throw the ball around once in awhile. Each time I do, I?m reminded of the consequences of not taking care of my arm while I was younger. Besides a lack of talent, the potential I had in high school to take my baseball career as far as I wanted was caused by my neglect of the ?rules? for surviving years of tearing down muscles. With that background, here are a few suggestions for young players and their coaches. Following these guidelines will most likely keep a budding pitcher from finding his career cut short.

Make sure you spend enough time and effort warming up and stretching out.

Growing up I had a tendency to be impatient with this part of the game. I would often start throwing longer distances or with more speed than I should have before my arm was loose. The act of throwing a baseball is hard enough on a pitcher?s shoulder and elbow. The natural wear and tear that comes with throwing a ball is accelerated (and much more destructive) when muscles are still tight and haven?t had the time to adjust to the motion. Younger players may see quicker recovery times after ignoring this rule, but as they continue the bad habit of not warming up and stretching out, the effects gradually become more apparent. Make sure that you stretch out and start slowly when practicing or preparing for a game.

Learn the fundamentals of throwing early and remind yourself of them often.

If human arms were intended to be the sling shots we need for throwing baseballs, we would all be built much differently than we are. Instead, baseball players have to adapt to the throwing motion. From years of experience, a few fundamentals have been developed that reduce the damage done to the arm by throwing a baseball and that allow pitchers and fielders to throw more accurately and at higher speeds. Arm injuries often result from ignoring the fundamentals repeatedly. If you are being lazy in your approach to throwing, and if you don?t force yourself mentally to pay attention to the fundamentals taught by your coach, you put yourself at risk for injury. Your performance also takes a dive when you forget about the fundamentals.

My experience as a new Little League pitcher shows the importance of learning the fundamentals and reminding yourself of them often. When I threw a baseball, I started my arm rotation with my palm facing upwards. I soon noticed that my shoulder and elbow tired quickly and that it was more painful than it should have been. When a pitching coach showed me how to start the rotation with my palm facing down, it not only reduced the pain I felt after throwing, but it improved my accuracy and speed.

Know your limitations and be patient about working within them.

When I first started pitching (about the age of ten), I wanted to get out on the mound with a full arsenal of pitches that none of my opponents had ever seen before. I wanted to throw a curveball, a slider, and whatever else I could learn. I was warned not to attempt to throw those specialty pitches too young. That advice is good stuff to follow. Before the age or 13 or 14 (depending upon how they develop physically), young pitchers should generally focus strictly on the fastball motion (including changeup pitches) and placement instead of the curveballs and fancy stuff. Trying to throw curveballs when you are too young will damage the elbow and shoulder.

Repairing your muscle tissue

Many different methods exist for recouping your muscles after they have been torn down from practice for from an outing on the mound in a game. The most effective treatments for repairing your torn down muscles includng have your arm massaged, treating it with alternating heat and ice, and even vibration. Just make sure you are doing one of those treatments to repair your throwing arm after a day at the park.

Listen to your body

Arm injuries can come from a variety of causes, from throwing too much to throwing the wrong way. Let your arm tell you when it needs rest or adjustment. That big game for which you are supposed to pitch six innings won?t seem so big in a few years when you can?t use your arm without pain. If you need rest, let your coach know.

These are a few simple but effective guidelines for keeping your baseball career alive long enough to allow your potential to be realized. Many players, including myself, have seen our opportunities limited by not following these rules as closely as they should have.

This article courtesy of  http://www.certifiedlifecoach.org.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in
your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author
name and URL remain intact.
 

Economic Growth Continues - More Than 5.3 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003
On June 2, 2006, The Government Released New Jobs Figures – 75,000 Jobs Created In May. The economy has created about 1.9 million jobs over the past 12 months – and more than 5.3 million since August 2003. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent – lower than the average of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

The Economy Remains Strong, And The Outlook Is Favorable

Revised Report Shows Fastest Real GDP Growth In Two-And-A-Half Years. Real GDP grew at an annual rate of 5.3 percent for the first quarter of this year. This follows our economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2005 – the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation.

Productivity Increased At A Strong Annual Rate Of 3.7 Percent In The First Quarter.

Real Hourly Compensation Rose At A 3.2 Percent Annual Rate In The First Quarter.

Personal Income Increased At An Annual Rate Of 6.7 Percent In April. Since January 2001, real after-tax income has risen by 12.9 percent, or 7.3 percent per person.

Real Consumer Spending Increased At An Annual Rate Of 5.2 Percent In The First Quarter.

Employment Increased In 47 States Over The Past 12 Months Ending In April. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states in April.

Industrial Production Increased 4.7 Percent Over The Past 12 Months. Over the past 12 months, manufacturing production has increased by 5.5 percent.

President Bush Has An Aggressive Agenda To Keep The Economy Growing

This Week, President Bush Nominated Henry Paulson As Treasury Secretary. Paulson has an intimate knowledge of financial markets and an ability to explain economic issues in clear terms. For the past eight years, Paulson has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Goldman Sachs Group, one of the most respected firms on Wall Street.

The President Has Expanded Tax Relief And Is Working To Make His Tax Relief Permanent. Two weeks ago, President Bush signed into law a bill that extends the tax cuts on dividends and capital gains. This legislation also contains an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) patch enabling millions of middle-income families to avoid paying higher taxes in 2006.

The President’s Tax Relief Has Helped Spur Growth By Keeping $880 Billion In The Pockets Of American Taxpayers. The Administration reduced taxes for every American who pays income taxes, doubled the child tax credit, reduced the marriage penalty, created investment incentives for small businesses, and put the death tax on the road to extinction.

Growing The Economy And Reducing The Deficit Depend On Controlling The Spending Appetite Of The Federal Government. Every year since the President took office, the Administration has slowed the growth of discretionary spending that is not related to the military or homeland security. The President's last two budgets cut discretionary spending that was unrelated to the military or homeland security, and we are on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009.

If The Emergency Supplemental Bill – Which The President Has Requested To Help Fund The War On Terror And Hurricane Recovery – Includes Non-Emergency Or Wasteful Spending Or Exceeds The President's Set Limit Of $92.2 Billion Plus Funding To Prepare Our Nation For A Pandemic Flu Emergency, He Will Veto It.

In The Long Run, The Biggest Challenge To Our Nation's Budgetary Health Is Entitlement Spending On Programs Such As Social Security And Medicare. We call on members of both parties to join us in a bipartisan commission to address this critical issue.

The President Will Continue Working With Congress To Restrain Spending In Other Ways, Including Passing A Line-Item Veto. A line-item veto would allow us to cut needless spending, reduce the budget deficit, and ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely – or not at all.