Windmill Pitch a Risk to Pitcher's Health?

As usual Duke is spot on in his assessment... they are talking never before seen numbers for this SDSU pitcher who throws it 100+\- so, no, he would never be put at risk. A few other points:

1) as another example didnt they show some swelling in the elbow last night in a close up shot of the Alabama pitcher?

2) if any of you have DD's who are put in a position where they are being made/asked to take cortison shots DO NOT! My dad was an MD and cortison was hailed as a panacea when it first came out. He wouldnt allow me to be injected with it for a condition I had way back in the 70's... now all the potential side effects are known.

3) It would lead to a drastic change in the game on the travel ball level if pitch counts were instituted as they are on the boys side in TB. It makes for a totally different game. The effects of this could be a thread in itself but one effect it would have is to drastically cut down on the proliferation of teams. There wouldnt be enough pitching for all these teams and with each team needing needing more pitching there would be plenty of innings to go around.

 

The sport is evolving so it's tough to blame the coaches of 10 years ago... I mean, most travelball coaches arent even paid. How many of you would be willing to pay to have individual coaches on your travel teams? I do think that if you are paying pitching and hitting coaches to train your DD then they should be educating themselves to properly condition the athlete for the activity they are teaching.

When fastpitch boils down to a dozen clubs in NC with 150-200 girls in each one playing at different levels and you are willing to pay coaches to be full time trainers, then it will have arrived where you can expect proper training from the team. Till then, it is the parents job to personally ensure that their DD is getting the proper training.

Pitch counts would be a bandaid on the problem and not a solution. It is the parents responsibility to ensure that coaches arent abusing their DD's arm/shoulder. Pitch counts are the "big brother" approach when the parents donts dont take responsibility for their daughters training.

 

You make a good point, but you make it sound like a coach or an organization has no responsibility to the players. I have no problem with parents personally ensuring that DD gets the proper training. But just because a coach does not get paid is no excuse for allowing a DD to get into harms way for severe injuries. My point being is that conditioning and additional instruction should be spelled out in the team handbook, just like all the other rules and regulations that coaches and orgainzations expect of parents and players when they join a team. Good coaches can tell the difference between the DD's that work and the ones that don't, but it's extremely helpful to parents to have a little help with direction. Where is a good place to go for the help outside the team? You know? Once I took my DD to a tryout and she said, "...look Dad, they don't even stretch..." Just because a person gets a certificate to coach doesn't make them a coach, and if a coach IS going to run a team through conditioning drills, they had better be sure or they have no business being a coach. One thing I'm real surpised at is these TB tournaments have no trainers or medical staff working tournaments, like high school teams do. If a DD gets hurt you have someone on hand right there.

But I do agree that the sport is evolving in the right direction. More teams and facilities are going into year round conditioning at the TB levels, and some high schools too. It's not only helping to develop skill sets but its keeping our DD's in good physical condition, which goes a long way in helping them from getting a severe injury. JMHO.

 

Common Sense !!

If you use something over and over again it's going to wear out !! Think about all the hip replacements, knee replacements,etc.... it's common knowledge that cataracts are a direct result of too much time out in the sun with no eye protection. Skin cancer is a result of not protecting the skin,dah ?? So why should it amaze us when our kids are having shoulder problems,etc.. due to throwing a softball 24/7 ?? You can overdue anything even playing sports !! Our today kids do not take breaks during the year,and we wonder why they are burned out or injured...Go Figure !!

Guru

 

The 'natural motion' myth

Yes, we've all heard that "if the mechanics are correct a girl should be able to throw umpteen games back-to-back and be fine". But what about the legs and back? How many kids do you know with stress fractures from overuse? And don't think the rutted sandpits these pitchers circles become in the sixth game of the day don't impact mechanics and injury. We would never ask baseball boys to throw in such conditions. I think back on what I allowed my DD to go through and cringe. By Sundays her hand and arm would be trembling uncontrollably between innings and con't to do so hours after the game. I like to think I didn't know any better but on some level we all do. The fact that she survived and thrived is amazing. I only hope she doesn't have a lifetime of pain because of it.

 

Show me a coach with a certificate to be a coach(not meant to be nasty)... most are dad's coaching their kids team. They have little time to become properly trained to be coaches let alone trainers and conditioning experts. Not the way we would like to see it.

I wasnt trying to let the coaches off the hook just pointing out the current state of affairs and why parents need to be dilligent.

Training and conditioning is unique for different positions on the field. A pitcher will condition and train differently than catcher.

Especially with shoulders, the opposing muscles need to be developed to counter the constant development of the main set that are used for the pitching. The shoulder joint is more sensitive to the muscle/counter muscle relationship to prevent injuries. This kind of conditioning is likely beyond the scope of a general team coach and more the realm of the specialist like the pitching instructor or a Sports Physical Therapist.

While I am not even close to a novice on this subject, I am getting a crash course on this whole shoulder thing because of my youngest daughter.

 

There is probably no one covers-all answer here. I believe the best advice is to listen to your DD. Even then you must be aware of her real message. There is a lot of pressure to get it done when it comes to winning a game.

Evaluate all the advice you get and get all the advice you can. Find out who the experts are and get their opinions. The more opinions the better. There is nobody who is THE expert!

Softball has been played a long time and it does have some dangers but everything does. Let them play as rough and tough as they like. BUT, when you have doubt, trust that instinct first!

 

crash course

Yeah I hear you on the crash course. Been there and done that. The imortant thing is being diligent, being educated, and always trying to make it better. Each situation is different, just go into it with eyes wide open. Good luck with the shoulder.

 

Research Time

If its not a good idea why do most sports use them for agility training? Nobody wants to see anyone get hurt but it can happen anytime during a game or practice that is the reality of playing. You can walk through the yard and step in a hole and tear your ankle or knee. Maybe the coach was trying to help your daughter to better herself. How do you think the top athletes make it to the top? Instead of bashing the previous coaches and organizations you have been a part of do a little research and you will find out how many different sports use hurdles!!

 

What size hurdles are y'all discussing?

I don't see anything wrong if the hurdles are matched to the athlete's ability and skill.

One thing I do know is that you don't practice a running triple jump on concrete. That was done this past year and put a very talented athlete out for the season with a very serious injury. There is no doubt in my mind that injury cost the school in the playoffs, also. The school is very fortunate the parents and kid are the kind of people they are.

Students will follow instructions from coaches and other in-charge adults sometimes without questioning the safety of what they're being told to do. No coach would intentionally hurt a kid but there is a point where commonsense must be used and if it isn't someone needs to be held accountable.