Stretching is an essential part of successful baseball. A good stretching routine can help to minimize muscle imbalances, prevent injury, improve your exercise tolerance and your baseball performance. The following stretching program is designed for baseball players who do not have any current injuries or individual stretching needs. If you have an injury, or a specific mechanical imbalance that may be holding back your baseball performance, your Access Physical Therapy & Wellness Physical Therapist can design a stretching program just for you.
When is the Best Time to Stretch?
When your muscles are warm and relaxed! Stretch after you warm up (before your game), during the game if you are on the bench, and after the game. You should keep warm and loose so that you are prepared to play at any time.
How to Warm Up:
Probably your coach will have a warm up program for your team, however, if you are responsible for your own warm up, we recommend the following steps as a minimum:
Jogging for at least five minutes (or some other whole body activity to get the blood flowing to the muscles that you are going to stretch and use). Arm warm ups such as arm circles and arm swinging. Stretches (see below). Throwing for fielders, catchers and basemen: Start with short throws, progressing to longer throws, then finally mixed, game-speed and distance throws. Throwing for pitchers: Start with short throws, progressing to longer throws, then finally mixed, game-like pitches. Don't forget to keep count of warm-up pitches, as well as game pitches, to avoid overuse injuries.
Rules for Stretching:
Warm up the muscles first. Slowly take your muscles to the end of their range. You will feel slight resistance in the muscle, but you should never feel pain during a stretch. Hold the stretch in a static position. Do not bounce. Hold each stretch for 20 seconds. Repeat each stretch 3-4 times.
Source: Access Physical Therapy & Wellness 530 Main Street 273-9100. For more information visit accessptw.com.
Armonk Baseball League
Posted: April 13, 2011 About 400 people attended the opening day of the Armonk Baseball League (ABL). They gathered at Clark Field, named after Elwood Clark, a former gym teacher at Byram Hills Middle School for over 30 years.
Steve Petre, Armonk resident and Byram Hills graduate of the class of 1974, had Clark as his gym teacher in 5th and 6th grade. Petre said Clark was "a legend in town” and also played on the Armonk 1959, 1960 or 1961 World Series softball team. He added, "Wal-Joe Builders played in Cleveland and beat Cuba before losing in the final round. They were the New York State Champions. My Dad, Joe Petre, was the ‘Joe’ part of that team. It was suggested that Elwood was good enough when he was younger to play baseball professionally, and I think he played some minor league ball. He played softball in town into his 60's, and I remember playing against him during my college summers years."
Clark Field
ABL commissioners presented members of the North Castle Town Board and the Parks and Recreation Department with friends of the league plaques for the community’s continued support and use of the town's ball fields.
Armonk families have been playing baseball in the league since 1952. Commissioner Andre Segatti said it is great to see all the kids come out and enjoy being together; they had an all-American cook out with hot dogs, and played some baseball. Segatti is in his third year as commissioner and ninth year on the board, while still enjoying coaching. He said, “The league is about Dads coaching and bonding with the kids; it’s not just about ball playing. The kids learn the importance of camaraderie and respect for their teammates and adults. The players learn about themselves and one another by being on both sides of winning and losing the game. The players start as young as 5-years-old and play into the major league, until they turn16. All levels of play are welcome, and the teams are balanced accordingly.”
A highlight of their playing career is a visit by the Cooperstown Team to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The older boys travel and compete in tournaments all over the state.
For the first time this year, ABL offered a formal sports management program for high school students interested in other aspects of sports, beyond being ballplayers. Opportunities are available for the older players as assistant coaches and business managers, which help them maintain relationships with the league. According to Leslie Zane, a parent of an ABL player and a promoter of the sports management program, 10 Byram Hills students have signed up this spring as assistant coaches and business managers. Zane said that sports management is on trend, and we're beginning to see tremendous growth in the field. According to Zane, college students studying sports management are looking for more of a business background, which the ABL program offers. A couple of the program's participants will be involved in the event planning of the annual "Memorial Day Baseball Classic". Zane emphasized that the program will give our kids the opportunity to learn how to manage people, deal with bosses, and most importantly, learn interpersonal skills on a professional level. Visit Armonkbaseball.org for more information.
Baseball and Surgery—Not Quite Peanuts and Cracker Jacks
By Evan Karas, MD
Posted: March 24, 2011 In 1974, orthopedic surgeon Frank Jobe, MD, tried out a radical new arm surgery: He borrowed a patient’s right wrist tendon to repair a torn ligament in the left elbow. After about 18 months of rehab, the patient—Tommy John—returned to Major League Baseball and pitched for another 14 years.
The Tommy John surgery, as the procedure came to be known, was a game-changer. Formerly, an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) had meant the end of a pitcher’s career. Now players are able to return and pitch almost as well as before. But as the popularity of the procedure has grown, so have the misconceptions about the surgery.
A recent study found that 51% of high school players believe the surgery can actually enhance performance. More troubling is the fact that a third of coaches didn’t know that the number of pitches and the type of pitch can increase the risk of this type of injury; 25% of parents didn’t realize pitch count is a risk factor. And, like the players, a significant number of parents and coaches believe the surgery could enable pitchers to throw harder.
Below, Evan Karas, MD, co-chief of orthopedic surgery and the Orthopedic and Spine Institute at Northern Westchester Hospital, tackles the myths and realities of Tommy John surgery.
What causes the injury in young adults? There’s no mystery—this is an overuse injury caused by throwing too many pitches. For younger players, it’s also the type of pitch—especially breaking balls and curves—that puts pressure on the UCL.
How many pitches should children be limited to? The American Sports Institute did a study in 2002 looking at the influence of the type of pitches, the volume and the mechanics. The number one factor was total number of pitches. They recommend that: • 9- to 10-year-old players be limited to 50 pitches per game, 75 pitches per week, 1,000 pitches in a season, and 2,000 in a year. • 11- to 12-year-olds pitch no more than 75 pitches a game, 100 a week, 1,000 a season, and 3,000 a year. • 13- to 14-year-olds stick to 75 a game, 125 a week, 1,000 season, and 3,000 a year
What should players and parents watch for? Any persistent soreness in the elbow should be checked out by an orthopedic specialist. A more common injury in younger players is something called Little League elbow, in which the growth plates become inflamed due to overuse. Whether a child has this or an injured UCL, the next step is to rest the elbow. When is surgery indicated and how long is the recovery? A doctor will only perform surgery when there is persistent pain and visible tearing in the UCL. Rehabilitation usually takes about a year. Can the procedure enhance performance? Definitely not, and UCL surgery is never done for this reason. Coaches, parents and players believe the procedure helps because the player often does throw harder after returning from this operation. However, the pitcher has usually been in pain for months or even a year prior to surgery, which means his or her performance has been declining.
What can parents do to prevent the injury? One of the biggest issues for children is playing on more than one team. Coaches aren’t able to keep track of the number of pitches thrown while pitching for another team. That’s where the parent needs to step in to make sure their child does not exceed the maximum number of pitches that is safe.
Evan H. Karas, M.D., F.A.A.O.S. is an orthopedic surgeon with the Mount Kisco Medical Group and is Co-Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at Northern Westchester Hospital.
Click to view Armonk Baseball League's Opening Day
Armonk Baseball Internships Available Posted: Feb 16, 2011 Armonk Baseball League has announced a new program for its biggest little league-rs: the ABL Sports Management and Mentor Program. The program consists of two internship opportunities: Assistant Coach of an ABL team and Assistant Manager of an ABL event. Requirements to enroll in either program are: a student, age 15 to 17, who has spent a few years as part of the organization. Read More
