5 Effective Methods Preventing Injuries For Youth Baseball Players

There’s an old saying that goes “a half an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cures”. This implies that it takes less effort in preventing injuries versus dealing with one. This concept truly applies to the youth baseball community. A good youth baseball coach will cover injury consciousness situations and scenario before anyone takes the field. It is important to note that although the youth community can heal quicker than adults, it’s much more efficient to take preventive measures of stopping an injury before it starts. Since injuries happen by accident, we never know when they hit. Below we feature five effective methods that can assist with injury prevention throughout the season.  

1. Encourage At Home Pre-Season Baseball Conditioning

Although the beginning of every baseball season has a set time and date, families should make an effort to administer some routine baseball or conditioning drills prior to the first practice. Aside from the fact that extra practice can help with the first practice jitters, it also gets your player into better shape which dramatically help with preventing injuries, fatigue, and cramping. Make certain that a good portion of pre-season practices includes stretching, running, conditioning drills to get the limbs moving athletically again after some time away from baseball.

2. Exercise and Strength Training

Strengthening muscles, joints, and tendons play an integral part of preventing injuries in youth baseball. The best way to increase your player’s athleticism and keep them in shape year around are the popular indoor strength and conditioning gyms. These special services do have a significant cost attached, however developing a healthy workout regimen within a child will pay dividends in a multitude of ways for years to come.  Allow me to use my own son as an example. My boy who plays baseball and tackle football attends a gym like this that provides daily 1 on 1 strength, conditioning, speed, and agility training. Additionally, his gym offers special position training in the sport of baseball, football, basketball and martial arts. Overall athletic exercising and training is a superb way of preventing in youth baseball. A youth that is in shape will be less likely to incur injuries later.

3. A Complete Physical Exam

Many baseball leagues require the participants pass a physical exam but if your league doesn’t, please take it upon yourself as a parent to have one done. Also, it’s imperative to relay all medical information about your child and follow up with his or her physician. There are many programs and tests that can be done in this area. No matter how healthy a youth baseball player may seem, preventative tests can only help. Keeping with the theme of medical exams, coaches should never take any injury lightly. Designating a few parents to volunteer for CPR certification and having a fully stocked first aid kit with ice packs can be the difference between a severe medical situation and just a big scare.   

4. Proper Equipment Always

In the sport of baseball, nothing frustrates a coach more than a player who comes to games or practices equipped poorly. If a poll surveyed 100 honest youth baseball players that asked how often they intentionally took the field without proper equipment, the statistic would most likely be shocking to most people. What drives coaches nuts is the fact that some youth baseball players choose to not wear certain protective gear. Although it may not the most comfortable ensemble, the potential for injury must not be underestimated. When a youth male plays a sport like baseball which involves a swinging metal bat and a fast traveling rock hard ball that could reach speeds upwards of 80mph, you would think every boy would WANT to wear a protective cup right?

5. Burning Out A Baseball Player: Physically, Mentally, and Emotionally

Too many times, youth baseball studs suffer unnecessary injuries from selfish coaches and parents who care more about winning a game than the health of their players. Every season, more and more kids under the age are sidelined from surgeries such as Tommy John surgery because they blew out their pitching arm the season prior. Parents need to understand that while a child’s body develops, contorting a pitcher’s arm in throwing curveballs or exceeding pitch counts of 80 or 90 could ruin a youth baseball pitcher’s career. Aside from the physical ailments, over playing your child baseball or any sport could lead to a sudden disinterest within the kid. It’s important for parents to separate their own sports goals for their children from what’s actually best for that particular child. Youth organized baseball is a sport that is usually offered year around which makes it much easier to parents to accidentally burn their kids of the game.  

Know Your Role And Shut Your Mouth: 5 Things Baseball Coaches Should Say More Often To Certain Parents

Throughout my late teens/early twenties, I generated income through bartending and serving tables for local fine dining establishments. The most significant memory I take away from those years is how high the level of stress can reach when the restaurant is slammed or understaffed. Only those who have worked in this fast-paced service atmosphere can truly understand the type of nonstop chaos that ensues for hours.  Serving might not require a college degree, however the position requires social skills, public speaking skills and multi-tasking abilities just to name a few. When my family goes out to dinner, we are especially considerate to our service staff since my wife and I know exactly the stress they endure. The majority of the populace has a different outlook on the food and beverage industry and sometimes that disconnect leads to undeserved small tips or becoming the scapegoat for frustration for issues with the establishment. I’m sure all servers can agree that the worst part of the job is to professionally serve a rude, obnoxious, and demonstrative table.

After coaching 17 seasons of multiple youth sports ranging from ages 5-13, I see many comparable elements to serving and coaching. Only those entrenched within the youth baseball community can fully understand the massive level of stress that ensues throughout the season. Hopefully I will be blessed with many more years of coaching but after 15+ seasons, I can wholeheartedly say the worst part of being a youth baseball coach is dealing with disrespectful, demanding, and inconsiderate parents. No matter how terrible a youth coach may be, they are nothing more than parents who have chosen to take on the obligation to instruct a group of kids. Every coach can agree, the amount of sacrifice goes beyond the hours of practices and games.

Sometimes, youth baseball parents need a reminder that the coach is “VOLUNTEERING” his or her free time. Personally, I have never received a penny for the hundreds of hours I’ve spent happily coaching my sons’ sports teams nor do I know of any fellow youth coach who has received any monetary compensation for their time, energy, and money spent. Judging by the unfair treatment some coaches endure from certain parents, I sometimes wonder why I do this when I’m not making a cent? I don’t coach for myself or for the parents. I coach for my son and the 11 other children on my baseball team whom I love like one of my own.  On behalf of all honorable coaches everywhere, below is a list of 5 statements that should be said more often to those certain annoying and unruly parents who don’t appreciate the level of sacrifice that comes with coaching baseball to the youth of our community.

1. “I don’t care how good your kid is, no player is above team rules and policies.”

As a youth baseball coach, it’s easy to spot the parents who carry a since of entitlement. Usually, the entitlement of these parents stems from an abundance of financial wealth, having a stud ball player for a child or both. Unfortunately, it’s safe to assume that some kind of negative situation will occur at some point of the season when these few sets of parents believe their player is above the team. In my personal experiences, dealing with these types of people who heavily take for granted their child’s playing time almost always leads to confrontational encounters. As a youth baseball coach, we not only represent our family and team, but the brand image of the nonprofit youth sports organization we represent. Coaches have a responsibility to remain calm, cool, and collected when engaged in any pretentious situations that will inevitably occur. No matter how talented a player is, he is still a player like everyone else and everybody should be help to a universal standard. When players miss practice without a reasonable excuse, its sets a bad precedent.   

2. “Why don’t you let me do the coaching from the dugout and you do the cheering from the bleachers?”

As a youth sports coach, my biggest pet peeve involves dealing with parents whom are the first to give an opinion on the batting order or field positions, but never care to help at practices. No matter what a parent might think about their baseball player’s youth coach, He is still the coach and that title demands a certain level of respect. Unless a coach has repeatedly made decisions that go against the betterment of the team to fulfill ulterior motives or has displayed a pattern of behavior detrimental those surrounding him, all parents should teach their children that the coach is the leader and he should be respected as such. My advice to any parent who publicly demonstrates their unhappiness with a coach’s game day strategies, coach your own team next season. Until then, keep your nose out of a coach’s game plan and just watch enjoy watching your child play baseball.    

3. “Please remember that your child is a human being so belittling them for mistakes compounds their stress in an already super stressful situation.”

When coaching my teams, I try to follow a certain philosophy when it comes to yelling at youth players. When a player displays full mental and physical effort yet commits an error or doesn’t make the play, a screaming coach will never positively impact a child’s physique. Contrarily, if a player makes a mistake due to a lack of focus, effort, or a poor attitude, I completely agree with utilizing a sterner approach if the coach so chooses. As a parent, you are also a spectator during games. Of course most people won’t interject if you yell at your own child from across the baseball diamond, however a yelling parent form the stands seems more demonstrative than coming from the coach in the dugout. During baseball games, parents need to act more as a support system rather than a loud critic.    

4. “I understand your child has tremendous skills, but his bad attitude is going to get him benched.”

Every youth baseball coach has dealt with trying to control a talented player who has a tendency to create make more distractions than good plays on the field. It’s completely natural for a coach to give more leniency towards the type of players than can win championships, but it’s important to remember how that looks to the rest of the baseball team especially the less talented players that are giving their all. If a player continues to exhibit repeated pattern of poor attitude and sportsmanship, I believe the coach must involve the parents considering the issue at hand involves character and isn’t baseball related. Bad attitudes and poor sportsmanship can divide a team much deeper than a team who may lose more with a dedicated group of youth ballplayers.

5. “If you have a problem with your child’s playing time or their position on the field, work harder in the off season.”

One of the few annoying aspects of coaching youth baseball occurs when certain parents take offense to their child’s role on the team. In some regards, these parents are justified in their feelings when the coach plays “daddy ball” giving his or her staff’s kids prime spots in the lineup. Often times, these upset parents simply overestimate the level of talent their baseball player possesses and would rather lobby for more action instead of having their child work harder at practice to earn it. Complaining about your child’s playing time or their role on the baseball squad only creates more issues that could have lasting ramifications. It’s safe to say that each youth sports parent has at one time or another has been upset with how their own child is being utilized on the team. Wanting more for your child is a perfectly normal feeling that no youth sports parent should feel guilty about. As parents, we should use these situations as fuel for your ball player. Using it as motivation to work harder in the off season serves a much better purpose than complaining to the coach.  

5 Resourceful Tips For Coaching A Youth Baseball Team

While it might stand to reason that the youths playing baseball are the ones who need tips when it comes to techniques and skills, the same holds true for coaches. Coaches need guidance and tips to keep them at their optimum level of performance as well. A great baseball team requires more than talented players. It needs a coaching staff whose not only willing to dedicate their time and energy for the baseball team, but are willing to make any adjustments, receive constructive criticism, and accept accountability when wrong. When managing a youth baseball team, a coach will inevitably encounter a multitude of frustrating scenarios both on and off the field. Below are 7 helpful tips that not only maximize a baseball team’s chances of winning, but also optimize positive morale, build strong relationships with parents, and create lasting baseball memories for your baseball players.

TIP #1: STAY FOCUSED AND KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME

While it has often been heard that a player needs to keep his or her head in the game, the same holds true for the baseball coach. I can speak firsthand to the difficulties of coaching a baseball team while simultaneously dealing with the pressures of a job, managing a household, and raising children. When volunteering to become the coach, make certain your schedule can accommodate such a heavy commitment. If the players are unable to receive a coach’s full and complete attention, that coach becomes a detriment to the entire squad. Remember, when a team enters a strenuous situation during a game, everyone looks to the coach for answers. Even though coaches are human and may not always have the best answers, just simply keeping your baseball team optimistic, encouraged, and focused will extract the most from the players. Panicking, passing blame, or screaming at the umpire only decreases a baseball team’s morale and serves no purpose in building strong character within the youth players.

TIP #2: ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN B

A plan B should not only be developed but also fine-tuned during practices. When executing the game plan doesn’t translate to success on the diamond, a good coach always comes prepared with preconceived adjustments or a secondary strategy. In addition to creating a Plan B, a baseball coach must be mentally prepared and willing to abandon his or her game plan for the betterment of the team.  

TIP #3: COACH WITH INTEGRITY

In organized youth baseball, the preverbal “face” of the team is usually the head coach. More often than not, the attitude and demeanor of a youth baseball team reflects the attitude and demeanor of the manager. Coaching with integrity makes the youth baseball experience positive and rewarding for your players. It’s very important for coaches to constantly reinforce the fundamentals of baseball over and over at practice. Simultaneously, it’s equally imperative that coaches uphold honor and integrity throughout the course of a season. The level of a youth coach’s integrity presents itself in many situations, few of which are listed below:

1. How patient is a coach to novice players who may have never picked up a baseball bat before?

2. Does the coach compose the lineup around their own kid or around winning games?

3. Does the coach ever take accountability in the face of adversity?

TIP #4: HAVE PATIENCE WITH PARENTS

There should probably be a mandatory class for coaches to teach new coaches how to handle any situations involving parents. Unfortunately, it’s inevitable that youth all coaches (especially in baseball) will eventually run into a disgruntled parent. Despite the fact that coaches have no obligation to accommodate requests or complaints, keeping an open door policy for parents to address concerns shows them that the coach is always willing to have a conversation for the betterment of the team and that particular player.

TIP #5: ADAPT YOUR COACHING STYLE ACCORDING TO EACH PLAYER’ S UNIQUE PERSONALITY

In my humble opinion, there is no better advice I can give a coach of any sport than this one. When dealing with children, many coaches lose sight of the fact that each child possess a unique personality. If a particular style of coaching brings the best out of one player, it might not translate well with others. A good youth baseball coach will understand that some players will shut down when confronted with an aggressive coaching style while other players respond well to a loud and stern approach. If the purpose of a coach is to extract the maximum amount of mental and physical effort from the players, then forcing a particular coach’s style upon them seems counterproductive. Simply put, a coach is the full grown mature adult and the baseball players are children who are still developing mentally, emotionally, and physically. Having one single adult adapt to many kids will produce a more efficient product in any sport versus having many diverse children adapt to one adult’s style of coaching.