Return to Table of Contents
Coach Your Kids to Play Ball Safely
Phillies Head Team Physician/Medical Director and Rothman Institute at Jefferson orthopedic surgeon Michael G. Ciccotti, MD,
offers spring training tips to help parents and coaches protect young baseball players from injuries
Spring is right around the corner, and so is the new baseball season –not only for the Philadelphia Phillies and other major
league clubs, but also for little leagues, schools, summer camps and other recreational organizations catering to children
and adolescents. As your sons gear up for spring training, Michael G. Ciccotti, MD, offers some tips to help reduce their
risk of injury.
Dr. Ciccotti has treated the Phillies for 15 years – the last ten, as Head Team Physician and Medical Director. He also helps
take care of athletes at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and at Villanova University. As Director of Sports Medicine
and Specialist in Knee, Shoulder and Elbow Reconstruction at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson in Philadelphia, he treats
a variety of athletes from more than a half dozen high schools and various recreational and youth organizations throughout
the Delaware Valley.
Why children and adolescents are especially vulnerable
Although baseball players can potentially injure any part of their bodies, the majority of their injuries occur in the upper
extremities, especially because of all the throwing involved. Pediatric and adolescent players are particularly predisposed
to such injuries, Dr. Ciccotti notes, because of three factors:
They are still growing; open growth plates are relatively weak. Unlike females, who generally reach skeletal maturity at ages 12 to 14, males don’t until ages 14 to17 (or, in some cases,
a year or so later). Weak growth plates in the shoulders and elbows of young males can be fractured from the cumulative force
of repetitive throwing.
They have hyper (increased) elasticity to their joints. Additional elasticity causes ligaments and tendons to be more flexible, making them more susceptible to damage.
Their musculature has not developed fully. Less musculature means greater risk of damage to joints.
Safeguards
Do preseason preconditioning. Four to eight weeks (depending upon how serious your child is about the sport) before team baseball practice formally begins,
young athletes should begin to use the muscles and joints they use when playing the game. Preconditioning should include stretching
upper arm muscles and joints and strengthening them by lifting light weights or soup cans or with a Thera-Band® Resistive
Exercise System, which is a large, thick rubber band that can be tied around a bedpost or the arm of a chair. Players should
get into general aerobic condition by jogging or biking (regular or stationary).
Use proper equipment. Make sure your kids have sneakers or cleats that fit them well and a glove that’s well padded (resist the temptation of handing
down an old, “broken-in” mitt that’s actually worn out), a bat that’s not too heavy for them to grip and swing properly, and
a batter’s helmet that’s not cracked or otherwise damaged. Catchers should be supplied with appropriate padding of good quality.
Teach proper throwing technique. Throwing a ball directly overhand puts less force on the arm than does throwing it sidearm.
Minimize their off-speed pitches. Complex pitches like curve balls require muscle balance, ligament and soft tissue strength, and joint stability that kids
and teens don’t yet have. Limit such pitches in favor of fastballs, which are actually easier and gentler on the arm.
Limit their amount of throwing per week. Kids’ and teens’ arms fatigue very easily. Most little leagues now limit the number of innings in which they can play to
about six per week.
Teach proper sliding technique. Injuries aren’t just throwing and batting related. Young athletes, because of their aforementioned fragile growth plates,
elastic joints and limited musculature, are especially prone to facial, hand, wrist and finger injuries that can occur if
they slide into a base headfirst. Always slide feet first!
Don’t overdo it! The body needs a rest period following exercise to recover. So, athletes should undergo preseason conditioning only two or
three days a week. And parents should think twice about letting them participate on more than one team or in one league at
a time. If, for example, they’re on a little league team and simultaneously playing on their school team, it’s hard to regulate how much throwing (or bat swinging) they do in a given
week, which may deny them the necessary rest period and cause a fatigue-related injury.
Have reasonable expectations. Parents and adults want young players to have fun. But sometimes, especially if children or teens show above-average talent,
adults push them too hard, resulting in too much pressure and too little fun. Watch out for the kids and make decisions for
them that will help prevent injuries, not cause them.
In summary
“Baseball is such a wonderful sport,” Dr. Ciccotti says. “And with it, just like with any sport, taking the proper precautions
helps keep it wonderful. Get into proper condition, make sure equipment is the appropriate size and in good condition, use
proper throwing and sliding techniques, get ample rest, have reasonable expectations – and, of course, have fun!”
