SAVING ARMS: END OF SEASON MAINTENANCE

(In Photo: Jacob Lindgren)
Over the course of the year we here at BYB have had the pleasure of speaking with Coach Steve Hayward from Baseball Health Network, Mike Cocco, a long time expert in baseball training and preparation and other very knowledgeable baseball minds regarding arm health and maintenance. Check out our stories in the SAVING ARMS Series:

SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE 

STRENGTHENING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE

PROTECTING ARMS: THE LONG SUMMER

Anyway, as we approach the end of the fall baseball season, I was able to speak with Coach Hayward again to discuss some fall and off-season maintenance for young throwers around the country.

Fall ball is a different season than the spring and summer. It is more of a developmental kind of season. Some players are making transitions from the 50x70 to the 60x90 diamond while others prepare for high school level ball or their junior and senior years where they could have college eyes on them. With that being more a developmental thing, Coach Hayward mentioned some points to focus on.

We, as coaches, have to assure we don’t overuse and abuse our young players. The Little Leaguers making the transition to the 60x90 field have to be monitored closely. Pitching from 46 and 60 are two very different animals. Many of the youngsters pitching on the big diamond for the first time likely pitched quite a bit over the spring and summer months on the 60’ diamond. They are going to struggle and get fatigued and we have to make sure we are vigilant of that. Their bodies are not accustomed to it and it can cause some arm issues. They just aren’t prepared to be worked like they were on the smaller diamond yet.

As for the older kids, we have to make sure we have good discussions with them. How much did they throw over the spring? What about the summer? If they threw a lot of innings, then in the fall they should throw less, bottom line! Coach Hayward suggests about a 30 pitch bullpen, followed by one inning. At that point assess the situation, ask how they feel and if they are up to it, have them go throw another simulated type inning in the bullpen. Seriously.

For the players who were, say, the number four or five starters on their teams and didn’t amass a lot of innings, the fall is a good time for them to get some work and continue their development as they try and earn more time going into next year. Coaches can be aggressive with these pitchers since they aren’t at the same risk due to a lesser workload over the course of the year.

For all pitchers, the fall should be a time to work on your weaknesses, not your strengths. Coach Hayward tells his pitchers to throw their fastball and their weakest pitch, whatever that may be, and that’s it. The fall is a great time to develop your other pitches. Just getting the feel for a pitch like the change-up in situations that aren’t as serious can help lead to confidence and effectiveness in the pitch for the next season and beyond.

As the winter approaches, especially for us in the north, we won’t be able to play outdoors anymore. At this point the players do need some rest. Bodies and arms need a break to recover from the long season. 

But that doesn’t mean stop throwing. In fact, throwing is good, but you have to know the intensity. Coach Hayward suggests frequent throwing but at a lower intensity. He compared it to walking, jogging and sprinting. We want to walk and jog, get loose and work on mechanics and feel, but now is not the time to ‘sprint’. The exception to this rule would be for players who are attending winter showcases. For the showcases they need to be physically ready so Hayward suggests letting loose once a week.

For pitchers, 50-75% intensity bullpens are good for maintenance. Hayward firmly believes in that and feels many players don’t do it enough. For many young players, they also play fall or winter sports. For those players, making 60-70 throws a couple times a week is good to keep the arm in sufficient shape for the following season. That could encompass simply 24 reps each of 30 foot throws, 40 foot throws and 50 foot throws. Coach Hayward also stressed ensuring the players use their legs and do four to five foot shuffles each repetition. Nothing too strenuous but repetition is important.

The winter is also a great time to hit the gym, especially for the high school aged players and older. For younger players 13 and younger, they should stay focused on being active in general. Coach Hayward takes his young sons to the park and sets up obstacle courses on a playground and has them have friendly competitions. They have fun and it’s competitive but it’s not in a gym. That’s just an example he used. Younger players lifting weights is not my expertise so I’d leave that up to the professionals.

A strong core and legs are essential to stamina for athletes, and in our case, pitchers. A solid workout regimen should be incorporated in the off-season to build strength as compared to in season which should be for maintenance.

For those of us who coach, we have to assure we are aware of injury risk factors and proper training for our young athletes. Coach Hayward and his partner Yankees team Doctor, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, have been working tirelessly to build their site Baseball Health Network. Personally I check out a lot of BHN material. A broad range of knowledge and preparation is key to preparing our athletes for the future.

By having the proper knowledge we can set our kids up for success by getting ahead of the injuries as Coach Hayward likes to say. Most of our players won’t go pro, many won’t play sports in college but all of the players we coach have long lives ahead of them and by keeping them as healthy as possible, we are being the best coaches we can be.

Thanks to Coach Hayward for taking the time!

--Dan Lucia, BYB Senior Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @DManLucia

  

CHAD GREEN DODGES TOMMY JOHN

OK. For me, the visual was funny.  I picture Chad Green juking and avoiding the unneeded tackle of the actual Tommy John as he went in for the tackle.

Then I see Green running out on the field and putting his hands up in victory.... or something.  My mind works in strange ways... that's the end of that bit.

The actual news is Chad Green avoiding Tommy John surgery after he was pulled from his start last week because of some discomfort in his elbow.  You know I'm not a big Green fan, but I also don't wish ill will on anyone.  We here at BYB wish Green well.

According to LoHud, no Tommy John for Green, just rest and a new beginning in 2017.

"Chad Green might not pitch again this year, but he expects to avoid Tommy John surgery and be ready for spring training.

Yankees team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad recommended that Green rehab his strained flexor tendon, but it seems his ulnar collateral ligament is not damaged after all.

'That (flexor tendon) is where the pain was coming from,' Green said. 'I wasn’t getting much from the UCL. No pain, actually. It was just the flexor. Once they got the dye, (they could see the UCL more clearly). The first MRI didn’t really show the UCL all that much. The dye showed the UCL was still intact and good. It’s just a relief.'"

It really is a relief. 

Now Dr. Ahmad is a guy we have casually worked with here at BYB because of our relationship with Steve Hayward and together, they run the Baseball Health Network in the hopes to educate people about arm injuries and how to avoid them.  When we wrote about Green the other night in GANG GREEN, I couldn't help but think about the Baseball Health Network and how if an outlet like BHN was around when these pro players were kids, maybe the injuries would be less.  Who really knows, but it's just good to know that no surgery was needed.

Rest Chad. We'll see you in 2017.

'YANKEE DOCTOR' GIVES US SOME LOVE

A lot of great stuff on Bleeding Yankee Blue today, Friday, August 5th.  Another nugget we needed to plug is the fact that we at BYB have come up with many different type series' over the years.  One of which has to do with protecting arms of ballplayers. We just heard about Jacob Lindgren now out for the entire 2017 season because he needs Tommy John surgery.  You can read about that HERE.

We were very curious as to why this stuff keeps happening, and why it seems to happen more and more, and not only in the major league ones, but in youth.

 
As you know, I'm a baseball coach. I have been for a while now.  I believe in pitch counts. I believe in rest for kids.  I believe that if a kid threw 6 innings the day before, even on a low pitch count, he's done for the next several days because if you're 10, 11, 12, that's way too much. It's about building kids up, not burning them out.  No true championship happens if kids get hurt on the diamond... they are not machines... they are kids.

BYB Senior Writer, Dan Lucia is a coach too, and I asked him to put together a series that could be read by not only our audience, but by the baseball world.  With a loose 'partnership' with the Baseball Health Network (click to read more about them), we came up with the SAVINGS ARMS series and we'll continue too, and every once in a while we will bring in new faces and experts.  A new piece will be here soon. You can read the 3 pieces we've completed so far:

SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE

STRENGTHENING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE 

PROTECTING ARMS: THE LONG SUMMER

Now for the nice part. 

In this blog world, you like to help your friends and you hope they help you back.  I'm happy to say, Steve Hayward of Baseball Health Network is always good like that.  But now so is Dr. Ahmad, the "Yankee doctor". The Doctor's website is HERE.

@BaseballHealth very nice of you guys. You are all doing great work. We are happy to "partner" up and help get your word out. @DManLucia

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) August 3, 2016

I didn't realize it at the time, but he was nice enough to post our story on his website back in March. Alittle extra exposure for the Little Train that could, i.e.... us.

Thanks to the Doc and Hayward for helping us back! Keep doing great work.

Lucia... let's talk, I have some ideas for the next piece.

PROTECTING ARMS: THE LONG SUMMER

This is part 3 of our Saving Arms series.  Be sure to check out:

SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE

STRENGTHENING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE

We just heard about some elbow issues involving Yankee stud James Kaprielian...read Casey's piece HERE.  It seems like every day, there is a new case of elbow, forearm issues and many times these days, we hear about Tommy John surgery.  It's crazy.

As the spring season has come to an end, summer baseball has begun. Whether it's Little League All-Star teams, Babe Ruth All-Star teams, American Legion or any other travel or tournament ball, there is a lot of baseball to be played. As coaches, we have to assure the continued health of our pitchers as the summer gets long, busy and hot.

I had a chance to speak with Coach Steve Hayward again from Baseball Health Network as his travel tournament team and the All-Star team I’m coaching are starting to get going. Both teams have busy schedules ahead and we have to assure we treat our players in the right manner.

Hayward’s team plays in a lot of travel ball tournaments which consist of four to six games potentially over just a few days. One thing we have to be aware of is throwing too much. All players, but particularly pitchers have to be conditioned to throw but we can’t force them to throw too much. If a team is playing in two or three games in a day, there is no reason to go through multiple pre-game warm ups. After the initial warm up period, the players should be pretty much good to go. Before game two or three, simply have the boys (or girls) get some running in to get the blood flowing, followed by a couple throws before the first pitch to assure they’re loose.

(In Photo: Steve Hayward and Dr. Christopher Ahmad)

While it will be normal for players to become fatigued over the course of a long day, we have to be aware of it. Yankees team doctor, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, truly believes that fatigue is the number one cause of injuries. In order to prevent this, our bodies, most importantly our legs and core, need to be prepared.

Young athletes aren’t just baseball players... they’re kids too. Some play multiple sports over the summer, some spend many days at the pool or playing with their buddies in the back yard while others may be doing manual labor to earn some pocket cash over the summer. These youngsters have to assure they stay hydrated, eat enough quality food to sustain their busy schedules and also assure they get enough rest.

Hayward says:  

“As coaches we have to make sure we ask the kids the right questions and make sure they are prepared to play in the game that day and how much they should be used. What did you do today? Were you up all night? Did you eat enough? Did you have a lacrosse or soccer game earlier that I don’t know about? Without asking these questions, we could be setting them up for failure.”

Most of the time the legs are the first to get fatigued, followed by the core, which in turn puts way more added stress on an already stressed elbow or shoulder. Throwing a baseball is not a natural motion for the arm and it must be properly conditioned.

In order to be able to play on long, hot days, we have to condition our bodies to do so. Hayward mentioned a Big League ballplayer he has worked with, whose name he did not want to use, who admitted he hadn’t ever worked out during the season. He actually stated many, if not most of the Big Leaguers, do not do any in-season maintenance. This ballplayer learned his lesson and now trains year round, including in-season maintenance, and is batting over .290 so far this season, while remaining much more healthy.

A point that is probably talked about but overlooked by many coaches is warm ups. Back to Hayward: 

“I was driving by a ball field by my house and the two teams were getting loose before their games. There were three coaches for each team, so six adults on the field. Not a single coach was monitoring the boys warming up. Most had poor mechanics and weren’t getting their front shoulder pointed at the target. They weren’t throwing with their legs or striding straight at the target like they should and they weren’t long tossing to properly prepare for a game. Worst of all, there was nobody there to correct them!”

Young players need to be shown how to properly grip a baseball with the thumb on the bottom and the center of the ball even between the index and middle finger on top. Young players also have a bad habit of gripping the ball too tight, or squeezing the ball, which, as Hayward said, creates more tension in the growth plate area of near the elbow, again leading to some injury risks.

With these mistakes come inherent risks. If you do not throw properly and you do not throw at game like distances, you are setting your body up for injuries down the road. Does that mean that they will get injured that day? Not necessarily. But doing something incorrectly such as that over a season or multiple seasons, can lead to an eventual injury.

Hayward: “Think of a ligament like a rope. When a rope begins to fray or come apart, it normally doesn’t in one clean break. It normally starts to tear little by little, fiber by fiber. So over time little injuries to the ligament (or muscle) add up until one day it is no longer able to hold up. When a high school pitcher throws 150-160+ pitches as we have seen in news stories, I understand that they wanted to give it their all and that they feel OK at that moment. Even though they may not feel injured at that moment, who is to say what damage was started on that day?”

At the end of the day, we can only do so much and the players have to do what they should be doing. You could tell a player ten times to do something and if he chooses not to, that ultimately falls on the player. We truly care, but it comes to a point where if a player doesn’t want to listen, he isn’t going to. Coaches can’t do it for them.

As the summer months begin and we head out to play lots of baseball in a short period of time, we must remain aware of the added risks and stresses that summer ball, and in particular tournament ball, bring. It is our job as coaches and parents to keep a watchful eye on our athletes while assuring they are conditioned and physically prepared to put their body through the ringer of summer baseball.

If we follow the tips that Coach Hayward suggested here and stay vigilant, we could start to curb the rise in arm injuries. 

Once again, thanks to Coach Hayward for taking the time to speak with me. It’s always fun to listen, learn and simply talk baseball. There is still plenty more to discuss!

--Dan Lucia, BYB Senior Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @DManLucia

STRENGTHENING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE

Last month, Bleeding Yankee Blue did a story on arm injuries titled SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE. Ultimately, it was filled with great information and the interview was with former minor league pitcher and current instructor Steve Hayward, co-founder of the Baseball Health Network.

That piece sited warning signs for arm injuries in our youth as well as prevention. Over the course of the last month,  I’ve continued my research and I was able to further  the discussion with former Seton Hall coach, Mike Cocco.

(In Photo: Mike Sheppard)
Cocco, who was on the Seton Hall staff under legendary Skipper Mike Sheppard, has been an American Legion Coach and youth coach for over 30 years and has vigorously studied pitching and throwing in general over the course of his life. He also happened to be on the staff when Steve Hayward pitched at Seton Hall University.

(In Photo: Mike Cocco)
Cocco and I spent time discussing some coaching and throwing concepts and misconceptions and he also shared some great ideas that he uses with his young players today. I found the whole thing fascinating.  As a general goal, Cocco stated:

“When I look back at the players I’ve coached, if 15-20 years later, they can still throw, then I know I’ve done my job.”

In order for youngsters to prepare their bodies for sports and to condition themselves to be successful, they have to be active. That's really the bottom line. Steve Hayward stated in our discussion that for his young sons, he simply creates obstacle courses at playgrounds and has them run the courses. This forces them to use their bodies and forces them to be competitive in a fun environment. Cocco says "The PS4 or Minecraft generation just doesn’t stay active enough these days."

(In Photo: Leo Mazzone, left, John Smoltz, right)
Cocco referenced something former Braves pitching Coach Leo Mazzone would tell his players: “Throw with a purpose every day.”  That doesn’t necessarily mean throw at 100%, but throw with a goal in mind. I tell my youth players as they are warming up, when they get to roughly 60 feet apart, stop there and throw me 10 change-ups. That way they work on their grip and become comfortable with the pitch.  If you are playing catch without a purpose, it’s wasted time.

Another point that is lost by some players and coaches is long toss. It's a very valuable exercise. For some reason it's overlooked very often.  Long toss builds arm strength, stamina and can assure long term arm health. Cocco suggested to use a football field to throw on if possible. The reason is that this way, the thrower will know the exact distance due to the markers. Long toss to the point where a young player can still make an accurate throw. For example, if you get to 100 feet and the player starts missing the target drastically, bring him in 10 feet and keep an eye on his accuracy.

Cocco stated; “The players should be able to keep the throw on line and hit his target more often than not.”

Cocco was full of info, and kept going. He and I agreed that players don’t practice or warm up for game situations as much as they should.  How many times have you seen a youth player throw from 40 feet then go right into infield/outfield practice? They say they're loose, but how are they prepared to throw 100-150 feet after throwing just 40?  They aren't.

(In Photo: Mike Cocco with his kids at the Hall of Fame induction of friend Craig Biggio)

Another example Cocco used was poor habits between innings.

Cocco: “Why do youth players take their warm up grounders on the infield grass? How does that prepare them for the ground ball in the hole where they have to throw the ball nearly twice as far as they did in warm ups?”

It doesn’t at all! Great point. Watch big leaguers take warm ups, they take their grounders from the outfield grass, or from the position they would be in to make the longest throw they would likely have to make during live action.

It just makes sense, doesn’t it?

Poor habits like the ones mentioned above can put players at a greater risk for injury believe it or not. But it also doesn’t prepare them for game situations. We practice to prepare for games. So why not practice by doing the same exact thing you would do in a game. It starts with simple things like wearing a helmet while you hit. It may not seem like much, but you wear it in a game, so why not wear it while preparing for a game?

While discussing pitching in general, which is always a hot topic, Cocco had some great suggestions:

Cocco: “A lot of players ask, ‘Coach, can I throw some curve balls?’ Something to look at is can they throw a fastball consistently for strikes. If they can’t throw fastballs, both two seam and four seam, and a change-up for strikes, they need to focus on that before they start messing with a more difficult pitch. That doesn’t mean they can’t throw a couple, but the emphasis should be on the fastball first.”

Another point he stressed was not throwing to the catcher’s glove, but through it. A way for the pitcher to do this is to back the catcher up two feet and force the player to throw 48’, if still in Little League, or 62’ if on the 90 foot diamond. Coke also suggested having the pitcher make several throws from behind the mound before getting on the rubber. This goes right along with point above about infielders warming up on the grass. They make their longer throws first so when they are throwing from the mound, they are prepared for it.

As for pitch counts, Cocco suggests that 12-14 year-old pitchers top out at 60-80 pitches max, while high school pitchers shouldn’t throw more than 90 or so. Too much more than that can lead to overuse and an increased risk of injury.

Cocco: “You need to know your players, some players are good with 60 pitches, while others struggle at 40. Understanding the players limits as well as the point in the season and arm condition is also a key factor. Early in the year, we may limit the player to 40-60 and once the arm is in condition, we expand that to 50-70 and so on. For pitchers and even position players, keeping the legs in shape is also critical, more times than not, the legs give before the arm gets tired. Pitchers throwing 40+ pitches per game need to have strong legs and good cardiovascular conditioning.”

All of us coaches need to learn how to protect our players and assure they are prepared when it comes to game time. They need to be conditioned to throw, as well as be properly warmed up before and during the games. We, as coaches, should keep a very watchful eye on this.

Cocco and I could have continued to talk for hours and I could see we share a passion and love for the game. Putting this kind of information out there on Bleeding Yankee Blue for you folks will only make the game and players better and healthier.

Thank you Coach Cocco for taking the time to speak with me and help us create awareness for youth baseball coaches and athletes. It’s always great to be able to listen to different perspectives but one thing I’ve noticed is most experienced coaches, guys like Cocco and Steve Hayward and others, are roughly on the same page.

As coaches, our priority is assuring the health of our athletes while providing them as much information as possible.

BYB has asked me to continue this series.  SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE was an insanely popular series, and so, we will continue to make both parents and coaches aware.  We hope you read and share this latest piece and be sure to look for the next installment soon.
 

 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

Thank you for your loyalty to Bleeding Yankee Blue. 
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NOW ANOTHER YANKEE NEEDS TOMMY JOHN

It's amazing to me how many pitchers and players in general are getting Tommy John Surgery.  It's fascinating actually.  We even wrote extensively about saving young arms in youth baseball in SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE...a very popular feature on BYB. Here's a snippet:

"Baseball Health Network just launched it's website, and I would highly recommend checking it out. While talking with (Steve) Hayward, great points were made. We discussed pitch counts and how the number of pitches a player throws should not be determined by the league’s rules, but by how prepared the player is. Notice that's in bold.  If, for example, a kid in youth baseball is allowed to throw 85 pitches in a game, that doesn’t necessarily mean he should. If it’s game one and he has maxed out at a 40 pitch bullpen, what would make you think he is ready to rear back and throw 85 pitches? He did not build up his pitch count and arm strength enough leading up to this first start. See what I mean?"

That was on the youth scale, but that translates all the way to High School and to minor and major leaguers today and it's just the way it is right now in sports, baseball in particular.  In a nutshell, training is very specific and youth athletes are just "Doing it wrong" so to speak.

Now it looks like another Yankee is now going under the knife.  Chad Jennings of LoHud just tweaked this about minor league Yankee Nick Rumbelow:

Nick Rumbelow placed on the Triple-A disabled list. Might have hurt himself while warming up last night. Not sure the nature of the injury.

— Lohud Yankees Blog (@LoHudYankees) April 11, 2016

Source says Nick Rumbelow needs Tommy John surgery.

— Lohud Yankees Blog (@LoHudYankees) April 11, 2016

Now look, the Yankees were looking forward to possibly seeing this guy at some point, they had high hopes, I guess they just need to wait it out now.

(In photo: Steve Hayward, Dr. Christopher Ahmad)
I wonder if Dr. Ahmad, who was written about in that SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE piece will do the surgery. 

Remember he did Chase Whitley when he was with the team.

Anyway, that's alittle nugget coming out of Yankeeland right now and the whole thing is just very interesting.  We'll keep you posted if any more details come out. For now, get well soon Nick.

And by the way, if you get a moment, read about the Baseball Health Network and be sure to read that Saving Arms feature.  We'll have a followup to it in just a few days. Look for it ONLY on Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Thank you for your loyalty to Bleeding Yankee Blue. 
Please shop at the BYB store!  
On Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu 
On Facebook, LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue!
Don't forget to check out the BYB Hub. 

SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE

Anybody who has followed baseball over the past few decades, in particular the last decade or so, is bound to be familiar with Tommy John surgery. For those who don’t know, the surgery is ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction and more can be found HERE. We see it all the time on ESPN when big leaguers undergo the procedure, but what is often left out is talk of the increasing frequency in which amateur athletes are now dealing with when it comes to the procedure... and arm issues in general.

I came across an article on NJ.com citing a study of the likelihood of particular Major Leaguers who are at risk of having to undergo the procedure. One of the players high on the list, Marlins reliever Carter Capps. Capps just had Tommy John surgery on March 8.

What caught my attention was that Yankees starters Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino and Nathan Eovaldi are all at high risk too, according to the study. The study used certain factors, including previous Tommy John procedures, release points and days on the disabled list with other arm issues.  The whole thing got me thinking about what some of the causes of these injuries are and factors that could increase the likelihood of a UCL injury. I reached out to a guy who is known as one of the leading experts in this field. Steve Hayward of Baseball Health Network.

After finishing up his playing career in the minor leagues, Hayward partnered with New York Yankees team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad who is a recognized expert in Tommy John surgeries and elbow injuries. Together, they created Baseball Health Network. Their goal is to reverse the trend in arm injuries by bringing baseball coaches, trainers and doctors together in an attempt to keep players arms healthy.  Baseball Health Network just launched it's website, and I would highly recommend checking it out.

(In Photo: Steve Hayward, Dr. Ahmad)
While talking with Hayward, great points were made. We discussed pitch counts and how the number of pitches a player throws should not be determined by the league’s rules, but by how prepared the player is. Notice that's in bold.  If, for example, a kid in youth baseball is allowed to throw 85 pitches in a game, that doesn’t necessarily mean he should. If it’s game one and he has maxed out at a 40 pitch bullpen, what would make you think he is ready to rear back and throw 85 pitches? He did not build up his pitch count and arm strength enough leading up to this first start. See what I mean?

And that leads us to the second point. Pitchers need to throw often as the season approaches...

(In photo: Andrew Miller at Spring Training 2016)
BYB: If you had one thing to tell young pitchers about arm health and how to avoid injury, what would it be?

Steve Hayward: “Pitchers need to be conditioned to pitch, not pitch to get conditioned.”

It may sound a little funny, but think about it; You don’t go out and run two miles then decide you’re ready for the marathon, right? No. You would build up stamina and strength over time so when the time comes to run 26.2 miles, you have trained to get to that point without injuring yourself. The same goes for your arm. You have to build up your strength and stamina over time.

A lot of people preach taking time off from pitching and both Hayward and I agreed on that point. But there are many variables involved when talking about time off:

“As far as the no throw period, there is plenty of time to rest from throwing throughout the year, a week here, a few days there, during each season. It's not like your telling kids to throw every day, even every other day. The sensible baseball people, that provide a sensible schedule for their players recognize this. It's the not so sensible people that schedule 55-60 games in 70 days I worry about. 

The 'off season' throwing could be to throw a couple days a week, to maintain conditioning and consistency. That throwing could be anywhere from 50% to 75% intensity and as little as 30-40 total throws and anywhere from 30-60 feet. I'm not a doctor but I am a thrower and have been for over 30 years, I understand what makes throwing arms feel good and stay healthy. My methods have been proven over the past 15 years and are the reason one of the country's best doctors has partnered with me in creating the Baseball Health Network.”

As for youth pitchers, age 15 and below say, one factor Hayward pointed to was simply physical strength and muscled mass. This is interesting...

Hayward said, “Kids these days just don’t have the strength. When you look at their physical makeup, many young players are just not in very good shape.”

We discussed how some players can’t even successfully execute five proper push-ups. FIVE! These young athletes, by not having adequate strength, make themselves very susceptible to growth plate injuries, which you can read more about HERE. This should be something all young players and their parents should really take a look at.

I’ve seen it myself as a coach, and so has Hayward. Young players have to condition their bodies by staying active, doing strength exercises and baseball specific exercises like using arm bands (correctly). Plus, diet's important! Eating a proper diet and getting adequate rest is a great thing. Without the proper physical makeup, injury risks increase.

If you think about the elbow, it is surrounded by the triceps, biceps and forearms. Those muscles help keep the elbow held together. Without adequate strength and flexibility in those muscles and ligaments, the elbow could become a ticking time bomb.

A factor all of us baseball people have encountered at one time or another is field conditions. We have all had that mound that has a huge hole where the pitchers landing spot is.

Having a poor landing spot, or filling it in with unstable material like sand, adds to the risk of injury believe it or not. Hayward suggests the only way to fix that is through the hard work of communities and its members.

For us coaches, Hayward specifically mentioned the type of player we should keep an eye on. We all want our kids to be tough and willing to battle through discomfort and general soreness. I know I do. But one group of players that Hayward suggested we strongly monitor are the kids who have 'huge stones’.  You know, the ones who don’t admit when they're hurt, and play through pain they shouldn’t. Young players, and older ones, need to know the difference between being sore and being hurt. Slight muscle fatigue and general soreness is expected after pitching, but players need to know when to speak up and tell their coaches, trainers and parents when they feel a pain. A sharp or biting pain should always be looked at immediately.

Still there? Good, because this is one of my favorite points Hayward makes, and it is probably debatable depending on who you talk to: ‘There is healing power in throwing’.

Hayward:  “Throw. Throwing (the day after pitching, while sore for example) below the threshold is how I describe it. Throw at an intensity level that is tolerable. Throw at a short distance, low to medium intensity for as long as it takes for the arm to feel better.”

Hayward and the folks he is working with at Baseball Health Network, including Dr. Ahmad who performed Tommy John surgery on then Yankees right-hander Chase Whitley in 2015, are attempting to create a one-stop shop for all your baseball training needs to learn about off-season routine, season maintenance, injury rehab among other things.

For instance, an interesting development in the treatment of UCL injuries, in particular of partially torn UCL’s, is the development of Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP, Therapy; the treatment that Masahiro Tanaka went through in the summer of 2014.  It appears that this treatment is becoming more common and effective.  More info on PRP can be found HERE and we will cover that topic more in the near future here on Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Look, someone really needed to put this out there to raise awareness of this terrible trend. While speaking with Hayward and corresponding with Dr. Ahmad, it was easy to tell they are truly passionate, and want to make a difference in the baseball world.  Make sure you check out Baseball Health Network on Facebook and Twitter too.  Their handle is @BaseballHealth.

Thank you very much for your time and effort in trying to tackle this issue head on, Coach Hayward. We applaud you here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.

To our BYB audience... yes, we are a Yankee website, but many of us have kids in baseball.  Many of us have seen kid pitch longer than they should, kids hurt from arm injuries as well as the Yankees or athletes in general.  It's great to have experts out there to provide this helpful information.  That's why we wanted to bring it to you.  And we will continue with much more down the road.

We hope you enjoyed this.

--Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

 

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