Conditioning Tips for Softball/Baseball Season

As a pediatric sports medicine physician and prior MLB team physician, youth throwers are some of my favorite athletes to serve. Although it is snowy and cold outside, smart athletes know that the season is just around the corner, and conditioning now is the smartest approach for a successful and healthy season. Here are tips:

• Throwing Ramp-Up – Condition Your Arms
  • Start an “Interval Throwing Program” ahead of your season.
    • Interval throwing program: start at shorter distances and lower intensity throws (ex: two sets of 20 throws from 30 feet separated by a 5-minute rest at 50% effort) and gradually increase distance, number of throws, and effort on non-consecutive days over a period of 6-8 weeks (ideally) ahead of your season. Total maximum distance varies by age at the youth level and typically tops out at 90-120 feet.
• Strength and Flexibility – Decrease Injuries
  • Strengthening the muscles that move the shoulder and shoulder blade in addition to the core and lower extremities have been shown in research studies to decrease the risk of injury in youth throwers. The “Throwers 10” program is an example of this.
  • Stretching is most important during periods of rapid growth in early adolescence, as bones tend to grow at a faster rate than their soft tissues, making poor flexibility common.
• Pitch counts
  • Have an awareness of the recommended pitch counts and rest days for your age in Vermont, and don’t forget to consider those additional throws performed during private coaching or secondary teams towards your total pitch count.
• Avoidable risks for injury
  • Year-round pitching with inadequate rest.
  • Pitching more than 100 innings per year increases injury risk 3.5-fold.
  • Pitching while fatigued has been shown to increase the likelihood of injury 8 times.
  • Pitching for multiple teams with overlapping seasons.
  • Arm pain while throwing has been associated with a 7.5-fold increased injury risk.
  •  Velocity
    • High velocity is trendy, but one of the biggest risk factors for injury.
    • Strikes and outs win games, not velocity. Exercise caution with radar guns.
  • Curveballs
    • Data regarding curveballs and risk for injury is mixed, though some observational studies have shown that starting to throw a curveball at an older age is protective. Most experts recommend waiting until around 13-14 and mastering your fastball and changeup first.
  • Weighted balls
    • I do not encourage the usage of weighted balls for velocity enhancement in young athletes with open growth plates.
  • Sports specialization
    • Focusing on a single sport year-round at the expense of others has been associated with higher rates of injuries and burnout. Playing multiple sports makes you a better athlete.

Other ways to have an enjoyable season includes being a good teammate and picking others up when they are down. Also, become a student of the game by playing numerous positions. This will help you become a better player and to know the game from all vantage points.

In baseball, the greatest players in the game fail more often than they succeed. This game teaches you how to tolerate failure without accepting it; it teaches you how to overcome. You will win some and you will lose some, but so long as you learn from both and keep swinging for the fences, you will succeed in this beautiful game… and in life!

By Dr. Kathryn McElheny, sports medicine physician at Vermont Orthopaedic Clinic, a department of Rutland Regional Medical Center.