Baseball - Top Seven Injuries That Will Plague Most Baseball Players

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Baseball - Top Seven Injuries That Will Plague Most Baseball Players

By Richard Budnick

Baseball injuries usually do not end a player's career. However, any injury can be a setback. With proper care and knowledge beforehand, the player will know what to look for, and will return to normal activities in a shorter amount of time.

The top seven baseball injuries that will plague most baseball players are described below.

1. Shoulder Injury

Throwing or hitting a baseball utilizes the entire physical body. A shoulder injury is normally associated with an arm and shoulder injury of the pitching or throwing arm and shoulder. In medical terminology, a baseball player's common shoulder injury is a torn Rotator Cuff. Pitchers are most prone to suffer from this injury, but anyone who plays baseball can become afflicted with a shoulder injury.

2. Sprained Wrist

A sprained wrist injury demands special attention so that the swelling and pain can subside. A sprained wrist injury rarely lasts for more than a few days since the wrist is so flexible and pliable. Should a player take a tumble or have to chase a fast dropping line drive hit, he could easily suffer from a sprained wrist.

Sometimes when a player is running for a base, he'll slide into the base and sprain his wrist. It hurts and it will swell, but most likely, the wrist will not get broken. Within a few days after cold compresses have been applied, and the wrist is later soaked in warm water, the wrist will be fine, and the baseball player will be ready to participate in his next game.

3. Dislocated or Broken Fingers

When a baseball player's glove webbing is improperly aligned at the moment when a ball impacts the glove, the player's fingers and hands will sting. However, most players will tell you that catching a ball with an ungloved hand can feel like being shot with a high-powered arrow.

Whenever a finger is exposed at any angle other than in an open and flexed state, the player will feel his finger joints getting crunched, dislocated, or broken. Catchers and infielders are the most common players to receive such finger injuries, but it can happen to any player, regardless of the position they're playing.

4. Hyper-extended Knee

When a baseball player grabs a fly ball out of the air, he is most certainly prone to suffering from a hyper-extended knee injury.

Whenever a player's foot lands awkwardly after he has lunged for a fly ball, the knee joint takes the bulk of the landing. Although he may show the other players that he can walk off the immediate hurt, his knee joint will be sore for days.

When that same player pays attention to his knee's soreness, he will recover quickly. However, if the player aggravates the injury by playing several more innings, or another game within a day or two, the injury will worsen and the pain will reappear.

Another way that a player can hyper-extend his knee is when his spikes get jammed into a base that's fixed into place. The knee joint could twist in the wrong direction, thereby causing the knee to hyper extend.

5. Pulled Hamstring

Even the most in-shape and toned baseball player who appears to have strong muscled legs can be prone to suffering from a pulled hamstring when he's running at break-neck speed to catch a ball or run a base.

Mickey Mantle's entire career and Albert Pujols's existing career have been fraught with hamstring muscle pull problem injuries. The injuries are painful, and the player will most likely need to take some time off to heal, but his career will not be ended due to a pulled hamstring.

6. Sore Elbow

Whenever a baseball player throws a ball hard to one of his teammates, he becomes susceptible to a sore elbow injury the same day or the next day. Sore elbows heal fairly rapidly, so there's no need for medical attention, except to remember to reduce the velocity that a player throws the ball the next time he's out on the field. A sore elbow is caused when the player suddenly stops or slows down the fling. That action is known to cause stress at the elbow's bone joint.

7. Bruises on Legs and Hips

When a baseball player does not wear sliding pads, he is quite vulnerable to receiving big bruises and strawberries on his legs and hips from sliding into a base. The painful part comes when a well-meaning attendant tries to apply any medication that contains alcohol or witch hazel in it. You'll be sure to hear the player's screams from many fields away.

Bruises will change colors and are certainly sensitive to the touch, but they're not the most serious injury a player can receive. So, try to remain tough when you look in the mirror after the game and see raw fleshy spots. Within four or five days, the tenderness will be gone, and most likely the color of the bruise will have faded away.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Budnick


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Baseball Players Need Quick Feet Too!

If you play baseball you have to be quick on your feet just like any other athlete. Permit yourself a minute to read and apply the following 2 quick feet drills to speed up your game!

By Brandon Richey

If you play baseball you should concentrate on your athleticism all year long! Agility is a necessary trait for baseball players because you have to have quickness when trying to react to making a play on a ground ball, getting the jump on a pop fly, or making the first move to dive back to the bag when leading off of the base! All of these are hard examples that define quickness and agility. Check out the following 2 drills that you can implement to help you to improve on all of these examples you encounter on the field of play.

1. 3 Cone Shuffle: For this particular drill you will need the availability of 3 agility cones. This is a great quick foot drill for baseball players to improve on lateral agility. To start, set up the cones in a straight line with about 2 feet of distance between each cone. Stand facing the 3 cones in an athletic stance with your inside foot lined up in front of the middle cone and your outside foot lined up in front of on one of the outside cones. From here the objective is for you to make a quick single lateral step shifting the middle foot to line up with the outside cone on the far side, and to bring the foot that was lined up with the outside cone to the middle cone. Remember to stay low and to shift your weight back and forth to the "outside" with each lateral shuffle. Count a repetition every time you shuffle to both sides. Stay low and touch the outside cones with your outside hand each time you shuffle. Perform each lateral shuffle as quickly as possible.


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2. 8 Cone Shuffle And Sprint: For this drill you will need the availability of 9 agility cones and some flat open space. Line the first 8 cones up in a straight line and place the 9th cone in line with the first 8 cones with a distance of 10 yards between them. Start the drill by lining up in front of the straight line of 8 cones. Shuffle laterally back and forth between the 8 cones progressing forward as quickly as possible. Once you shuffle around the 8th cone explode into a full sprint all the way past the 9th cone. This is great for improving a baseball player's overall athletic performance and conditioning! Give it a try.

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To be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at: http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.html I'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Richey

Aggressive Hitting Strategies That Will Make Your Team Better

Sometimes it pays to turn things up on the opposing defenses. By playing a more aggressive style of baseball, a high school baseball team can put serious pressure on a defense to perform.

By Jack D. Elliott

Here, are some strategies that can help put the opposing defense in tough situations:

1. Take advantage of the 3 and 0 count. Be sure to give the green light to your power hitters when they have this kind of count. Many pitchers will throw a slower fastball right over the plate in order to get a strike. Let your best hitters swing away as an extra base hit would be better than just a simple walk. However, only allows for the top hitters as the weaker hitters should take the pitch trying to earn the walk.

2. Use the Hit and Run when the hitter is a weaker batter. This works especially well in situations where you have either a weak batter or a slow base runner. When the hit and run is executed properly, it is one of the most beautiful plays in baseball. More to the point: it can help you move runners in scoring position and reduces the risk of double plays.

3. Be sure to use sacrifice bunts and suicide squeezes. Bunting may not be the most impressive part of baseball, but it is one of the most effective for advancing runners and scoring runs. Plus, it puts tons of stress on the opposing defense to field the ball properly. In high school, it is not uncommon to see errors made by an errant throw. Keep the pressure on the defense by using bunting throughout the game.


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4. Use a lack of awareness against the opposing defense. If there is a man on third and the batter draws a walk, have the runner jog to first then take his turn and run full tilt to the second base. If the catcher throws to second, the third baseman should head for home. This can work well because you can catch a number of defenses' off guard.

5. Use the catcher's arm strength against him. If you are a base runner on first or third and know the catcher has a good arm. Don't be afraid to entice him to throw the ball over to try to pick you off. Often times, a cocky catcher will end up throwing into the outfield on accident.

6. Occasionally use the double steal. If you have runner on 1st and 2nd and the runner on second is fast, consider doing a double steal. This works well because even if the lead base runner is thrown out at third you have kept a runner in scoring position by his stealing of second.

7. Give certain players the green light to steal third base. Contrary to popular opinion, you do not have to be the fastest player to steal third base. Instead, you only need reasonable speed and a good awareness of player tendencies. This can be done by lulling the pitcher into thinking you will not even attempt to steal by beginning to take a small lead off. Once the pitcher does not view you as a threat, he will go into his motion and this is where you start to creap off. If you do it right you will have a great jump and the catcher won't have a chance to throw you out.

8. Runners on 1st and 3rd: have the runner on 1st go run for second on the first movement of the pitcher. This is a classic tactic of little league baseball that can work well in high school especially when the runner on third is fast. Do not be afraid to use it as it also requires the defense to be perfect with their throws.

9. If hitters know that the steal is on, they should swing the bat in an effort to get in the way of the catcher's throwing lane. This cannot be too deliberate, but they need to protect the base runner when they can. This is similar to the responsibility of a base runner taking out the second baseman on a double play.

All of these tips and tactics are designed to put stress and pressure on a defense. The more pressure you put on an opposing defense the better because once one mistake occurs it can be very easy to create a snowball effect. All of these things work great for your team as you continue to play a team that now has a confidence problem.

One caveat: these tips require you to be comfortable with a certain amount of risk. Occasionally, these tactics will not work out as well as you would hope. However, you need to look at it the results cumulatively and not based on any one individual attempt. Your focus is on a building an aggressive mentality that we are going to do everything in our power to score runs and are willing to do anything to make that happen. This is a powerful mindset that can transform your offense into a powerful, proactive bunch. We think you will find this approach will give you more runs and wins over the long haul.

Jack Elliott, is a former player and fan of the game. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Strategy/ or Baseball Strategy

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_D._Elliott

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Baseball Bunting - To Squeeze Or Not To Squeeze

All good teams must be able to bunt, but is the squeeze play really a high percentage play? The following article gives talks about the positive and negatives for the bunt squeeze and discusses the best alternative.

By Mike Posey

In 1995, we won our first state championship. We had superior pitching that year with our top two arms going on to play Division I college baseball. During the playoffs that year we allowed only two earned runs and pitched several shutouts. In the finals we won 7-0 and 2-0, finishing the year at 31-4. But we almost lost in the first game of the playoffs. By far it was our most challenging opponent.

The final score in our first playoff game was 2-1. We were down 1-0 until the bottom of the seventh inning when we scored two runs, on consecutive squeeze bunts, to win the game.

Fast forward nine years later to 2004. We lost in the state championship game 2-0 in 10 innings. We hit a total of 41 homeruns that year. We had some outstanding players on that team, including four All State players, one All American, and the State Player of the Year. In the championship game, our starting pitcher struck out twelve opposing hitters in seven innings, but we could not score a run. In fact, that was the only time all year we failed to score a run. (We averaged almost eight runs per game).

Due to our offensive explosion that season, we did not rely much on bunting. In fact, early in the year we we missed a squeeze bunt and popped up into a double play at the plate. The rest of that season we really stayed away from the bunt, especially the squeeze. We had such a good hitting team that one of our players was always coming through with a clutch hit, at least until the championship game.


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At the end of that season, our coaching staff decided that we would again dedicate ourselves to the bunt, regardless of our offense. Our teams over the years had been good bunting teams, something we really practiced hard to accomplish. But we did change one thing, we implemented the safety squeeze instead of a straight squeeze.

The safety squeeze is the best high percentage play in baseball for scoring a run. When executed properly the opposing team can not stop you from scoring a run. If the bunt is unsuccessful you will still have a runner at third base.

Here's how we implement the safety squeeze. First, the hitter looks for a good pitch. It's much like the sacrifice bunt, but we have them wait to square after the pitcher picks up his front foot to deliver the pitch. We try to pick out a time when the opposing team is least suspecting it as the element of surprise can really help.

Second, we want the batter to bunt a ball down the foul line (either line). If the pitch is not a strike or either the first baseman or third baseman charges hard, the hitter pulls back.

The runner must have a good walking lead from third base (length of the lead depends on whether the pitcher is in a stretch or wind up). The runner at third reads the bunt down on the baseline and continues to run towards home. If the bunt is not down or towards the lines the runner does not go. Pretty simple, but you have to spend time in practice to perfect the timing and execution.

Our players love to execute this play and it really turns the momentum in our favor. By the way, in 2007 we won another state championship. Down 2-0 in the 3rd inning we scored four runs, on three bunts and one safety squeeze. The defense feel apart.

Mike Posey has been a high school baseball coach for the past twenty-five years, winning multiple championships and coach of the year honors. He is also the creator and owner of Expert Baseball Tips Home of the Baseball eLessons virtual on line lessons to help players improve.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Posey



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Baseball Coaching - Don't Forget Your Catchers

Catchers require just as much and probably a lot more practice time as any of the other fielders on your team. Work with them to sharpen their skills just as you work with your other players. It only makes sense since they may be the most important player on the field. Don't forget your catchers.

By Chico Reese

There's this certain "thing" about baseball coaching and baseball practices that I've noticed over the years. It isn't just High School teams or just teams in summer leagues…it's a common problem the way I see it. Some teams/coaches can be worse than others when it comes to this, but many times it appears to be much the same story.

If you are a baseball coach, player, or have watched a lot of team practices, you've gotten the idea that repetition is a BIG thing. Repetition is what develops the "Muscle Memory" that allows the brain and body to perceive a complicated task as just an ordinary routine task. Many coaches know this and if you watch a number of different teams practicing you'll see the following things being practiced over and over and over:


Batters hitting off tees
Batters doing soft toss
Batters practicing bunting
Infielders taking ground ball after ground ball until they "get it right"
Outfielders taking fly balls and ground balls
Outfielders practicing cutoffs, throws to third, throws to second and home
Shortstops and second basemen turning double plays
Pitchers throwing and throwing
Pitchers running banana routes
Pitchers throwing over to first...pickoffs to second


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Now, think back to these same practices. How many times did you see one of the coaches take two or three catchers and go off somewhere and block balls in the dirt? Correctly, I mean. And not three, four or five balls at the very end of practice. I mean a bucket or two each. In the dirt, center, left and right...correctly. Probably not often, maybe never.

How much footwork did you see the catchers doing at practice? Did you see coaches working the feet? I mean with no baseball or throwing...just footwork...fast, correct footwork. You probably didn't see that or remember just a little bit in the season.

Did you see the catchers fielding bunts down third and first and making the play? Again, not one or two. I mean ten times, like the reps all of the other infielders got when practicing their required skills.

What I mostly see is common...throws to second and a few to third and first during infield practice. That means a catcher might throw down to third three or four times. Big deal. During a practice, a shortstop will field fifteen to twenty ground balls and make the throw to first.

Now, here's the part that's even more funny. During games, now, the coaches have the same expectations of the catchers and their skills as they do their shortstop, second and third basemen. If there is a bunt down the first base line and the catcher throws it away, it's possible he'll get hammered by a coach. But it's also possible that he hasn't practiced that throw since the beginning of the season. I think this is one reason why I see so many balls thrown away at third and first by catchers. There just isn't enough repetition there. No "Muscle Memory."

Seasons start out with good intentions...with a lot of promises. The catchers will do this and the catchers will do that. But guess what? It usually ends up the same way in a relatively short time. The catchers will do a little bit of infield and then go right to the mounds to catch pitchers. All of the pitchers. At the same time, when it's getting dark, everyone's tired, parents are waiting and the coach who is pitching to what he thinks is the last batter turns around and yells, "Who hasn't hit yet?"

Guess who raises their hands? You got it. The two catchers. So they'll bat last. Coach is tired. He'll throw some to one catcher and then some to the other. They'll get half of the pitches that the first five guys got, if they are lucky, and these are sometimes crappy pitches anyway. Sometimes they will get the promise that they'll hit first the next practice...right. Yet, they are expected to hit like the other guys.

I've watched catchers with good size and cannon arms. If someone steals and the pitch is a good one, that catcher nails the runner by two steps. Unfortunately I've watched these same catchers and find that they can't block a beach ball. They'll let the easiest ball in the dirt get by them. I'd see seven to ten balls back to the screen, runners advancing and runs scoring. This just tells me the coach found a guy with a cannon arm and basically did nothing else with him. Happens a lot.

But I've seen some great coaches who have coached their catchers well and boy these guys are great to watch. You can immediately recognize a well coached catcher. They are just fun to watch. Umpires love them.

So coaches, don't forget your catchers. They'll win you for you games if you help them...they'll lose games for you if you don't. They have more skills to master than the other players. That's just the nature of the position. They need time too. Not at the end of practice when everyone's tired and wants to go home, either.

Oh, one more thing...Don't Forget Your Catchers.

Chico Reese has been closely involved in youth baseball, softball and High School Baseball over the last twelve years and enjoys working with young catchers.

For excellent Catching instruction, drills, training and other valuable baseball tips, consider the following sources:

Catcher Instruction, Training and Tips To Make You A Better Catcher

http://baseballcatcher.baseballgloverestore.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chico_Reese

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