Arm Strength, Conditioning and Injury Prevention

There are many things to be concerned with when coaching young baseball players. Developing their skills and improving team behaviors are chief among them but keeping them safe and healthy should always come first. CHLL is very fortunate to have an experienced Safety Officer, Don Montuori, who has developed a comprehensive Safety plan and by all reports our fields have been relatively injury free.

Less obvious but perhaps even more dangerous are the long term issues associated with overuse injuries. We all need to be vigilant in regards to varying drills and activities so that nobody is taking too many swings or making too many long throws or pitches in a day, week, month or season. We need look no further than our hometown Nationals to see the impact of either faults in mechanics, weaknesses in conditioning or the combination of the two.

We should have strength and conditioning plans for all our teams and in particular for our pitchers and catchers. There are many different plans out there. Little League has one (see: LINK) and if you search back on this blog you will see examples of other progressive throwing plans. The importance is consistency and progression. This is something that needs to be done with regularity and done purposefully with a focus on proper mechanics being the first and foremost goal. The linked file here is the strengthening program we received from my son's travel team this year. It can be done with any exercise band product. The starred pages are done on one day and the circle pages on another day - (LINK).

Even with the best training program, you need to track the volume of pitching and be cognizant of overuse within an inning, within a game, during a week and over the course of a season. Do you know how many pitches your kids are throwing? Do they play on other teams? If so, are they pitching in games other than Little League? Determining how many pitches they should throw in Little League is pretty well regulated by the rules (See a good summary at: LINK). Our AAA and Majors Commissioners do a great job of tracking pitch counts and ensuring adherence to these rules. Following these rules should also be complemented with some common sense on pitches per inning and also augmented with an awareness of their non-Little League play.

Communication and Data are the keys.

Communicate with the parents and the kid and keep track of the data. I have 6 players on my team that play outside of Little League and I try to be aware of their schedules and do my best to be respectful of their arms. Luckily my little league team has been able to pitch 10 kids so far this season. This volume of pitchers has helped insure that no pitcher has thrown more than 50 pitches in a game and no pitcher has just now eclipsed 260 pitches for the season. This gives me great piece of mind when they go off to play Travel Ball on Sunday. In terms of gathering the data, GameChanger (LINK) is a life saver! I am very fortunate to have had parents/coaches that have tracked each and every pitch of every game on GameChanger – both LL and Travel – for the last 3 years. I know with certainty what nearly every kid is doing. 

Also – it is not just about pitchers! Track your Catchers as well! There are very appropriately rules about catching to prevent overuse.

• A pitcher who delivers 41 or more pitches in a game cannot play the position of catcher for the remainder of that day.
• A player that plays catcher for 4 innings cannot pitch that day.

Some experienced coaches and trainers warn that while injuries will certainly be caused by overuse, the real warning signs are a drop off in velocity, efficiency and effectiveness. If the players pitch per inning stat is creeping up along with hits allowed and runs allowed, maybe it is a sign. If those numbers are staying even and there is a no drop off in effectiveness – play ball!

Key points in Summary:

• Develop proper mechanics as early as possible
• Warm up, stretch and condition before throwing.
• Pain is not normal in the elbow or shoulder. Never throw through pain.
• Don't pitch year-round. Take minimum of 2-3 months off during the year.
• Abide by pitch counts/innings pitched in every game.
• Seek a doctor or physical therapist if pain persists.

Rule 3.03 Substitution and Re-Entry Rules for Phase II of the Majors season

For the regular season in all divisions, we have used a continuous batting order and free defensive substitution. For some managers and coaches going into Phase II of the Majors season or into LL post-season tournament play, the carefree substitution holiday is over.

For phase II of the Majors season there are two items that govern the roster changes;

Regulation IV(i) - Every rostered player present at the start of a game will participate in each game for a minimum of six (6) defensive outs and bat at least one (1) time. For the purposes of this rule,"six (6) defensive outs" is defined as: A player enters the field in one of nine defensive positions when his/her team is on defense and occupies such position while six outs are made;"bat at least one (1) time" is defined as: A player enters the batter's box with no count and completes that time at bat by being retired or by reaching base safely.
Penalty: The player(s) involved shall start the next game, play any previous requirement not completed for Section (i) and the requirements for this game before being removed.
The manager shall for the:
     A.  First Offense - receive a written warning.
     B.  Second Offense - a suspension for the next scheduled game.
     C.  Third Offense - suspension for the remainder of the season.
Note 1: If the violation is determined to have been intentional, a more severe penalty may be assessed by the board of directors. However, forfeiture of a game may not be invoked.
Note 2: There is no exception to this rule unless the game is shortened for any reason, at which time the local league may elect not to impose a penalty on the manager/coach. However, the penalty in this regulation regarding the player who did not meet mandatory play cannot be reduced or waived in a shortened game.

Rule 3.03 - A player in the starting lineup who has been removed for a substitute may re-enter the game once, in any position in the batting order, provided:

1. his or her substitute has completed on time at bat and;
2. has played defensively for a minimum of (6) consecutive outs;
3. pitchers once removed from the mound may not return as pitchers;..
4. only a player in the starting lineup may re-enter the game;
5. a starter, (S1) re-entering the game as a substitute for another starter  (S2) must then fulfill all conditions of a substitute (once at bat and six defensive outs) before starter (S2) can re-enter the game.
6. Defensive substitutions must be made while a team is on defense. Offensive substitutions must be made at the time the offensive player has her/his turn at bat or is on base.

Note 1: A substitute may not be removed from the game prior to completion of his/her mandatory play requirements.
Note 2: When two or more substitute players of the defensive team enter the game at the same time, the manager shall, immediately before they take their positions as fielders, designate to the umpire-in-chief such player's positions in the team's batting order and the umpire-in-chief shall notify the official scorer. The umpire-in-chief shall have the authority to designate the substitute's place in the batting order, if this information is not immediately provided.
Note 3: If during the game either team is unable to place nine (9) players on the field due to illness, injury, ejection, or inability to make a legal substitution  the opposing manager shall select a player previously used in the lineup to re-enter the game, but only if use of all eligible players has exhausted the roster. A player ejected from the game is not eligible for re-entry.

Adhering to these regulations and rules can be as simple as "pairing" or "connecting" two players in a position in the batting order and insuring the subs enter early enough to fulfill their mandatory play requirement (MPR). 

So what are the pitfalls? Where are the gotchas?

Rules 6.05 & 6.09 - Uncaught third strike

In the Majors division, an uncaught third strike(commonly but erroneously referred to as a dropped third strike)occurs when the catcher fails to cleanly catch a pitch for the third strike. Any pitch is considered uncaught if the ball touches the ground before being caught or is dropped after being caught. The distinction is important as a cleanly caught ball that has skipped in the dirt is an uncaught ball for purposes of this rule. The specific rules concerning the uncaught third strike are Rules 6.05(b) and 6.09(b).

On a dropped third strike with no runner on first base or in any situation with two outs, the batter immediately becomes a runner. The strike is called, but the umpire does not call the batter out. The umpire may or may not verbalize "no catch". The batter may attempt to reach first base and must be tagged or thrown out. With two outs and the bases loaded, the catcher who fails to catch the third strike may step on home plate for a force-out or make a throw to any other base for the force. 

If at the time of the strike three pitch, first base is occupied with fewer than two outs, the batter is out and cannot become a runner. This is to avoid having the defense deliberately drop a third strike pitch to set-up a double or even triple play.

Regardless of the outcome of an uncaught third strike, the pitcher is credited with a strikeout. Because of the dropped third strike rule, it is possible for a pitcher to record more than three strikeouts in an inning.

In Tee Ball, AA and AAA, the dropped third strike does not apply and the batter is out on any called or swinging third strike regardless of whether it is caught by the catcher.