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Reply to "When to start lifting"

Weight training really helps. Weight training leads to injuries.

Both sentences are true.

I know players - ranging from the first year of HS through proball - who have suffered career shortening injuries due to weight lifting. I watched my son pack on 20 lbs of well placed muscle without so much as a strain (in college). He started modest (when compared to college) weight training in 11th grade; I don't think it made a whit of difference in actual advancement of baseball skills; it did introduce him to what laid ahead and was, therefore, worth it. On the other hand, a weight lifting injury could have been disastrous. We had no clue on the risk/reward calculation.

Most coaches think they know weight lifting; most coaches don't. Football oriented weight lifting is different from baseball oriented lifting.

Pick out a conditioning coach the same way you'd pick out a PC. Not every former player can teach baseball skills; not every perfectly sculpted conditioning coach understands his trade. Pick wisely - an unwise pick can set your player back seasons.

(This is over and above every player's desire to show he's the strongest guy on the team. Injuries occur during these daily events at the gym. So, every lift needs to have an educated adult watching. All parents who have weight lifted (even modestly) can think back to their days of poor form just to set a new PR; teens are far more competitive, so just beware.)

One more thing. My son did the Jaeger long throw. He loved the circus stunt atmosphere of standing under one goal post and heaving it to the other goal post - in 11th grade. He did long toss several days a week essentially all year long while in HS. Never suffered an injury. But his friends who did the exact same program did suffer injuries. Once again, Jaeger is not a one size fits all approach - it works with certain arm slots better then other slots. Having two kids long tossing simulataneously will lead to the inevitable competition. Because the kids are maxing out, competition will lead to form breakdown and form breakdown leads to injuries. Once again be aware.

 

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