56.7% of Tommy John Surgeries Now Performed on Teens 15-19

PG, it does make sense. Unfortunately, pitchers don't usually go to ASMI or Dr. Andrews unless there is a problem. That makes it tough for them to do any meaningful studies on them. Someone should probably step up to do that, the question is who? 

I would think a detailed questionnaire should be developed, maybe with the help of ASMI, to give to pitchers at a certain level. The results could then be analyzed. But someone has to take the initiative to put that together. Maybe it's time. The question is who does it?

How does the TJ surgeon have any idea how fast the pitcher was throwing?

These conclusions would seem to be fairly common sense.  

If the issue were injured hamstrings instead and the study was of sprinters he is basically saying; the odds of injuring a hamstring go up the harder you sprint, they also go up if you sprint more often, the go up even more you sprint as hard as you can often and really go up if you sprint often and hard while tired or injured.  No duh.  

My only issue is they spent a lot of time addressing rest but not much about preparation.

There are two sides to this coin.   

I disagree somewhat. There are some poorly coached 14u teams. They are successful and draw talent based on winning due to chasing early bloomers. It can be dangerous for an early blooming hard thrower to be poorly coached and possibly overused and abused.

Hopefully your kid ain't playing for a travel team like that!.....ha what would be the point?

I totally agree. Just because a team travels doesn't mean they know how to manage pitchers.

 

Here is a very good suggestion passed on to me from someone who runs travel teams.

Before you run to sign up, talk with the organizers and coach about the expectations for your pitcher. But here is the catch, you do your homework first, you familiarize yourself with the guidelines for your sons age group, and see it it matches up with the people he will play for.  Its really that simple. If you don't like what you hear, then walk, if you do and they don't live up to that commitment, then you have a good argument on your side.

 

Originally Posted by Leftside:

It makes complete sense.  The pitch recommendations are made in a vacuum.  

 

You realize what you’re saying is that ASMI made their recommendations with no research, no experimentation, and with no experience, don’t you?

 

The other side of the issue is lack of preparation.  

Every year I see the same thing.  Kids (high school age) who are completely unprepared physically to pitch ending up with sore/dead arms and being put on the shelf.  It becomes a self fulfilling cycle.  Sore/tired arm, rest.  Happens again, more rest.  On and on.  

Pitch limits are good things and need to be enforced.  However, pitch limits really only speak to pitching not throwing and certainly not prep work.  

 

There’s no way I can think of to force conditioning on anyone because there’s no way to monitor every player 24/7.

 

…The idea that more rest and more time away from the activity of the sport (I am talking about throwing and not pitching form a mound) is somehow going to protect kids from injury is just silly.  

 

No one I’ve ever seen believes those things will protect anyone from injury. It’s more that ts believed to be a way to mitigate injury.

 

There needs to be balance.  Using recommendations that are set for pro pitchers, again, in most cases won't apply.  Four months contiguous rest for a 15 year old who pitched 22 innings of middling velocity over the summer? No need.  A pro guy who threw 180 innings of high stress, high velocity baseball? Yes. 

 

I agree, but try to convince all amateur coaches/parents/players not to use standards used by ML players and organizations.

 

Over use is a problem.  Under training is just as much a culprit as over use.  The rest aspect is easy, so, it gets a lot of talk.  At some point however, there needs to be more done.  Doing nothing (rest) is not doing something. 

 

When looking at the issue from strictly the injury perspective, how is doing nothing more dangerous?

 

I know of several kids in this age range who have gotten sore arms.  Their coaches had them rest, not pitch.  So, they went a season without pitching.  Next season comes around and they run into the same issue....again, rest.  The missing piece is what is happening between the sore arms and the next season which generally is next to nothing. 

 

You’re welcome to your opinion on this, but unless you know every one of those “several kids” personally and know for certain there wasn’t something else going on, your opinion hasn’t got a very good base.

 

Rest, recovery, arm care, throwing, physical preparation....there needs to be a balance of all of these things.  Other wise you end up with what may be going on now.  

 

Now those are very sound statements.

PG,

 

Overall I agree with your premise, but I honestly don’t see how just looking at the “best” pitchers from the time they’re fully mature will do a lot to solve the problem, although it would give more information than we have. The best way to do that would be to include ALL pitchers in the database from the time they’re 1^st allowed to pitch in a game.

All of my statements were basically saying the same thing.  

ASMI is a good organization.  But, Dr. Andrews is not Moses delivery wisdom from on high.  Rest is part of the puzzle, an important part, but only a part of it.  

Originally Posted by Leftside:

All of my statements were basically saying the same thing.  

ASMI is a good organization.  But, Dr. Andrews is not Moses delivery wisdom from on high.  Rest is part of the puzzle, an important part, but only a part of it.  

 

I don’t recall anyone saying Andrews was another Moses delivering wisdom from on high, nor that he ever advocated rest was all that was necessary to mitigate pitching injuries.

 

Who’s a “better” authority?

 

I think what causes a lot of discussion on this topic is that many people look for one answer that fits all, or even most, forgetting that every pitcher and every situation is different. Then, if even one small thing is wrong or if it’s shown to have not held true for even one player, the entire body of work is thrown out.

Agreed. 

That really was not directed at you.  

There seems to be a bit of an "Dr. Andrews" cult around.  When these discussions happen in my experience it is always about just one thing....rest and the recommendations of ASMI.   This study or that study stating the importance of rest.  

I agree that every player is unique and each players approach should be tailored to them.  

That is really at the core of what I am saying.  

ASMI recommending 4 months away from throwing for example is just a general guideline. 

But, I have spoken to many that take it as gold, without exception or discussion.  

 

Throwing hard, too often, when fatigued with less than perfect mechanics results in arm problems.  Why is this common sense observation even a point of debate?

 

In 1964 did we really need the Surgeon General to tell us smoking kills people?  Or to argue about it for another 30 years before it became common wisdom?

 

We will look back at some point and realize how obvious it was that the violence of throwing a baseball at plus 85 with joints, tendons and muscles that are immature with the amount of frequency we do today was simply nuts. 

 

We may find that if health is a primary driver that kids up to 13 or 14 should not throw more than 50 pitches a week and in HS that number may be no higher than 75.  Throwing might be limited to 6 months on and 6 months off with the balance of the time spent training to strengthen leg, abdominal and back muscles and tendons to lessen the load on the shoulder and elbow.

 

Increasingly I believe that anything over 85 pitches a week through HS is approaching irresponsible stress being placed on the arms of these kids.  I am sure to be in a distinct minority on this. 

 

We are in the early innings of reevaluating arm usage in baseball and like concussions in football I suspect we will look back at the treatment of arms in 2015 the same way we think about how concussions were handled in 1995 as foolishness.  The evidence was there but there was too much history or enough people would not or did not listen to Dr.'s who had nothing more than the health of participants at heart. 

 

Change is often slow to come, but it is coming in this area and naysayers should be getting prepared for the not just the possibility but the probability of finding out how wrong everything we have thought and taught up to now has been.

 

Luv, I'm in agreement.  So how does a parent tell the high school coach only 75 pitches for the week, please?

Go44dad, at the risk of sounding like a smarta**, I would say be straight up and frank with your discussions with your son's HS coach.  I truly believe most HS coaches have the best interest of the player at heart.  Sure they want to win, but I just find it hard to fathom that a coach would injure a player on purpose.  It really is about education.  I know when my son was in high school, his coach was very open to discussions about his usage, the coach specifically asked for the meeting to discuss these issues.  The bottom line is, as the parent, I have an obligation to my son to protect him the best way I know how.  Now that he is in college, my input is really not part of the process as they are paying (ie scholarship) my son to play for them.  Therefore, I personally feel they (school) have a vested interest in his health, so I would hope precautions are put in place to protect their investment.  I know kids have been abused in college.  We spent a lot of time researching pitching coaches and narrowed son's school choices with this in mind.  Just an opinion of a somewhat well-informed parent that wants the best for his son like everyone else.

Don't worry one day you will be arrested if you throw over 85 pitches in a week. No you, the parent will. The kid will be taken by force to a camp in the wilderness somewhere where you won't be able to find him when you finally get out. He will be forced to wear a bubble suit and mask. He will have to see a shrink and put in foster care once he is released. The foster family must promise to never allow their new child to ever do anything that might cause injury. Don't climb trees. Don't ride in the back of a pickup truck. Don't go swimming in a pond. And by all means do not allow the kid to throw a baseball too many times. Skipping rocks across a pond? No. Throwing football? No. Playing football? Of course not. Risk it a Mother! For God's sake do not take any risks. You might get hurt. Live safe and secure and be 45 with a nice healthy arm that never got risked.

 

I got two nice scars on my knees. I got a right shoulder that cracks and pops everytime I rotate my arm. I got some funny looking fingers that will not work as good when its really cold. Guess what? If I had just played it safe I would have no scars on my knees. My shoulder probably wouldn't ache from time to time like it does. And I would have straight fingers. Of course I wouldn't have the memories I have. I wouldn't have known the joy of competition. But then again I could be sitting around telling everyone how I should have, could have and would have. Funny thing about those scars and aches. They remind me everyday how I risked. How I lived. How I don't regret one freaking minute of it and would do it all over again in a second vs wondering what if?

 

Yes Yes YES, I understand there needs to be common sense applied. You need to educate coaches, parents and players. But rules and regulations will never take the place of common sense. Well they will but it will never work. This thing can go too far both ways people. Hey you never have to worry about TJ if you simply never throw hard. Never work your butt off to throw hard. Never push the limit. You will never strike out with the bases loaded and feel that pain if you simply don't play. You will never have to suffer the consequences of risk if you simply refuse to risk. Of course is that living?

 

TJ is where it is today because too many young kids who's bodies are not mature enough for the stress are pushed to far to soon. Young kids training very hard and very well throwing very hard at too young of an age. Throwing way too much and too hard too young to handle it. There needs to be better education of coaches, parents and players. There needs to be some common sense applied. There needs to be common sense rules in place as well.

 

I don't trust people in today's world to regulate with a common sense approach. So I prefer to regulate myself, risk to the degree I am willing to risk and live life not simply survive it. You see once people get their hands on these types of things they don't stop. And many times they are people who have never worn a jock strap in their life but are all too ready to tell you how it should be worn.

 

Please be advised there is some "joshing" in this post. But if you look close enough you will find some truth as well.

 

 

 

This I agree with.  Common sense.

 

For this, I'd like to know where you came up with that number.  This is well below the acknowledged "experts" recommendation.  Why would anything over 75 pitches for a 17 or 18 year old be "irresponsible"?

 

edit - you said 75 pitches, not 85.  

Coach May, That post is full of a lot of truth. Common sense, and understanding when the risk is not worth the potential reward. I 100% believe that guidelines can be very helpful. Common sense tells me all human beings are not the same. Some can lift 75 lbs, others can lift 300lbs.  Having the 75 lb lifter strain to lift 300 lbs can cause problems.  Then again if the 75 lb guy never tries to lift more he will never get much stronger.

 

Risk and Reward should always be considered at least a little.  in baseball the biggest reward is a ML career.  How many MLB pitchers should we believe played it safe when they were younger?  How many had nothing but great coaches?  How did they get that good?  Are there any ML pitchers that were extra diligent about safety when they were young? What is keeping Ardolis Chapman's UCL attached?  After all, he is throwing sometimes 20 mph over the danger 85 mph area. There are many now touching 100 or more, how can that be?  Why not do a study on those guys along with everyone else.  Is it possible to be a ML pitcher without taking some risks along the way.  Is it possible to be a college pitcher without taking some risks along the way?

 

The way I see it there are risks involved every time a pitcher steps on the mound.  There are certain risks that are important for development.  There are other risks that are just plain stupid.

 

Guidelines are good, they can help a lot, but there are a ton of questions that need to be answered.  Telling young kids to take it easy and not throw hard, just isn't ever going to happen.  Using words like epidemic is not something that will help grow the game.  Scaring the hell out of people can't possibly be the way to get more kids playing the game.  Maybe the game will be played with a pitching machine some day, when parents decide they will not let their kid pitch due to the epidemic.

 

There are a lot of things to think about.  Just think of how many TJ surgeries we would eliminate if there was NO baseball.

"

Funny thing about those scars and aches. They remind me everyday how I risked. How I lived. How I don't regret one freaking minute of it and would do it all over again in a second vs wondering what if?"

 

Coach I snap, popple, crack and agree with you!

 

 Getting hurt doing something I loved always made the pain a little more tolerable.

 

I have a son who is a college pitcher and he is well aware of what could possibly happen injury wise. I am sure in 20 years or so he will be making some odd noises when he lifts an arm. Do I think he would ever regret it ... no way.

 

That being said, I did everything in my power to educate him and protect that arm. I had no idea that my 10 year old kid would someday be throwing in the 90's. He's the one that has busted his butt and transformed himself into the pitcher he is now, I am just glad I was smart enough not to screw him up or get him injured along the way.

 

 

Funny thing is my kids Ortho has a "put him back together" philosophy.  His kids play football - go figure.  My kid broke his leg years ago and it never quite healed completely.  We were waiting for the go ahead to get back into the game.  And waiting.  Finally he says, "well we can't put him bubble wrap.  He should start playing again."  Mom says "Omg, what if he gets hurt again."  Dr. pulls up the x-ray and says "well, I'll put a pin here, and one here, and do this and that.  No problem." 

No evidence which is why I qualified with "Increasingly I believe".  I think someday sooner than latter experts may conclude 75 is the new 100.  In the meantime my instincts tell me at 75 to 85+ for HS pitchers the risk starts going up dramatically.  As noted repeatedly throughout this thread the level of precision on the number is impossible...for now. 

 

I would also restate the harder the thrower the higher the risk.  The 78-81 MPH guy is not at as much risk as the 89-92 guy.  The extra stress of velocity is a significant factor IMO.

Are we really going to get to the point where we need separate pitch count charts based on velocity? Does the 78-81mph kid get to throw a 100 pitches and the 89-92 guy only gets 50? The purpose of pitch count limits needs to be strictly to curb the ridiculous and extreme misuse of pitchers - not to provide the very safest course of action. Colorado starts pitch count rules next season. The most a pitcher will be allowed is 110 pitches in a game. Sure, there are guys for whom that is too many (the 92mph fireball pitcher) and guys who can do that without breaking a sweat (the 72mph junk pitcher). However, that's not the point. The point is simply to prevent the extreme cases.

---

Originally Posted by luv baseball:....The extra stress of velocity is a significant factor IMO.

 

Indeed it is, as is the additional stress of the score, inning, pitch count, number of outs, and position of the runners if any. IOW, there’s a heck of a lot more going on that messin’ with the pitcher’s gray matter than whether or not he’s able to throw a strawberry through the side of a battleship. But it’s really difficult when just about everything they hear from parent’s coaches, other players, hear on TV, read about, or use on the ol’ PS3 is it’s all about velocity.

 

That’s why I very often say keeping players in the game not just until they reach physical maturity is important, but mental maturity as well. that allows them to wade through all the dog rockets, cues, and clichés that have been beaten into their heads.

PG - You have a point on risk/reward.  The most dangerous thing every person does is get in an automobile.  No one would consider ending cars and driving.  But there are speed limits so you can't push as hard as you want.

 

Arm injuries in baseball are not a threat to the game the same way concussions are in football.  The only way for that to happen is if they are no longer covered by insurance.  Could the growing number of arm surgeries ever reach a cost to the health system that it gets the attention of the insurance companies or someday government officials seems unlikely.  Hip replacements for 60 and 70 olds will blow that away as a factor.

 

The other point you make is why did Nolan Ryan's arm never fall off?  It would be interesting to know if he had some unusual physiological gift in his arm.  Longer or stronger tendons, unusually strong rotator cuff.  Extra thickness to any or all of that that gave him unmatched durability.  If anything like that were true or the flip side of it that 90% of TJ had some physical weakness or shortcoming that can be seen in an MRI then perhaps that is the next evolution in the science. 

 

I would submit his pitching mechanics and body type were incredible which no doubt contributed to his longevity both in time but his stuff holding up.

We better be careful before some nutt case recommends taking out the UCL all together. I'm pretty sure RA Dickey was born without a UCL and didn't even know it until a photo for Team USA was taken and someone noticed he was holding his arm in a strange position. This lead to him dropping in the MLB draft that year. I saw or read a documentary about it. Really bizarre. I just think, like coach May and PG put it, common sense has to be applied and one has to accept there are inherent risks associated with anything that has a reward.

Nolan Ryan might be the best example because he threw more pitches than any human being and threw them as hard as anyone, too.  However, there are many examples that have had long careers without TJ surgery.

 

It is my belief that we should study those pitchers just as much as we do those that have had TJ surgery.  We might learn something very valuable by doing that.  Did they do something that allowed for their escape from injury? Were they born with different ligaments? Don't we want to know?

luv's post got me to thinking. Here's a thought experiment. let's say science got to the point that an MRI could look at the strength of your tendons, ligaments, etc. and give you a fairly precise estimate as to your limits. Given that, let's say that you are told you can throw 95, but only for a few years before the elbow is going to give. A 99% probability. Let's assume this will get you a few years in college or the minors, then it's going to be a series of surgeries with very little likelihood that your elbow will last long enough to reach the majors. Would you continue your career knowing you can last long enough to be a high school and college star, but almost definitely will not make the majors?

So we are in agreement then.  One of the real questions that has to be asked is how to prepare to throw those 75 or 85 pitches.  

Oh boy, now you gave the control freaks more ideas.

Originally Posted by roothog66:

Are we really going to get to the point where we need separate pitch count charts based on velocity? …

 

We don’t need no stinking charts! Baseball coaches are all competent, think first and foremost about each player’s safety and future health, and thus need no controls what-so-ever.

 

 

A great discussion, by a PHD in biomechanics, on why overuse may not be the problem for many who get hurt (and, in fact, pitch counts and too much rest could be detrimental, weakening muscles that protect the UCL):

http://www.drivelinebaseball.c...e-baseballs-problem/

Some of the article--

Usage restrictions are not helping because no one really knows where the line is between ‘acceptable use’ and ‘overuse.’ And the line will be very different for every pitcher. It will depend on many physiological factors, including physical fitness, that are constantly adapting and unique to each individual. A recent study attempted to find a general relationship between previous innings pitched and future injury in professional pitchers [1], but no significant correlations were found. Despite the lack of justification, organizations continue to excessively restrict throwing because they don’t know what else to do.

These excessive restrictions are a bad idea.

While rest is obviously necessary, it is too easy for a pitcher to go too far in this direction and severely undertrain. Without adequate training, the body is unprepared for the rigorous demands of pitching. A pitcher should not be so afraid of overuse that he or she never pushes the body’s limits. Responsible overloading is necessary for tissue adaptation. Muscles, in particular, get stronger and more capable from increased use and exposure to progressively increasing loads.

 

Mcloven, great post, wrong thread.

 

This is early teen's getting TJ surgery.  And the esteemed UCL Dr. tugging on cadaver ligaments until they break at the equivalent of 85 mph of force.

Younggun, you do not sound like a smar*** at all.  Good post.  Not there yet, so will let you know on how the conversation goes with a HS coach on parent imposed pitch limits.  (and it may not even be necessary)  Everyone so far (organization, MS coaches) I've had a good rapport with on my son and how much/when he pitches.

 

I don't know. I think, assuming that we're talking about 15-19 year olds rather than young teens, we're dealing with kids who are well into puberty and capable of putting on muscles. The same principles would apply. I also think, even with younger pitchers, there is a certain balance. Personally, I've always liked my own kid to throw a reasonable amount on a clockwork basis. If he has 7-10 days between starts, I like him to throw a heavy bullpen in between. I've followed that since he was 12.

mcloven,

 

Here’s a pretty good example of an inaccurate statement that gets taken as fact.Usage restrictions are not helping because no one really knows where the line is between ‘acceptable use’ and ‘overuse.’

 

How does this guy know usage restrictions aren’t helping at all? They may not have completely eradicated every pitching injury, but to say they aren’t helping at all is ludicrous.

 

What I liked is he referenced a study but failed to note that the limitations were IPs not # of pitches, that the pitchers in the study were professional pitchers who had thrown at least 1/3^rd of an inning in the ML, and that the span of time covered was 2002-2007. Seems like a pretty small group to look at, then to conclude the limitations aren’t helpful.

 

Sorry, but there’s still one Hell of a lot of study needed before anyone can conclude limitations are worthless.

That's the issue...and why it's obvious, according to Dr. Buffi, that muscles protect the UCL. In real life, they don't break at 85 mph. Muscles absorb some of the stress.

Could it be that, in years past, teenagers didn't spend as much time in front of TVs/video games/computers and then go out and play sports with an emphasis on performance?  Maybe they go from 0-90 MPH too quick? We don't know for sure.

Throwing less could theoretically make muscles weaker and cause ligaments to adapt less.

Is everyone's UCL created equally?  What about Brady Aiken (smaller UCL)? Do some people break bones under stress when others don't?  Clearly there are differences in biology.  

 

We know that ligaments adapt to stress...does the "under stressing" (too little throwing or exercise) of ligaments cause them to be weaker?: http://www.rehab.research.va.g...r/00/37/2/wren2.html  http://link.springer.com/chapt...F978-4-431-68317-9_9

https://books.google.com/books...20stress&f=false

 

Bottom line is there are multiple ways of looking at the issue.  Maybe younger players should do more "throwing" and less pitching to strengthen the various muscles.  Dunno. I don't know that anyone has all of the answers... 

 

Scorekeeper, in fairness, you're a scorekeeper, he's a PHD in biomechanics...you can question it, but he didn't pull this out of thin air (Dr. Buffi has several peer reviewed studies that discuss the contribution of muscles:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4340741/&nbsp 

 

Just throwing stuff out there (pardon the pun).

 

(mcloven) ..."Bottom line is there are multiple ways of looking at the issue.  Maybe younger players should do more "throwing" and less pitching to strengthen the various muscles.  Dunno. I don't know that anyone has all of the answers..."

 

Above is what I subscribe to with my son.  Throw a lot, pull crossover symmetry bands, count and limit innings with ASMI rules, play football and basketball.  Have a pitching coach that emphasises mechanics.  If any downtime, get him to PLEX (local workout gym) for speed, agility, core and explosive type work.  

 

BTW his pitching coach believes in the throw a lot, don't pitch too much philosophy. He's Dominican, got a ring.  So does his dad.

 

Also agree with different Biologies that you mention.

Just tons of variables.  One kid may look big and strong and one kid stringy and weak, but, the skinny kid is more prepared to throw.  

My sons summer team (19U) put in strict pitch limits, first 70 then 80 pitches over the summer.  Another thing they did that I really thought was great is they let guys know days in advance when they were starting and at least a day before if they were in the schedule to come out of the pen.  They had a basic band warm up thing but basically it was up to the guys to prepare themselves and be ready.  Nothing worse than a guy playing OF and getting called in to pitch....I was still seeing teams do this even at 19U. 

Some guys (I usually watch the games hanging on the fence by the bull pen) complained often about being stiff and sore ect. even if they never got close to their pitch count limit.  

Others had no issues or complaints.  

After the summer season my son wants to "stretch" his arm out a bit and threw in a mens league game.  He was shooting for 100 pitches, he threw 112 and experienced no measurable soreness.  A little stiff the next day but worked that out easily.  

A balance of rest, throwing and prep is king. 

 

It's the WINDOW man. That window of opportunity. It's open for a short period of time then it is gone - gone - PERIOD. Right now if I wanted to ride in a balloon, go to the beach, go hunting, fishing, boating, go to Disney, go on a Safari, whatever I can go for it. But no matter how much money I have or who I know I can not bring back the WINDOW of OPPORTUNITY. No matter how healthy my arm is. No matter how many days of rest I got between starts. No matter how many pitch counts I was on. Its GONE.

 

There are those years proceeding the window of opportunity. Those years you are preparing for that window. There are those years when you are in the window of opportunity. And then there is rest of your life when the window is closed. Slammed shut.

 

Would I trade a couple scars on my elbow a TJ procedure for the opportunity right now? Hell yes. Oh hell yes. As long as there are young men out there with a fire in their belly, a passion to compete, a true desire to be the absolute freaking best, to throw it and hear those seams sizzle, to blow it by his as s, forget it. They are going to do what they got to do and ball out.

 

Now some guy who has never known that. Never looked in the eyes of a 17 year old man who has spent his entire life 9? to 17 working for that window of opportunity. He is going to tell a kid "70" pitches son. Once a week. Be careful. Don't risk it. Don't over do it. That's not going to cut it. That mentality is a loser's mentality. Oh it's safer. Nothing great is ever achieved playing it safe. Not in this window that is so short.

 

Teach kids proper mechanics. Don't let them over throw. But push them. Reach out. Push past where others are going. There is a short window of opportunity and you got to go for it. And yes with that mentality there is risk. But you will never throw hard without the intent to throw hard. You will never get that bull dog mentality worried about getting hurt. Afraid to push out to test the limits. These people want to regulate everything. How long will it be before they regulate the competitive fire right out of the kids?

 

There is risk. There will always be risk for those willing to risk. Stop Billy you have thrown enough today. Don't over do it Billy. Stop Billy your going to hurt your arm. Billy you threw yesterday don't you think you should take a day off? Billy doesn't know what he can do becaue he has never been allowed to find out. Billy doesn't know how to dig down because he has never been allowed to dig down. Billy has been conditioned to believe he only has this. He will never know he had that.

 

Prepare properly for that window of opportunity. Be ready to perform during that window of opportunity. Live your post window of opportunity life knowing you didn't save all your bullets for when you won't need them. I am just offering a different perspective. If your not careful you will have a kid so consumed with the risk of getting hurt instead of pushing it to be his best when it matters the most, he will miss his window of opportunity. But at least he won't have any scars. 

 

"Drops the Mic."  Coach May killed it.

Excellent.