Wearing out the players prior to game time!!

I'm in a posting mood tonight...And this won't answer your question but I will say this: Regardless of the amount or type of prior workout, too many coaches don't either realize the beefits of STRETCHING before and after a game or just allow a cursory stretch. Baseball is a violent sport in that it requires long periods of relative inactivity followed by brief periods of all-out muscular/skeletal demands. Conditioning (muscle tone) is vital as is stretching to keep those muscles warm and loose. From a physiology standpoint, athletes need to supply the muscles with oxygen prior to placing demands on those muscles. Ever watch a real ballet dancer stretch before a performance? They will typically spend no less than one hour doing so. After the performance another thirty minutes to an hour of the same. Ballet puts unbelievable demands on the human body - if you think pitching overhand is an 'unnatural' act that asks the body to do something it really is not designed to do, try spinning on your toes for an hour! These dancers rarely have injuries that wind up limiting thier performances. Stretching is the key.
Sorry, too much coffee tonight.

jwonbb

I am with you 100%---too many players do not stretch enough---the more stretching one does the less apt he is to tear a muscle etc-- to make it worse all too many coaches look at it is almost unnecessary

TRhit

Kids want to hit the field and start throwing and hitting etc and do not want to take the time to stretch properly. They only realize the importance of this when someone gets injured then it is too late. I feel that it is the most overlooked aspect of pregame and prepractice. The very first thing you should do is full upper and lower stretching taking your time to make sure it is done properly and not just going through the motions.

We have been known to get to games two hours ahead of time with the first 30 to 45 minutes spent in stretching and getting loose before picking up the ball and glove

TRhit