What have you done to get your kid ready to play?

Yes - I always told both of my boys to play hard all the time - or get the hell off the field.

Every pitch - every play.

Thats about it.

i'm embarassed to say, when oldest was in LL he took a shot off his shin. after a few sniffles and a lump that looked like it had a baseball under the skin. i put an ice pack under his sanitery and told him to tuck his skirt in and play ball. that's where learned the meaning of tough. i'd be arrested today.

Its,
I hear ya. 100% all of the time. Every play. That's why the tailbone and concussion. His coach has told him to take it easy but he doesn't know how! Its the only time I have ever told him to ignore the coach.

Doughnutman,

Only the player - and maybe his doctor - knows whether he is hurt - or he is just sore.

If he is hurt - he needs to stop. IMO.

When it comes to concussions - and I can speak from experience on this - it makes alot more sense to err on the conservative side.

I'll bring the coffee, you bring the doughnuts!

DO NOT rush back from a concussion.

Concussions are a real serious issue. Please check out the outside the lines high school concussions another poster suggested.

Doughnutman--please watch your son carefully. We had a player have an injury such as that and there could be serious ramifications. His doctor advised time off for several weeks. You may want to have it checked if it is still painful.

quote:

Originally posted by Doughnutman:
Its,
I hear ya. 100% all of the time. Every play. That's why the tailbone and concussion. His coach has told him to take it easy but he doesn't know how! Its the only time I have ever told him to ignore the coach.

I am not understanding why you would tell your son to ignore the coach.
Coaches love to have players that are competitive and play hard. But they don't appreciate risk takers. As you move to the next level, accidents can mean loss of position and as you move further up maybe a loss of scholarship or no scholarship at all due to serious injury.
I think it's important to instill the love of the game and play your hardest everytime you are in teh game, but when players continue to get hurt, one should sit down and have a serious talk about the consequences of easing up a bit.

For his current condition, you should seek medical advice. JMO.

"Anybody else have to do crazy stuff for your player?"


No

TPM...so true....mine has always been praised for his hard nosed, aggressive play. We always joke around that he only has 1 speed and that's all out, 50,000 mph.....however, recently we've been approached by several pro scouts concerned w/ his all out play and that he needs to know when to turn it up and when to scale it back some, their concerns are that he may increase his chances for injuries at the pro level. There's a difference between hustle and playing with a wreckless abandon.

I understand the seriousness of a concussion. He was cleared by his Doctor to play from all three issues. I was directed to a couple of links in the conditioning section when I asked some questions about concussions. He is a ok. But we are watching him very closely.

We love baseball, but I love my son's health a 1000 times more.

I hope I haven't done anything crazy. I agree with TPM here. Play the game as it is to be played but let’s be smart about it. When my son pitched in college I tried not to think about the dangers of the rockets coming off the aluminum bats of the gorilla ball teams. When he was behind the plate I cautioned him about the idiots on the base paths and taught him how protect his body during collisions. With bare hands exposed I warned him it would be a matter of time before the finger was broken. After two surgeries three pins in the fingers and countless bruises and concussions plus the lingering effects of post concussion syndrome, I still caution him. Play hard, be smart, stay healthy and good luck!
Fungo

Most important thing you can do for your son if he is a pitcher and wants to have something left for college:

1. Take two-three months off (Oct-Dec) -- no throwing.
2. Limit your son to 100 pitches a week during the season and no more than one start every six days.
3. If your son plays a position when not pitching - he should only pitch once a week.

If a coach is telling the kid to give the injury , especially a concussion, more time then do so--there is a reason he is doing this as most coaches want a starter back as rapidly as is possible---at the youth age you do not mess with concussions

Son had a bike accident hours before a big tryout and got a huge gash in his forearm. Hubby's a doc, we had a suture kit at home for some reason, but no xylocane (numbing meds.) Son did a RAmbo and bit his lip while hubby put 5 stiches in at the kitchen table. Son made the tryout, and the team, with blood seeping through his sleeves the entire time.

BUT he has sat out several games following a concussion: the risk of sudden death because brain cortex hadn't healed is of concern to me. Son also tried playing through a hip-flexor injury last season but it wasn't worth it. Mechanics changed to compensate for pain and so he just didn't play as well. He ended up sitting out, getting phys therapy and going back when the muscle was healed. You gotta know when to back off.

trepfan, sorry I don't agree with taking 2-3 months off with no throwing. I don't believe it has ever been proven that throwing year-round (not pitching) will harm you. In fact I believe it does the opposite--it improves arm health and lessens the chances for injury.

Bum

My husband believes that same thing. Son never threw hard in the winter, but always threw some when the weather was warm enough. I think about 3 times a week at least. He threw too many innings in the spring imo, but suffered no serious long lasting pains. So either my opinion is lacking (possible!) or the continuous throwing helped!


Son has been bruised and burned (sliding) but (knock on wood) not seriously injured. (he did once rip off a finger nail, NOT fun, and caused less than 100% performances for several games. Ick, still makes me :::shudder::: He never acts like anything hurts while on the field. I guess there is a bit of pride on the line to see how far they can push themselves. So seems like our job is to keep them pushing too hard.

At eleven my son was tackled going to the hoop in basketball. He banged his head on the floor and twisted his knee. He would have been removed for the game had it not happened at the buzzer. He played the next day after icing his knee constantly (swelling went away), having it taped and being examined by a pediatrician just before pregame warmups.

At twelve my son, playing s****r goalie was kicked in the head and the player landed knee first on the back of his neck while diving for the ball on a rebound off the post. The lights went out. There was no question he was done for the rest of that game regardless of how he insisted he was OK at halftime.

Again at twelve my son was shot. He was not allowed to play until the entry wound and the surgical cut closed.

This fall, at fourteen he played fall ball and s****r (goalie) with a slight hairline fracture in his thumb after being cheap shotted with a high slide on a tag play. He came out of the game. His wrist swelled immediately. He missed one s****r game waiting for the swelling to go down for an xray. He played the rest of fall ball and s****r taped.

In each case, a doctor made the call on if and when he would play. His agility was watched very closely during the game with the twisted knee. He would have been yanked from the game if he winced or favored it.

My son did learn in middle school if he took an ice pack from the trainer, out came the paper work and playing was over. I don't have an issue with toughing it out on bumps, bruises and bangs as long as it doesn't involve the head, neck or knees.

In high school my son will have more personal leeway on playing and/or staying in games providing I don't have to override a bonehead decision.

RJM-
He was shot?
Accidentally I hope.

Nothing spectacular but first game of a wood tourney in Wisc. son lays down a beauty and legs it out, only to pull up hobbling after passing 1st. We got at least 3 more games to go here and we really need him. Seems all the other round ball he played the previous 5 days in Indians fatigued his muscle on top of his thigh and he pulled it a good one! Well in between games we run to the drug store and get a couple bandages and some tape and wrapped him up like a christmas present. Next game he one hops one off the fence and half way to 3rd they're just picking up the ball. i was laughing so hard coaching 3rd cause I knew I was gonna hold him up and I knew he was gonna be ****ed! I can still see him coming into second hobbling like crazy and picking me up only to see me holding my hands up.

quote:

Originally posted by iheartbb:
RJM-
He was shot? Accidentally I hope.

I shot him for not hustling. Actually, a sore loser in a whiffle ball game went in his house, got a gun, waited for my son to come out of hiding and shot him. An older brother once shot an arrow at a kid. Both kids have issues. You would be shocked at the demographics of the town. It's hardly a ghetto. It's a perfect example of how parenting (or lack of) has more impact on these kinds of incidents than the neighborhood.

The kid got probation, required anger management training and a restraining order to keep his distance from my son for a year other than school classes and sports. His parents didn't ground him.

you've got to be kidding me !~ WOW