While the rest of you spent your winter break by either treading
water in the surf off the Hawaiian coastline, traversing the slopes
of Lake Tahoe, or just actually taking a break, I spent part of
mine in Birmingham, Ala.
While the rest of you spent your winter break by either treading water in the surf off the Hawaiian coastline, traversing the slopes of Lake Tahoe, or just actually taking a break, I spent part of mine in Birmingham, Ala.
Not by design, but by invitation. I may have had to change planes numerous times, dodge bad weather and eat at hotel breakfast bars, but it was well worth the trip. I kept in mind that I was invited.
I could have chosen to attend spring training with the pitchers and catchers in Arizona and await the arrival of Barry Bonds or I could have demonstrated my snowboarding prowess on the slopes, much to the chagrin of my wife, or, taken surfing lessons on the North Shore. None of these excited me more than heading south to gain a wealth of knowledge that I wouldn’t get in the sand and surf.
So what does Birmingham have to do with youth baseball? Plenty. It’s the home of the American Sports Medical Institute, one of the most prestigious and premier medical facilities in the country dedicated to education, research and continued development in the area of arm care.
They deal with professionals as well and work in other areas, but they’re most noted for work in arm rehabilitation and medical research. Headed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, the ASMI has a dedicated support staff championed by researcher Dr. Glenn Fleisig, physical therapist Kevin Wilk and over hundreds of others.
Recently, the ASMI has been in the news because of the national Little League pitch count program. With research provided by the ASMI, Little League instituted the program which begins this year. The conclusion of the ASMI was that most problems and injuries occur because of overuse to a young pitcher’s arm.
I soon realized upon my arrival that the ASMI meant business as evidenced by the biomechanics lab, countless number of cameras fixated on walls and ceilings and staffers scurrying around compiling statistical and pictorial data.
After viewing and reading a sample biomechanics evaluation of a young pitcher, I concluded that every youth coach and parent should realize that more goes into a young child’s development in pitching and throwing than just the X’s and O’s..
Parents, especially, should know that the ASMI is keeping young athletes best interests at hand, and youth coaches should try examining what medical professionals have uncovered and are teaching so that they can convey the message to your child.
One thing the ASMI and I agree on was that pitching mechanics have evolved over the last 15-20 years and what was taught in the 70’s and 80’s is now quite outdated. And, things are still evolving as more research and technology becomes available to professional instructors.
On a daily basis, the ASMI battles insurmountable odds in trying to reach the American public with the message of taking care of a child’s arm. They stress rest, building core strength through push ups and sit ups, moderation in throwing and strengthening an arm and proactive measures to accomplish these goals and objectives. A lot of America is not getting this message. Kids are being pushed beyond what they can handle.
My fact finding trip brought to the fore front a number of issues. It’s quite evident that most parents and youth coaches don’t understand the complexities of a child’s arm and how to care for it on a year-round basis. They have no one to rely on to get the information. So they do what they’ve always done. Which in itself, is a problem, because outdated mechanics are being taught and unknowingly to everyone, possible stress and injury may occur.
It’s time to step out of the box and learn the cutting edge technology and research that’s being done by the ASMI in the area of arm care. You owe it to yourself, your team and your son or daughter. For more information, visit their Web site at www.asmi.org and you’ll gain various measures of knowledge that can carry over for your child’s career. Some are eye openers.
Yeah, I could have gotten a better tan last week or sipped hot chocolate after a hard day maneuvering banks and moguls, but I decided to make myself a better coach and instructor, and after all, those breakfast bars in Birmingham make a great omelet complimented with grits. Who could pass that up?
