PARENT SURVIVAL GUIDE
The average velocity at every level is going up. Therefore, although very few are saying it, stress to soft tissue is, of course, going up as well. Parents and athletes have two primary choices: The Truth About Soft Tissue, Part 2
When I was pitching as a 9-year-old in 1969, it was fairly uncommon to see an 85-plus mph high school pitcher. Today it is almost a necessity to throw with that velocity to even
1) Stay safe and be passed over for other athletes willing to risk injury; or
2) Risk injury themselves
have an opportunity to pitch for the better high schools in California, Florida, Arizona, Texas, and the rest of the Deep South.
THIS MONTH IN BASEBALL HISTORY Baseball’s Biggest Legend Is Born The history of baseball includes no shortage of titanic personalities. From the showmanship of Satchel Paige to the aphoristic wit of Yogi Berra, the MLB has seen more than its fair share of larger-than-life figures. Even among this crowd, Babe Ruth stands out as baseball’s ultimate legendary character. This month would have been the Great Bambino’s 122nd birthday. Born on Feb. 6, 1895, to a hardworking German-American family, George Herman Ruth Jr.’s life began humbly. As a child, he was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, a tough environment where he was first introduced to baseball. He was a natural from the start, playing multiple positions and excelling at them all. His pro career began in 1914 with the Baltimore Orioles, his hometown team. In July of that year, he was traded to the Red Sox and began dominating the league. Though he entered the majors as a pitcher, he eventually became a towering slugger. In December 1919, he was sold to the New York Yankees, where his fame reached unprecedented levels. Ruth’s legend is based on his otherworldly numbers, but his personality is almost as integral to his legend. He drank, smoked cigars, and frequented the hot spots of his day. He may not have lived a healthy lifestyle, but nevertheless, he put his stamp on the game. Cleaning up mechanical inefficiencies is imperative. Managing workloads, scheduling downtime, and focusing on recovery only makes good common sense. Wishing for an ideal environment or lamenting that situations are not copacetic, on the other hand, is a giant waste of time. Here at the Texas Baseball Ranch ® , we expend our energy on the variables we can affect. We hope you do, too. If your athlete has decided pitching a baseball is something he is truly serious about, then preparing his soft tissue for the stress it will encounter, improving mechanical efficiencies, managing workloads, and paying attention to growth plate issues, growth spurts, tenderness, tightness, and pain is not only a good idea, but mandatory due diligence. As the bar for entry into top-level baseball gets set higher and higher, the risk of injury to soft tissue and growth plates also increases. Once parents and athletes decide they are willing to go for it, the risk of injury to the young pitcher becomes a fact of life. Many parents and athletes are either naive about those risks or have chosen to stick their heads in the proverbial sand and hope everything will turn out okay. As we often say at the Texas Baseball Ranch ® : “Hope is NOT a plan!”
To be taken seriously for the major league draft, the standard for high school and college pitchers has also steadily increased. Many
pitchers throwing in excess of 92 mph will not even be considered by MLB organizations.
Bottom line: Velocity is coveted by athletes for the very reason that velocity is coveted by coaches at every level. Young athletes and their supporters will actively look for ways to throw with more velocity. And in fact, that is exactly what has happened.
UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMPS
June 8-10 (Fri-Sun) June 22-24 (Fri-Sun) July 6-8 (Fri-Sun)
July 20-22 (Fri-Sun) Aug 10-12 (Fri-Sun) Sept 1-3 (Sat-Mon) EXTENDED STAY SUMMER PROGRAM
June 4 - Session I begins July 2 - Session II begins
More information go to www.texasbaseballranch.com/events
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR OATES SPECIALTIES! STRATEGIC PARTNER,
www.OatesSpecialties. com/Durathro
3 Where You Can DREAM as BIG as Your Work Ethic Will Allow! PHONE (936) 588-6762
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