Friday, June 10, 2011

Important Baseball Safety Principles

By Athena Hunter


Baseball is not the only sport where safety must be priority one but it is the one we'll discuss here. Most people will underestimate just how dangerous the sport of baseball can be. Hockey and football are often considered dangerous even though the players are well equipped with safety gear however these same precautions aren't often followed to the same degree. Still we must also consider the safety of the players in the game of baseball.

Many consider the pitching position to be the hardest in this game with many injuries occurring here. Even the best players can become injured and this is no different for young players whose muscles and bones aren't yet fully developed. If your pitcher is feeling pain it's important for them to discontinue pitching and avoid overdoing it. Coaches or managers should be alert to any signs of pain or injury, as a pitcher might be inclined to ignore an injury in the heat of the game. Different leagues have guidelines for how many pitches or innings a pitcher should play, and these should always be followed.

That's why coaches should instruct players who should cover which parts of the field to avoid confusion. Communication and alertness can prevent most collisions, and players have to learn to be aware of who's nearby. There are many debates going on in baseball regarding the safety of metal bats. Because they are much stronger than wooden bats, a lot of hitters really like using them. Also, they have a larger impact when the ball is hit. Quite naturally, this is the very reason that they are so dangerous. Advocates of getting rid of metal bats say that team players on the field do not have the necessary time to respond to the ball being struck. A few studies recommend that wooden bats should be used instead of metal ones, especially when it comes to reducing injuries in younger ball players. If you or your child's baseball group lets you use metal bats, then this might be an issue worth addressing. Even if you have to keep buying new wooden bats, safety should be the first priority.

Running the bases is another area of baseball where safety must be considered. There are many possible pitfalls when running the bases. To begin with, you don't run straight ahead, but around the shape of the infield, which can make it easier to trip or sprain something. Someone running the bases has to decide whether to land on the base, slide or continue on to the next base. Knowing how to run the bases correctly is important, for this is a part of the game that can be hazardous if players forget their form or slide the wrong way. The better a player's overall fitness, of course, the less chance that an injury will occur when base running. Coaches should drill players on base running skills so that they know how to do this safely and effectively.

Baseball safety, as we've seen in this article, can be easily improved by following some common sense rules. If everyone is attentive and has the proper equipment, baseball can be a relatively safe sport. The responsibility for players' safety is shared by the players themselves, managers and coaches, and younger players, naturally, need extra supervision.




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