Sunday, July 10, 2011

Suggestions for Playing Baseball without Getting Hurt

By Athena Hunter


In any sport, safety should be a priority, and this holds true for baseball as much as any other sport. Many players, coaches and parents will underestimate the degree of danger posed with playing baseball. If you've seen other contact sports like hockey and football you have seen how well they are protected compared with baseball. Yet in the game of baseball, a hard ball is thrown at blaring speeds and heavy bats are often thrown which is cause for safety concerns.

First, managers and coaches need to be aware of players' pre-existing medical conditions. For example if a player has an injury that hasn't had enough time to completely heal you won't want them making the injury worse by continuing to play while injured. Injuries that happen during game play need to be immediately assessed. Some players will try to put up a brave front and act like they aren't badly hurt, but coaches or managers have to use their best judgment and decide if medical attention should be sought. In some cases, such as an ankle sprain or a pitcher with a shoulder injury, to continue playing can make the condition much worse.

It's important to drill players on this type of scenario so they know which fielder should be given the play, based on where it is. Both infielders and outfielders must learn to keep an eye on other players as well as the ball for safety reasons. There are a lot of debates involving baseball in terms of using metal bats. Many hitters like them because they're more durable than wooden bats. 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 banning metal bats argue that players on the field, especially pitchers, don't have adequate time to react when balls are hit with these bats. 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 league still uses metal bats, you may want to look into this. Even if new wooden bats have to be bought just to replace the old ones, safety should still be a top priority.

In any sport, the right footwear is extremely important, and this holds true for baseball as well.

As you can see safety in baseball is nothing more than a matter of paying attention to details. Players should be reminded that they must always wear the proper protective gear and be aware of what's going on at all times, whether playing a game or practicing. The best thing you can do for your own safety (aside from wearing protective gear is to have a keen awareness of your surroundings.




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