Youth Baseball

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In its June 2007 Clinical Report, "Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes," the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) addresses the alarming increase in the number of overuse injuries, which it defines as "microtraumatic damage to a bone, muscle or tendon that has been subjected to repetitive stress without sufficient time to heal or undergo the natural reparative process." More >>

Hydration Essentials

Because children tolerate heat and humidity less well than adults, there may be times when it will be necessary to modify or even cancel practices due to extremely hot or humid conditions. In deciding whether to do so, you should keep in mind the following. More >>

Beginning with the 2007 season, Little League Baseball will drop its decades-old pitching rules - which limited pitchers age 12 and under to six innings per week and six innings per game, with the number of innings increasing for older age groups ?in favor of rules based on pitch count, with the number of allowable pitches based on the pitcher's age and with specific rest periods between pitching appearances when a pitcher reaches higher thresholds of pitches delivered in a day. More >>

Coaches and parents often ask me whether a child's grades in school should impact their ability to play organized team sports. It is a difficult question to which there are no easy answers. More >>

When Boston Red Sox centerfielder Johnny Damon collided with teammate Damian Jackson during the fifth and decisive game of the team’s American League Division Series with the Oakland Athletics, laying unconscious on the field for several minutes, he suffered what all three major concussion grading systems term a Grade 3 concussion. More >>

Once children enter elementary school, they begin to develop eating patterns that are more independent of a parent's influence and scrutiny. New activities and peers begin to influence food choices as your child is exposed to a variety of new foods and different social situations. Your child's food choices will tend to be repetitious, so that the foods they include in their diets remain relatively constant over time. More >>

Each summer, 12-year-old boys are thrust into the spotlight of the Little League World Series. It is a great thrill for most of them to be on TV and have the whole country watch them compete play against the best young baseball players in the world for what is truly a world championship. While it may be fun to watch, we have to ask the question: is it good for these kids to be under so much pressure? More >>

Little League Baseball^® and Little League Softball^® will be mandating the use by all leagues of bases that disengage their anchor (e.g. "breakaway bases") beginning with the 2008 season, and is encouraging leagues to begin the process of implementing breakaway bases during the 2006 season so that the process is completed by the 2008 season. Here's why Little League is implementing this long-overdue safety rule: More >>

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The youth baseball team my sons had been playing on all spring had reached the championship game. There were two out in the bottom of the last inning. Our team was down by a run, but the bases were loaded. One of my sons, Taylor, was at the plate. It was a pressure-packed situation, but Taylor had been a clutch hitter all season long and was the team's leader in runs batted in. A walk would tie the game. A hit to the outfield might win it. More >>

To reduce the risks that your child will be injured playing youth, middle school or high school baseball, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Consumer Product Safety Commission, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and other sports and health organizations recommend the following. More >>

When my first daughter was born, 28 years ago, I was a very young, very optimistic woman. I was determined my daughter would not be gender-stereotyped. After all, it was the early 1970’s; I had been doing my marching in Washington to ensure that she would have parity with all the little boys in anything she pursued. More >>

Each year, about 400 children and adults in the U.S. are struck by lightning while working outside, at sports events, on the beach, mountain climbing, mowing the lawn or during other outdoor activities. More >>

• Your equipment should fit properly and be worn correctly.
• Wear a batting helmet at the plate, when waiting a turn at bat, and when running bases.
• Facial protection devices that are attached to batting helmets are available in some leagues. These devices can help reduce the risk of a serious facial injury if a ball hits you.
• Wear molded, cleated baseball shoes that fit properly.
• Inspect the playing field for holes, glass, and other debris.
  Read Full List >>

Hydration Essentials

Because children tolerate heat and humidity less well than adults, there may be times when it will be necessary to modify or even cancel practices due to extremely hot or humid conditions. In deciding whether to do so, you should keep in mind the following.
More >>

Lessons Learned

When I pick up a newspaper only to read another youth sports horror story about parents fighting at a youth hockey, football or baseball game with each other or with coaches or umpires, I often think back to the time when I was playing youth baseball...More >>

Safety Tip: From The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Tips To Prevent Baseball Injuries: Each year, almost 500,000 baseball-related injuries are treated. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
offers the following tips to prevent baseball injuries. More >>

What youth sports have the most mouth injuries? If you answered football or hockey, you would be wrong! Because the use of mouth guards in youth and high school football, lacrosse, and ice hockey has been mandatory since the early 1970's, these sports have experienced a dramatic decline in the number of dental and jaw injuries. More >>