Do an internet search on "Baseball Performance Training and Injury Prevention" and you will get pages and pages of information.  It's easy for a baseball parent to get so overwhelmed with information that they run the risk of making decisions based upon partial information while comparing it to recommendations on various websites.

Consistency is critical

When it comes to maximizing sports performance and minimizing the risk of injury, consistency is critical.  The physician, physical therapist, coach, and performance trainer may all have differing opinions on how best to train a baseball player and keep him or her healthy over the course of a season (or, increasingly, seasons). Recommendations for pitch counts, number of games played, strength and conditioning regimens, and even identification of warning signs may differ, depending on which expert you consult.  Finding individuals that practice similar philosophies from injury to sport performance is difficult, forcing a parent to piece together various recommendations that may end up hurting, rather than helping, their child's performance and exposing them to injury.

Ask the experts

In collaboration with physicians for the St. Louis Cardinals, MomsTEAM wants to hear from baseball parents.  What's on your mind when it comes to baseball? If you had the opportunity to sit in front of an orthopedic doctor and ask them anything about baseball, what would it be? Dr. Luke Choi, associate physician for the St. Louis Cardinals and director for Center for the Athlete's Shoulder and Elbow, wants to hear from you.

Use the comments section below or in the Facebook post of this article to ask your questions about youth baseball.  We will review your questions and present some of the best to Dr. Choi. We will then post a follow-up article with her answers.

So, ask away, and watch this space!

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