So the spring season starts in two weeks, and yesterday my 14u son spoke the words that no baseball dad wants to hear:
“My arm hurts.”
It’s hard to get a straight answer from him, but I think it’s hurting him on the back of his arm right above the elbow and not the elbow itself. But maybe that’s wishful thinking, because it’s basically hurting him in the elbow.
This past January, we enrolled him in a weighted ball velocity program for the first time. As anyone involved with youth baseball knows, pitchers are mainly judged by how hard they throw. And my son ended last season throwing in the low to mid 60s, making him average, maybe even a little below average. I knew for him to be taken seriously as a pitcher going forward, he needed to throw harder. I was aware that there were some risks to weighted ball programs, but my son was a sturdy kid who generally didn’t have arm issues, so it seemed worth it.
And even now when he’s reported some pain, it still seems worth it. The other kids are all doing weighted ball programs. And the truth is if my son doesn’t throw harder, coaches won’t view him as a pitcher and he won’t pitch. And he loves to pitch.
I reached out to his pitching coach today to talk about my son’s elbow pain. He thankfully told me it sounded like a lower tricep inflammation, as compared to an elbow injury.
“He’s definitely overworking his arm,” our coach said.
That seemed like a weird thing for him to say, because the coach was the one running the weighted ball program and doing my son’s pitching lessons.
“Is he lifting weights?” the coach asked.
My son doesn’t lift weights yet, but I recently got him a Tidal Tank for core drills and he does one drill where he grabs onto the contraption by its handles and takes a swing and finishes with the weighted tank high above his head with locked arms.
“I wouldn’t do anything overhead with weights,” the coach said.
I hadn’t even thought of that drill as putting more stress on his arm, because I’m an idiot.
The coach’s directions was to ideally not throw for 24-hours from when he reported the pain. When I told him we had a practice today where my son might do some light throwing, he said it was okay to go, but that I should have him stretch his arm good before throwing and shut it down if he feels any pain.
So hopefully this is no big deal and he’ll be good to go for season in two weeks. The takeaway for me is that I need to be really aware of the things that could be putting additional stress on my kid’s arm. It’s almost like when you’re dieting and don’t realize one food you’re eating has tons of calories. You need to be aware of it all.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY INJURY WHODUNITS? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS.
For information about the emotional side of baseball, see:
- I Spent 30K on Youth Baseball Last Year; Here’s How
- Anger Management and Youth Baseball: How to Calm Down
- How to Manage Your Kid’s Baseball Tantrums and Meltdowns
- 4 Ways to Respond to a Coach Playing Favorites
- How to Stop Being a Crazy Baseball Dad
- How to Be a Good Baseball Dad in the Backyard
- Is It Now Fashionable to Hate On Baseball Dads?
- Are Local Little Leagues Bad for Baseball?
For information on hitting, see:
- How to Get Out of a Hitting Slump
- 4 Best Baseball Batting Aids (No. 3 is Free)
- 4 Hitting Drills You Need to Do Before Every Game
- 4 Old School Baseball Drills You Need to Be Using
- 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Baseball Bat
For information on pitching, see:
- What You Need to Know About Little League Elbow
- 4 Ways To Increase Your Kid’s Pitching Velocity
- Is the Circle Change Dangerous for Youth Pitchers?
- Why I Don’t Let My Son Pitch in Little League
- How to Make Sure Your Kid Isn’t Overpitched in Basebal
For ways to get faster, see: