Greater Newark Baseball League: Safety
GNBL Safety RulesGreater Newark Baseball League
Preseason, Season & Post Season Player Safety & Health Guidelines
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:
Before The Season Starts
Make sure your child is healthy before the season starts. Before your child starts playing baseball, he /she should get a complete sports physical, at which:
v He/she should be tested for strength, flexibility and endurance
v His/her overall health should be checked for conditions that might affect his ability to play baseball.
v You should discuss with the pediatrician any injuries he/she may have suffered in the past.
v You should alert the pediatrician to any relevant family medical history, especially heart attacks in men under the age of 50, which could help the doctor spot potential heart problems, which, although rare, could be fatal.
A reminder; be sure to tell your child's coach about important medical conditions he may have (such as asthma, diabetes, food or insect allergies etc.).
Make sure your child is in proper physical condition to play baseball.
Conditioning-related injuries occur most often at the beginning of a season when kids are most likely to be out of shape.
Many injuries can be prevented if your child follows a regular conditioning program before the season starts that incorporates exercises designed specifically for baseball, and for the position he plays (for instance, catchers, because they have to squat continuously, should do exercises, such as leg extensions, leg curls, and toe raisers, that develop strength and flexibility of the muscles around the knees, especially those of the thighs and calves).
Encourage your child to train to get ready to play baseball, rather than expecting to get in shape simply by playing and practicing. A month before the season begins, he should run or engage in some kind of physical exercise one or twice a week. He/she should gradually increase the number of workouts to three or four times a week by the time team practices begins.
Many injuries in baseball involve the throwing arm and shoulder. "Most pitching injuries are caused by overuse, which may be the result of insufficient conditioning of certain muscles," says Thomas J. Gill, M.D., Department of Orthopedics at Massachusetts General Hospital and co-author of a study of pitchers conducted at the Steadman-Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation in Vail, Colorado, the results of which were reported in the Georgia Tech Sports Medicine newsletter.
All players, but especially pitchers, should incorporate conditioning and stretching exercises for the shoulder into an overall conditioning program. The muscles in the front of the arm are naturally stronger. Because many shoulder injuries result from weaker muscles in the back of the arm that are used to stop the pitching motion, the conditioning program should emphasize building up those muscles. "Exercise routines such as cross-body curls, using light dumbbell weights, and wall push-ups are useful for strengthening shoulder muscles," Dr. Gill says.
Make sure your child always takes time to warm up and stretch. Research shows that cold muscles are more injury prone. While a proper warm-up is important for all youth athletes, it is particularly critical during a growth spurt, when your child's muscles and tendons are tight. Experts, including the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, recommend that your child warm up by:
Doing jumping jacks, jogging or walking in place for 3 to 5 minutes to get the blood moving through the muscles and ligaments.
Then slowly and gently stretching, holding each stretch for 30 seconds. Have your child do stretches for the position he plays: for instance, pitchers should concentrate on stretching their arms, shoulders, neck and wrists, in addition to stretching their legs; catchers should concentrate on stretching their legs, knees, feet and back.
Make sure that your child eases into throwing and swinging. Your child shouldn't start throwing the ball or taking full swings during batting practice right away, especially in cold weather. He should begin by "soft tossing" and then gradually increase the distance and velocity of his throws as his arm gets loose and warm.
Inspect the playing field. The playing field can pose a risk of injury. Before every game or practice, a parent or the coach should check for holes, ruts, glass, or any other unsafe conditions. Players should be reminded to bring any holes that they encounter on the field to the attention of the coach or umpire. There should also be screens in front of the dugouts.
During Practices and Games
Make sure your child wears all required safety gear every time he or she plays and practices. Protective equipment is one of the most important factors in minimizing the risk of injury in baseball. According to a June 1996 study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), baseball protective equipment currently on the market may prevent, reduce, or lessen the severity of more than 58,000 injuries, or almost 36% of the estimated 162,100 baseball-related injuries requiring emergency-room treatment each year. Because most organized sports-related injuries (62%) occur during practices rather than games, your child needs to take the same safety precautions during practices as he/she does during games. Your child should wear the following:
Helmet; A player should wear a properly fitted, certified helmet when batting, waiting to bat, and running the bases. Helmets should have eye protectors, either safety goggles or face guards made of clear plastic that attach to the sides of a batting helmet and covers the chin to the tip of the nose. These devices can help reduce the risk of a serious dental, facial or eye injury if a ball hits your child in the face. According to the CPSC, batting helmets with face guards may prevent, reduce, or lessen the severity of about 3,900 facial injuries suffered by batters in organized youth baseball.
GNBL will supply standard baseball helmets to each of the teams. Parents or guardians may purchase addtional protective at their expense.
Protective eyewear; For kids who wear glasses, you should obtain protective eyewear from an eye-care professional who is aware of sports-safety standards, says Dr. Paul Vinger, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tufts Medical School in Boston and head of the Protective Eyewear Certification Council. Prescription glasses should be fitted with shatterproof lenses and sports frames that hold the lenses tightly in place.
Catcher's gear; When catching, your child must always use a catcher's mitt and wear a helmet, face mask, throat guard, long-model chest protector, protective supporter, and shin guards.
Shoes with molded cleats; Most youth leagues prohibit the use of shoes with steel spikes. Instead, wear molded, cleated baseball shoes. Make sure the shoes fit properly. Poorly fitted shoes, particularly those that allow movement side-to-side, are a major cause of injuries to the feet, knees, and ankles. Avoid hand-me downs, which are likely to fit poorly, and may have worn down cleats. Check the laces frequently for wear.
Sunscreen; Apply an SPF level 15 sun screen on your child's face, neck and arms before your child goes outside and reapply if he is sweating.
Clean uniform; Don't let your child leave his dirty uniform in his locker at school or on the floor of his room. Wearing unsanitary clothing poses a risk of staph infection, not only to your child but the rest of the team.
Use softer-than-standard baseballs for younger players; Softer-than-standard balls may prevent, reduce, or lessen the severity of the 47,900 ball impact injuries to the head and neck, according to the CPSC. Be sure the ball is a softer, lighter baseball; softer, heavier baseballs do not, according to studies, reduce the risk of injuries. Greater Newark Baseball League will adopt these balls for the T-Ball division.
Replace standard, fixed bases with breakaway or safety release bases. The CPSC estimates that the use of breakaway bases may prevent, reduce, or lessen the severity of the 6,600 base-contact sliding injuries occurring in organized baseball. If your child's league hasn't switched to breakaway bases, encourage it to do so. Greater Newark Baseball League will adopt these bases for T-Ball & B-Ball divisions.
Do not conduct batting practice until everyone on the field is ready and paying attention. Especially with younger players, who are easily distracted, it is very important that, when they are in the field, they are paying attention to the batter at all times so they are prepared to field a ball hit in their direction.
Make sure that players stand out of harms way. When your child's team is batting, they should stand or sit behind screens or fencing in front of the dugout and the on-deck circle should also be behind a screen so players don't get hit by wild pitches, foul balls, and flying bats. Also, make sure that equipment (bats, balls, helmets) is placed where players can't trip on it.
Modify the rules for younger players. Leagues with players 7 years old and under should alter the rules of the game to include the use of adult pitchers or batting tees.
Make sure players drink enough fluids. As parent or coach, you are responsible for taking precautions to prevent heat illnesses in exercising children and making sure they drink enough fluids
Make sure your child's team/club/program has a weather policy. Guidelines regarding playing or practicing in bad weather, such as lightning storms or extreme heat should be established well in advance of the season, and followed by all coaches, players and spectators. In the event of lightning, teach your child to stay away from open fields, trees, and water and to get indoors or inside a car, if possible, until the storm passes, and, if caught out in the open, to lie down and curl up in a fetal position.
GNLB policy on lightning is that after the first strike a mandatory 20 minute waiting period will be observed. This 20 minute waiting period will remain in affect until the last strike is observed.