Baseball Essay, Research Paper
Baseball
Central Michigan University baseball is one of the finest in the state
of Michigan. Baseball players at C.M.U. are dedicated to being the best on and
off the field. I had the privilege of working baseball for my first PES 283
rotation, and I think I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Coach
Kriener demands the athletes to be the best students-athletes that they can be.
I believe this is one reason no senior has graduated in twenty years without
winning a ring. He teaches them to be winners; he will not accept anything but
the best.
I believe that the best way to avoid injuries is to be in shape and use
common sense. There are many factors that could cause injury on a baseball
diamond. The best way to make our job as trainers easier is to prevent these
injuries. The best way to prevent injury is to make sure that all the equipment
is put on the side and not on the middle of the field, where someone going for a
foul does not trip over a baseball or a helmet. I do not think athletes really
think in such terms until someone actually gets hurt.
One thing that I always kept my eye on when I was working was to make
sure the catcher’s were wearing their face mask when they were warming the
pitchers in the bullpen. At first, the athletes thought I was telling them to
put their mask on as an authoritative figure; however, after I explained to them
it was for their own good, and I was only looking out for their safety, they
realized why I was doing it. I believe one way to get the respect of the
athletes and coaches on a team is to let them see you care about them, and you
as the trainer care about them winning.
Warming and cooling down before and after practice is another good way
to prevent injury. Warming up by running and then stretching will help prevent
injury. Light jogging gets the blood supply flowing and will enhance the
stretch. I believe it also gets the athlete ready to perform. Stretching will
also promote flexibility, a big factor with being “in shape.” The cool down
period is also important in making sure the athlete stays in shape aerobically.
This will maximize the practice. I always made sure the athletes did all the
running before they received their ice.
I found out the N.C.A.A. really did not impose a lot of safety factors
for baseball. The only thing according to Kevin Smoot the only safety
prevention methods the N.C.A.A. mandates are the batter to wear a helmet and the
catcher wear a mask and the protective equipment. The big thing that suprized
me is the players are not mandated to wear a protective cup. Any player in
their right mind would wear one, but sometimes you get one or two athletes that
are not too bright.
One major thing that I saw and heard pitchers use to help prevent
shoulder injury is the offseason shoulder workout program. It has been over
twenty years since a pitcher with no previous injury and who has honestly done
the workout miss a start in the rotation to shoulder injury. The shoulder
program was one of the biggest things that impressed me. I will make sure
before I leave C.M.U. I have a copy of the program and make sure my athletes
use it. If we as trainers can prevent shoulder injuries we can go a long way as
baseball trainers. Shoulder injuries are the biggest problem for throwing
athletes. If the shoulder problem does not get taken care of the injury could
move down to the elbow and keep move on down and could possibly end a athletes
career.
I truly enjoyed working with baseball. Baseball was definitely a step
up from working with Women’s basketball. After leaving baseball I felt as if I
was associated with a group of winners that played to win sometimes I wondered
about that sometimes working basketball. I worked with fourgoodstudent trainers,
three fellow 283’s, and a ATC that I learned a lotform. I do not think I could
of been any luckier. It was truly a blast.
REFERENCES
1. Fleisig, Glen S., PhD “Kinetics of Baseball Pitching with Implications
About Injury Mechanisms.” The Journal of Sports Medicine. March-April 1995,
vol. 23, no.2, pp. 223-239.
2.Arnheim, Daniel., and William E. Prentice, Principles of Athletic
Training, 8th ed. Illinois: Chicago, 1993 723-727.
3. Kabban, Elias S. “PES 280 Notebook” Spring 1996.
4.Interview with Kevin Smoot
BASEBALL Fall 1996
Elias S. Kabban PES 283 10-17-96