. . SPORTS MEDICINE : SPORTS: BASEBALL: PITCHING : SPORTS: CHILDREN: Curveballs in Little League Not a Good Idea . . Curveballs in Little League Not a Good Idea By Kevin Paul Dupont April 01, 2012 Boston Globehttp://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/03/31/curveballs-little- league-not-good-idea/cJfuiEX5ThZenF37BME15L/story.html
. A shorter URL for the above link: . http://tinyurl.com/chfu4sw . .Curveballs, the serpentine servings that capture the fancy and fuel the dreams of every Little League pitcher, appear to be making a comeback. New research doesnt say its OK for Cy Young young-uns to throw the curve, but it does say - contrary to previous studies and common belief - that the breaking ball isnt any worse for young arms than an over-the-top, elbow-friendly, straight-down-Broadway fastball.
.So there you go. Another bit of conventional wisdom knocked to deep right, over the wall and out of sight.
.For years, even decades, doctors, coaches, and parents have tried to make Little League and other youth baseball circuits healthier, curve-free playing fields. The curveball, they felt, was a sure path to a ravaged arm for kids.
.Now, as with red meat, caffeine, a daily glass of red wine (not you, kids), and even the occasional cigar (definitely not you, kids), the medical profession is giving the curve a somewhat positive spin - though not all doctors embrace it.
.Dr. Lyle Micheli, director of the Division of Sports Medicine at Childrens Hospital Boston, said last week that he still believes the curveball is best kept in mothballs until a pitcher is at least 14. He also feels kids shouldnt attempt to throw a slider, a pitch that puts even more stress on the elbow, until 16.
.Michelis considered, scientific, doctorly advice on the subject: Err on the side of caution.
.We just had a clinic here this morning, he continued, and I saw a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old, both with Little League elbow. We are seeing it in droves.
.The breaking pitch, Micheli acknowledged, cant be blamed as the sole or even leading culprit in what he and others say has been a huge uptick in youth pitchers arm injuries in recent years. But he believes its a significant factor, along with overthrowing (too much pitching), related fatigue, and poor, often ill-taught mechanics.
.Too often, by Michelis view, kids pitch too much, and their poor technique adds to their risk of getting hurt.
. . The complete article may be read at the URL above. . . Sincerely, David Dillard Temple University (215) 204 - 4584 jwne@xxxxxxxxxx http://workface.com/e/daviddillard Net-Gold http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html Index: http://tinyurl.com/myxb4w http://groups.google.com/group/net-gold?hl=en General Internet & Print Resources http://guides.temple.edu/general-internet COUNTRIES http://guides.temple.edu/general-country-info EMPLOYMENT http://guides.temple.edu/EMPLOYMENT TOURISM http://guides.temple.edu/tourism DISABILITIES http://guides.temple.edu/DISABILITIES INDOOR GARDENING http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndoorGardeningUrban/ Educator-Gold http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/ K12ADMINLIFE http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12AdminLIFE/ The Russell Conwell Learning Center Research Guide: THE COLLEGE LEARNING CENTER http://tinyurl.com/yae7w79 Information Literacy http://guides.temple.edu/content.php?pid=22756&sid=2223487 Nina Dillard's Photographs on Net-Gold http://tinyurl.com/36qd2o and also http://www.flickr.com/photos/neemers/ Twitter: davidpdillard Bushell, R. & Sheldon, P. (eds), Wellness and Tourism: Mind, Body, Spirit, Place, New York: Cognizant Communication Books. Wellness Tourism: Bibliographic and Webliographic Essay David P. Dillard http://tinyurl.com/p63whl http://tinyurl.com/ou53aw INDOOR GARDENING Improve Your Chances for Indoor Gardening Success http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndoorGardeningUrban/ http://groups.google.com/group/indoor-gardening-and-urban-gardening SPORT-MED https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/sport-med.html http://groups.google.com/group/sport-med http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sports-med/ http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/sport-med.html HEALTH DIET FITNESS RECREATION SPORTS TOURISM http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/healthrecsport/ http://groups.google.com/group/healthrecsport http://healthrecsport.jiglu.com/ http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/health-recreation-sports-tourism.html . . Please Ignore All Links to JIGLU in search results for Net-Gold and related lists. The Net-Gold relationship with JIGLU has been terminated by JIGLU and these are dead links. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/30664 http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/healthrecsport/message/145 . .