re: Eric Walker to start Sunday against Texas

Yes they are. But Travel is not truly what is going on. They aren’t shoeing up every other weekend thru July throwing Sat and Sunday w too many innings They aren’t playing as often and are doing showcase work. Most of the better kids I know that are playing are not throwing anywhere near as much in the summer as they are in high school.

quote:

---

Yes they are. But Travel is not truly what is going on. They aren’t shoeing up every other weekend thru July throwing Sat and Sunday w too many innings They aren’t playing as often and are doing showcase work

---

Pitching is still pitching, and they are doing a lot of it. I will say USSSA rules aren't really that bad. They do a good job of limiting innings in a weekend. Take Babe Ruth rules for example though, they can throw 7 innings every two games. So, they can throw 7,0,7,0,7,0 in a tournament over a few days. Or 4,3,4,3,4,3. That's a lot of pitching.

We have an epidemic,so to speak, of arm injuries from baseball nationwide. There are many, many factors. And it is being studied all over to come up with solutions.

Is over use in travel ball a problem? Yes
Are kids throwing that are not fully developed a problem? Yes
Are poor mechanics a problem? Yes
Is the way pitchers are prepared for the grind of a season a problem? Maybe, maybe not, depends on the program.

My son had TJ at the Andrews Clinic. 15 kids had the surgery the morning we were there. They told me that was a typical day of surgery there. It is all over.

LSU has had there fair share, maybe a few more than other places lately. But, my guess is that LSU's approach would be a minor factor in the occurrence of arm injuries.

quote:

---

There is a compelling argument out there that good mechanics are a problem. Not poor mechanics.

---

Yes, but I do not buy it completely. IMO, after researching this, spending time with rehab specialists that work with researchers, major league teams, and countless TJ rehabs, the vast majority of TJ are overuse and poor mechanics.

But, your thought about maximum output putting more strain on the ligaments at a younger age goes to my point of kids throwing when they are not fully developed.

quote:

---

UCL tears are going way up with mechanics getting better overall.

---

This is simply untrue. Mechanics are just as bad as ever. The reason, very few really know what good mechanics are and it takes videotaping to spot it. The vast majority of travel ball coaches don't know proper mechanics and neither do most high school coaches.

You have a great first hand knowledge having been through the surgery and rehab. However, the latest research is not congruent with your thoughts regarding mechanics.

Go read the research and real world applications from the following: Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at Andrews Sports Medicine, Randy Sullivan, PT and Founder of the Florida Baseball Ranch, Dr. Glenn Fleisig at Andrews Sports Medicine, and Kevin Wilk, PT and lead researcher at Andrews Sports Medicine. We spent hours with these guys.

Dr. Fleisig and Randy Sullivan have spent thousands of hours researching the mechanics of pitching. Randy has resurrected many MLB careers by making changes to mechanics to alleviate arm pain and take stress of the elbow. His research is light years ahead of everyone else on mechanics and how it influences arm pain.

quote:

---

Still not sold on walker

---

We had a disconnect. I’m defining “good mechanics” as what is taught to get the max output of a pitcher. Things like longer strides, stronger core, front-side finish, chest up, pulling glove into chest... nothing to do with the arm itself... but help put the pitcher and his arm in a position to create the most torque with the most potential energy which is transferred to kinetic energy (velocity and rotation) in the ball through the elbow and shoulder. It is impossible to avoid stress in those areas. It is impossible NOT to stress the UCL. Getting a pitcher into a good position results in this:

Someone considered to have a very good, fluid motion

This is considered “good” stress on an elbow.

That looks painful....

And he’s not even a “power pitcher”.

Just look at the torque on say John Smoltzs slider

LINK

And that’s before the days of specialized pitching and everyone has tommy john and he STILL had tommy John