Double Headers & Injuries

[tedc...@gmail.com]

While it is no doubt true that playing less would decrease the number of injuries, I respectfully disagree that "​the number 1 cause of injuries is going to be the double headers".

At the risk of sounding accusatory or judgmental, or of pi$$ing anyone off (none of which I intend to do) - the #1 cause of injuries BY FAR is our failure to condition our bodies to play...specifically, our failure to incorporate RUNNING into our daily/weekly routines.

I'll speak for myself from here on, and anyone who wants to back me can do so.

The most common injuries I've HAD or HEARD ABOUT over my last 6 years as a Relic are LEG-related injuries - mostly calf and hamstring.  In 4 of my 6 years I have missed games (to my disappointment, and yes...even shame) due to these 2 injuries.  

No one is to blame except me: I'm a pretty intelligent guy who KNOWS that no type of "stretch" or "in-place exercise" can prepare me to RUN.  The only thing that can prepare my body to run is running.  And even though each year I've "promised" myself to take even FIVE MINUTES each day or even every other day to do some light running including short sprints - I don't do it, or I do it so infrequently that it doesn't matter.

There is no VALID excuse for this.  I know what needs to be done.  I certainly have 5 minutes a day to dedicate to this.  But I don't do it.  Then, I try to beat out a grounder to the infield...or go full out for a fly ball...or accelerate around 3rd heading for home and...you know what: a "tweek"; a "soreness"; or worse...a "pop". 

Can you still get injured EVEN IF you faithfully condition yourself?  OF COURSE.

But how many will agree (confess) with me that the #1 cause of our injuries is our own failure to prepare ourselves to play this recreational YET COMPETITIVE Sport of Senior Softball?

Am I alone in this ??

Teddy

===========================

​On Wed, May 11, 2022 at 8:44 AM Michael Ringler <...@gardnerk12.org> wrote:

Hey Relics. 

I appreciate the thoughtfulness about preventing injuries.  I want to express a concern - ​​the number 1 cause of injuries is going to be the double headers.  Last night we had about 5 players pull up injured in game two - and that's just one team. 

I realize that I'm new to the league, but I'm just not sure the double headers give us anything that one 7, or 9 inning game gives us. 

Your thoughts? 

[hwood24be]

ted     i agree with you as  well         lol   can i do that

[swilliam]

I completely agree Ted. The only reason you might see more injuries in a doubleheader is that it's twice the playing time so twice the opportunity to get hurt. As Ted says, conditioning is the most important factor and we're probably all a bit guilty of doing less than what we should. At our age, we need to work harder to not get hurt. In order to make up for rainouts, doubleheaders are a necessity. This is my second year in the league and I'm so impressed with the organization and effort that goes into putting this together. Kudos to those that do most of the work! Steve

On Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 12:54:27 PM UTC-4 tedc...@gmail.com wrote:

[Dan Marti Wells]

There is zero debate, that if anyone at any age cares to compete and minimize injury, that conditioning is essential.  However and remember I said “zero debate” around conditioning, the most well conditioned athletes in the world get injured!.. Watch any professional or amateur sporting even, and somebody, that is in serious training to compete, gets hurt!

There is zero debate that double headers do not cause injuries.. 

So What causes injuries? a. Our bodies are not symmetrical. We favor that side of our bodies that tend to be stronger.  Athletes train to have balanced power and speed and yet with all the technology that exists, they still suffer injury. b. A loss of technique or an action that is beyond our capabilities. Take for example sprinting out of the Box in baseball or sprinting 1st to 3rd… I can’t tell you the last time I saw a person age 50 - 90 practicing sprinting?  Yes, lots of joggers, cyclists, pickle ball and other endeavors, but true attempts at sprinting at these ages, nope, not in the general public or in Senior sports, it ain’t happening!

Again there is zero debate that at any age conditioning if not essential, it sure helps… So what causes  the injury problem for older athletes at a rate higher than those finely tuned athletes that also get injured and don’t play double headers? 

Strong contributing factors for folks within the RELICS age group, is the ability to stretch after periods of rest.. our bodies simply aren’t as flexible and forgiving as they were when we were in our prime and for men, 28 - 32 as a NORM not the exceptions … like a Tom Brady and many of our own Relics that have either managed to never stop training and/or are simply blessed.   However we are directing ourselves towards the norm and not the exception.  

Consider also the general “physical” health of our Relics population..  I do not propose to list all the things we’ve got breaking down.. We are here because we are fighting back.  We refuse to let the years take us down.  We play for the love of the game and self.

So what is it that causes these injuries if we are prepared to compete?  One Word “Fatigue” is a major contributor  and another word is the ability to recover, “Recovery”, after periods of non-activity, even between innings!

Net it out.  Conditioning is the superior activity to improve performance and reduce injury. The older we get the longer it takes to recover and the faster our muscles fatigue. While we condition, the probability of sprinting or even hardening our bodies by practicing falls or rolls is highly unlikely for folks in the Relics age group!

There is “zero debate” conditioning is an important contributor to health, but time is an enemy…

So, why the discussion around double headers?  I think the original author probably meant that Double Headers offer a higher likely hood of injury than produced in single games… the reasons: muscle fatigue due to age and general health of the participants..

The issue IMHO is not whether double 

On May 13, 2022, at 11:20 AM, Dan Marti Wells <gitg...@gmail.com> wrote:

headers are bad, and there is zero debate about conditioning but consideration must be given to age and fatigue.  Perhaps we can make up games on Fridays as we did in the past or continue with Double Headers and let the individual decide if they will play a second game. Thanks for the opportunity to chime in.

Dm

  

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[Dave]

Why if this still going?

Sent from my iPhone

On May 17, 2022, at 8:07 AM, Dan Marti Wells <gitg...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[pingers7 (null)]

Is there something wrong with us voicing our opinions? I thought that is what this forum was for? It’s not like someone is bashing someone! We are just talking softball and maybe someone can say something that could change the way someone else prepares themselves! I think this forum needs more discussions like this it can only improve the league and the players in it! 

Pinger

On May 17, 2022, at 3:37 PM, Dave <dave-...@comcast.net> wrote:

Why if this still going?

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[Dave]

Not at all. My bad

Sent from my iPhone

On May 18, 2022, at 7:07 AM, 'pingers7 (null)' via Western Mass Relics <westernm...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Is there something wrong with us voicing our opinions? I thought that is what this forum was for? It’s not like someone is bashing someone! We are just talking softball and maybe someone can say something that could change the way someone else prepares themselves! I think this forum needs more discussions like this it can only improve the league and the players in it! 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/westernmassrelics/EC297A86-45E2-4D62-A9AE-93A70106EF6C%40aol.com.