Baseball may attract you because of “the grace of the pace of the game” or it may entice you because it is a game steeped in history and traditions.  However, you do not need to shy away from the game because of the fear of injury. If you have a little league or a talented travel team star, or even if you are a beer league softballer, you can play the game you love with confidence rather than fear. This blog will give you tips to prevent some common baseball injuries so you can just get back to enjoying the boys of summer game.

Most baseball injuries happen due to over extending yourself beyond your current level of athletic ability. When someone 40 years or older tries to slide the way they did when they were 18, we have a loss of at least 22 years of athletic ability leading to a net sum result of a crushed ankle, torn anterior cruciate ligament or a rotator cuff tear. Thus, remember to do a reality check before you enter that field of dreams. If you are 40, play in a 40 and over league and don’t be that old guy on the young men’s team. They will only visit you in the hospital to remind you that you should have known better.

To further avoid injury, most people fail to prepare properly for their recreational sport. Even your little leaguer, and especially your travel team star should consider some sport specific exercises for baseball. Simple isometric exercises combined with some good dynamic sports specific warm up should get the body ready for the rapid explosive moves required. Here is a good site to visit:  Baseball Dynamic Warm Up

Jointhealing.com also has some good home exercise kits such as the Don Joy Deluxe Home Exercise Kit . A simple set of therabands can also be a great alternative.

Finally, you can protect and brace specific joints, ligaments and bones with braces. However, the braces can not hinder that explosive moves we love to see. The bracing has to be functional (meaning it has to move along with you and not against you) and it has to be comfortable or it will not be worn. A great brace I love to recommend is the Reaction Brace . This brace actually has a rebound memory to it which helps improve reaction times and supports the knee cap very nicely. It breaths all around the brace leading to something very comfortable to wear.

So, if you are just an observer of the best game America has to offer or you are an active participant, you can have a great season by playing within your own age group and ability while training those sports specific muscles, joints and ligaments and not forgetting to use the appropriate protective and active brace.