"Wide-Eye'd Blind": A Must-See Football Video

Submitted by Bobby Hosea on Fri, 03/02/2012 - 20:08. | comments

If you are an athletic director, football coach, game official or parent concerned about reducing the number of concussions and catastrophic head, neck and spinal injuries in the sport and have 25 minutes to spare, my non-profit, Train 'Em Up Academy, has produced an enlightening, empowering and powerful video, called "Wide-Eye'd Blind."

Why do I call it that? Because as a nation, we are literally standing by, with our eyes wide open but blind to the fact that our greatest resource, our young people, are suffering needless injury in the name of sport.

Saying Goodbye To Baseball

Her son's decision to retire from baseball at the ripe old age of eleven to focus on football was tough to take, says one mom, but eventually shock and denial gave way to acceptance.

Protective Cups: Essential Piece of Sports Safety Equipment

Protective cups and jock straps are worn under an athlete's uniform as part of the base layer of their underwear. The cup is primarily for supporting and protecting a boy's testicles or genitalia. Cups are recommended equipment for just about any sport your son plays which involves a puck, a ball, or possible collision or contact with another player, explains MomsTeam's Brooke de Lench in this informative video.

Brooke de Lench

Girls Can Be Baseball Catchers Now Too!

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Wed, 02/29/2012 - 15:48. | comments

When my sisters and I were growing up, my father loved to spend time with us in the back yard (and later at the local school diamond) playing baseball. We never used a softballs, always baseballs. My dad had been a stand-out baseball pitcher and catcher for his high school during the World War II. He had hoped to play professional baseball but his dreams and elbow were shattered by a bullet while serving on the aircraft carrier Bon Homme Richard in the Pacific. Frankly, I also think the wear and tear of pitching also left him some serious rotator cuff issues, as he had a difficult time throwing very far as he got older. Riverdale School baseball team early 1940s

When I was a child I wanted to play baseball, like my dad, who was a catcher and pitcher in high school but whose dreams of playing professionally ended during World War II. I went on to be a softball catcher, and one of my sons was also a catcher. With spring arriving, the thoughts of boys - and now, girls - turn once again to baseball.

Commotio Cordis: Can A Chest Protector Help?

Commotio cordis is the medical term for a rare disruption of the heart's electrical system resulting from a blunt impact to the chest that leads to sudden cardiac arrest. While commercially available chest protectors have not been shown in any peer-reviewed studies to prevent commotio cordis, whether such a heart shield provides an extra measure of protection for athletes playing baseball, lacrosse, and hockey, the sports with the highest rates of sudden death from the condition, is unknown.

Pediatric Group Recommends Softer Baseballs For Younger Players

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends softer baseballs for youth players under the age of 12 in a 2012 Policy Statement.

Buying Mouth Guards

There are three kinds of mouth guards, but, regardless of type, they help prevent injury to the mouth, teeth, lips, cheeks and tongue. But they are also breeding grounds for bacteria, so they should be sanitized daily.

Baseball and Softball: Most Popular and Among The Safest Youth Sports

Baseball and softball are among the most popular and safest sports in which children and adolescents participate in the United States, says an updated policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Preventing Commotio Cordis in Youth Baseball

Young baseball and softball players who receive direct ball impact to the chest wall directly over the heart may develop sudden cardiac arrest, a condition called commotio cordis. Teaching batters to turn away from an inside pitch, and pitchers to react as quickly as possible to a batted ball hit back at them can help reduce the risk, and an AED and a someone trained in CPR should be on site at all times to increase the chances of survival.

Parent's Buying Guide To Buying Catcher's Gear

There's a reason baseball catcher's gear have long been called the "tools of ignorance": its because most parents and players don't know very much about a catcher's armor! Here's a handy guide for baseball moms and dads to use when it's time to go shopping.

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