Today I want to share an article from the sports world.
Although it is not from a professional medical journal, the ideas presented are crucial, especially for parents with underage children receiving sports training.
The article discusses the case of Japanese pitcher Rōki Sasaki, known as the “the Monster of the Reiwa Era,” who threw a fastball of 163 kilometers per hour in high school, breaking the Japanese high school record set by Shohei Ohtani.
However, his high school baseball team's coach, a professional in sports medicine, demanded that he "not throw at full strength" to protect the player, which was contrary to the sports world's customs.
As a result, the team's performance and the player's speed quickly declined, and the team failed to qualify for the Koshien tournament.
Even after joining the professional league, Sasaki's coach kept him from playing and limited his training intensity.
However, after he started pitching, his career took off, and in his 14th professional game on April 10, 2022, he threw a complete game against the Orix Buffaloes.
He delivered 19 strikeouts with 105 pitches, becoming the youngest record holder at 20 years and five months of age.
His performance at the WBC Classic Games against the Czech Republic was also impressive, pitching for 3.2 innings and striking out eight batters.
He is now one of the most prominent Japanese pitchers, following in the footsteps of Shohei Ohtani.
In daily clinical practice, many cases involve underage teenagers getting seriously injured during high-intensity training or competition, resulting in severe consequences.
In Taiwan, there are also many "child prodigies" who achieve fame during their youth but fade away as they grow older.
These situations arise due to a lack of protection and scientific training concepts.
Therefore, as a medical professional, it is crucial that the sports world takes the training of young players seriously and:
1.Adjusts training content according to physical strength, avoiding excessive and intense training.
2.Incorporates the concepts of sports medicine and values scientific training
It’s not just for the protection of individual health, but also to create more sports superstars who can last long,
rather than shooting stars that only shine briefly.
Excerpt from the attached article:
https://www.sportsv.net/articles/101565
"According to the results of the bone density test, his bones have not fully grown yet."
"While we have high hopes for his pitching speed, it seems that his body is not strong enough to withstand this level of velocity. By adult standards, his bones, muscles, ligaments, and joints are not yet fully mature."
"The main factor causing pitcher injuries is not just the number of pitches, but also the intensity of pitching."
"Pitchers should pitch with 70-80% of their strength during regular training, not always at 100%."
"Giants pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano is a good example of this. He was very good at adjusting his pitching intensity during his time at Tokai University, and I think that was the right approach. The fact that he did not suffer serious injuries after entering professional baseball is a significant reason why he controlled his pitching intensity."
"As a coach, the top priority is to consider the future of the players, rather than destroying them."
"Before the game, the coach will consider the suggestions of doctors, therapists, trainers, the atmosphere of the field, the strategy of the opposing team, and the motivation of the pitcher, and then make a decision whether to let the pitcher play or not."
"In recent years, grassroots baseball coaches abroad have started to focus on sports science, medicine, nutrition, and weight training methods. Do we have the same standards and plans to protect and nurture young players? How to cultivate young players in a scientific way may be an important issue that grassroots coaches should pay attention to."
https://www.letsgojp.com/archives/515332/
"Not allowing the pitcher to play in the preliminary and championship games resulted in the team losing the chance to enter the Koshien tournament, and the coach suffered various insults and criticisms."
