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jtm2002
13 Posts |
 Posted - 11/08/2013 : 11:01:05
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I am sure everyone has noticed the proliferation of the fiberglass pitching mounds at parks. I would think they certainly make sense from a maintenance perspective. The more money parks can save on maintenance costs, hopefully that translates into nicer, or even more, ball parks.
My concern is not with the use of these mounds, but the size of the mounds that are being used on the smaller fields, say ages 9-12 (these are the fields I have been exposed to). The majority of mounds I have seen at these ages are too small. The pitchers are landing on flat ground, or worse, at the edge of the fiberglass mound.
Coaches spend a lot of time teaching our kids to properly pitch by “leading with the bottom half”. They teach players to use their legs and core muscles to properly throw a pitch with power, instead of throwing with just arm strength, or the top half. On a proper Baseball mound, the downward slope extends beyond the landing zone to facilitate in the lower half adding the power through momentum. This slope allows the forward momentum of the body (led by the lower half) to continue towards the plate, which aides in creating power in the pitch. If this slope is not present, and a player lands on flat ground, the forward momentum is abruptly halted and the power is then generated from the arm. This is one way that arm injuries are created. When you’re at your next game, just note how so many good pitchers are throwing high on their warm up pitches before they compensate for the lack of slope. The player will make adjustments for this, as they will for the lack of power they are used to throwing. They will compensate by using more arm strength rather than the lower half, and thus putting more strain on their arm. So no matter how much time a coach spends on proper technique, it will be negatively impacted by a pitching mound that is too small. Coaches my even be blamed for injuries when they are teaching and observing proper technique in practice.
I have seen boys that would land at the edge of the mound with their natural stride, and would have to shorten it to compensate for a small mound. A player is losing the lower end lead when they compensate like this. I have also witnessed a boy that was so preoccupied with twisting his ankle on the edge of the mound that he was lucky when line drive just missed him. The boy rightfully looked at the ump and pointed at the problem. There was nothing that could be done. I have seen fiberglass mounds that were not properly maintained: a large hole was present in front of the rubber where the boys shoe would get caught when pushing off the rubber.
The solution to this problem is simple: purchase larger fiberglass pitching mounds. Don’t use the small mounds as all kids grow at different rate, and they may not be large enough for their stride. You’re saving money on regular maintenance of the mound anyway, get the right one.
If readers of this agree this is a problem that needs to be addressed, reply to this string with your comments, light up the boards. Tell your directors to get the right mounds. When you attend a tournament that has improper mounds, let the tournament director know this is not acceptable.
Thanks for your time
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Renegade44
211 Posts |
Posted - 11/08/2013 : 14:30:18
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| Yes. +100000 recommendations. |
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SoxIn7
42 Posts |
Posted - 11/08/2013 : 15:22:28
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At the ripe old age of 9, those mounds were too small for my son. Had t play on them at 10 also...and now sometimes at 11.
Alot of what you posted is definetly correct..
I 100% agree. |
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watchingbaseball
1492 Posts |
Posted - 11/08/2013 : 17:27:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Renegade44
Yes. +100000 recommendations.
I agree on the mounds being to small for pitchers.
10 year olds today are like 12 year olds five years ago
the problem is that the mounds are owned by the (city,county or rec. department) and were bought with budget money.
recent money being spent on mounds is for the bigger not smaller mounds.
directors rent the fields and play with the mounds they have.
it will take a few years to get the smaller mounds replaced with bigger mounds,unless they have large budgets to replace all mounds.
something to think about when you sign up for large tournaments like georgia super nit or slugfest,they will play in a corn field to get as many teams playing they can, and you can be sure the smallest mounds are saved for the worst fields. |
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jtm2002
13 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2013 : 14:04:24
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Bballguy,
The issue is not if one team can adapt better than another, the issue is pitching arm injuries due to compromised mechanics created by the pitching mound.
Hopefully a few park managers will read this before they start preparing for next season, and write the proper equipment into their budgets. Maybe some will spread the word.
I'm at a small tournament at North Cobb HS right now. The mound would be proper for a 6-7 year old. It's way too small for these 11 year olds. |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2013 : 16:55:59
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I completely agree with jtm2002. The problem is that it can lead to injuries. And to bballguy's point, both teams are subject to being injured.
It' pretty easy to see why the smaller mounds are in use. Most of those run in the $600-$800 range. A regulation game mound is typically upward of $3500. As always, it's about the money. I was on a rec park board years ago when they shifted from permanent dirt mounds to the fiberglass mounds. Fortunately they were smart about it and we voted (and paid dearly) for regulation size mounds on the fields and the smaller mounds in the bullpen. Unfortunately, most parks don't.
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LeftEnd
6 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2013 : 20:08:09
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| You are talking about parks budgeting for bigger mounds. Have you ever priced a mound? |
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jtm2002
13 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2013 : 10:12:52
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In the know, Leftend,
There is no question that a larger mound is more expensive.
Is that a viable excuse for preventing injuries?
Baseball has got a lot of negative press regarding arm injuries. We all know talented pitchers that their parents refuse to allow them to pitch. If you love the game, you cant make excuses for improper equipment.
Plus, the vast majority of these parks are county owned. You have budget every year. Put it in the budget. Surely you can replace at least 1 mound per year. That may not benefit my kid, but others it will. Don't forget, as stated before, you are saving money on maintenance by going to the fiberglass mound. I am sure that it is in the justification for the budget. Don't be cheap, get the correct equipment.
The way I see it, the only way a Director can not agree that these small mounds are a health issue to the players is if their ego will not allow them to admit he purchased the wrong product, and it now must be replaced.
Once again: The argument against of the cost of a proper mound is not valid when the purchase is justified by the maintenance savings.
If a park cant afford the lump sum expenditure, then go back to the perceived lower cost annuity of the dirt mound. At least when there is an issue with the mound, we can fix it between innings. |
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Kmk72
112 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2013 : 12:58:16
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| to go further... I dont like hits up the middle that either hit the lip or off the side... It's a bit dangerous at times especially for the young kids who dont reach the end of the mound. |
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panther
38 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2013 : 15:40:21
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| jtm you are right on the money on the mounds and saw the same thing you did this weekend. We were either landing on the edge or bigger kids landing on the flat dirt. Made it tough to throw strikes for sure and hard to get a real push to the plate. |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2013 : 16:08:29
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quote:
Originally posted by jtm2002
In the know, Leftend,
There is no question that a larger mound is more expensive.
Is that a viable excuse for preventing injuries?
Baseball has got a lot of negative press regarding arm injuries. We all know talented pitchers that their parents refuse to allow them to pitch. If you love the game, you cant make excuses for improper equipment.
Plus, the vast majority of these parks are county owned. You have budget every year. Put it in the budget. Surely you can replace at least 1 mound per year. That may not benefit my kid, but others it will. Don't forget, as stated before, you are saving money on maintenance by going to the fiberglass mound. I am sure that it is in the justification for the budget. Don't be cheap, get the correct equipment.
The way I see it, the only way a Director can not agree that these small mounds are a health issue to the players is if their ego will not allow them to admit he purchased the wrong product, and it now must be replaced.
Once again: The argument against of the cost of a proper mound is not valid when the purchase is justified by the maintenance savings.
If a park cant afford the lump sum expenditure, then go back to the perceived lower cost annuity of the dirt mound. At least when there is an issue with the mound, we can fix it between innings.
Don't confuse my explanation as support for smaller mounds. I completely agree that the mounds need to be the correct size for the age group. I'm just pointing out to you the reason you will see more of the smaller mounds than the larger. I'm not making excuses as you suggest, just pointing out the reality. Fortunately all my sons play high school level or above, so the days of them using the portable mounds are thankfully over. I did have to navigate exactly the same problem that persists and agree that it SHOULD be addressed.
But since money is the primary driver, I don't hold out much hope that it will. So to that point, you mentioned you played this past weekend on mounds that were too small. What did you do to make your point? Refuse to play? Refuse to return to that park? Do you think you did anything to make a difference?
I honestly hope so. |
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jtm2002
13 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2013 : 16:25:56
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Panther,
Thanks for the support.
That was a nice little tournament with a fine, well maintained field. A good fall ball laid back tournament. Kudos to the organizers and crew. |
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panther
38 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2013 : 18:02:42
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| I agree hats off the Sluggers crew they did a good job. Weather was nice now on to basketball. |
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Fiberglass Pitching Mounds
