softball

INTRODUCTION: While evaluation research shows that physical activity-based youth development (PA-PYD) programs can have a positive impact on social and emotional growth, less is known about which participants return year after year and what factors are associated with their continued participation. The Junior Giants is a sport-based youth development program for 5-18-year-old boys and girls that is non-competitive and free to participate. The 8-week program uses baseball and softball as platforms for teaching life skills and fostering social emotional competencies...

BACKGROUND: Robust surveillance of injury aetiology and epidemiology is recognised as fundamental for effective injury reduction and management programmes. However, while sex-specific differences in injury type and nature are noted in the literature, it is unclear if these are reflected in surveillance practices, and how the athlete is affected. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review contact breast injuries (CBIs) among adult female athletes...

Softball is a sport that requires speed, agility, and lower-body power to be successful. Accordingly, strength and conditioning programs have focused on improving speed and lower-body power, which are beneficial to players performing softball-related tasks. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between absolute and relative lower-body strength to performance measures among female collegiate softball players. Archived data collected during pre-season performance testing for twenty-one ( n = 21) NCAA Division II collegiate softball players was used for this analysis...

Softball athletes require multiple fitness traits (e.g., strength, speed, power) and sport-specific skills (e.g., hitting, throwing) for success. Lower-body strength could underpin these qualities; this has received little analysis among high school female athletes. This research investigated correlations between absolute and relative lower-body strength with age, linear speed, lower-body power, and throwing and hitting velocity in high school girls softball athletes. Archival data collected from 34 high school girls softball players (age=14...

Visual motion information plays an important role in the control of movements in sports. Skilled ball players are thought to acquire accurate visual information by using an effective visual search strategy with eye and head movements. However, differences in catching ability and gaze movements due to sports experience and expertise have not been clarified. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of gaze strategies based on eye and head movements during a ball-catching task in athlete and novice groups...

BACKGROUND: A large proportion of United States (U.S.) youth play basketball, baseball, softball, or T-ball. Each of the activities poses a documented risk of craniofacial and neck injuries. However, few studies have assessed the national prevalence of pediatric craniofacial and neck injuries in this population, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) dataset was used to identify pediatric craniofacial and neck injuries associated with basketball, baseball, softball, or T-ball from 2003-2022 in a cross-sectional study...

We report a chronic Morel-Lavallée lesion around the knee in a competitive high schooler softball player, successfully treated with video-assisted endoscopic debridement. Endoscopic surgery is a viable option to treat Morel-Lavallée lesions in active patients who seek a rapid return to sport. The potential advantages of an endoscopic treatment would be a faster healing process and an earlier return to motion and function due to a less morbid and more cosmetic surgical approach.

Pediatric avulsion fractures most commonly occur at sites of secondary ossification and are often associated with chronic stress from repetitive movements. Because of a variety of risk factors, youth athletes place higher stress on ossification centers, and their activities may predispose them to injury. This case report describes a 12-year-old female softball player who presented with pain at the distal acromion, worsened by her overhead throwing motion. Further questioning revealed improper throwing mechanics placing extenuated stress on the shoulder...

BACKGROUND: Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction has been the standard surgical intervention for elite male athletes with UCL insufficiency. Recently, UCL repair and augmentation with an internal brace has been increasingly performed. PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical and functional outcomes as well as return-to-sport rate after UCL repair in female athletes. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: Included were 15 female athletes (mean age, 16...

INTRODUCTION: Nodular fasciitis is a rare, benign soft tissue lesion that can prove to be difficult to diagnose, especially when intra-articular. CASE PRESENTATION: A 17-year-old female softball player presents with several year history of right knee pain and swelling initially attributed to patellar maltracking refractory to non-operative and operative management. MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOMES: Initial pathology suggested tenosynovial giant cell tumor; however, further tissue diagnosis revealed nodular fasciitis, which was eventually resected...

Perception and action uncoupling in fastball sports anticipatory training is often criticized. Nevertheless, perception-only training offers distinct advantages, such as flexibility concerning time, place, and injury limitations. Therefore, the effectiveness of this training approach warrants evaluation. This study developed a virtual reality (VR) training system based on the idea that the two visual pathways in the brain are associated with visual information attributes, rather than perception or action. A key feature of this study's perception-only training was its presentation of not only the opponent's kinematics but also the ball's flight information (the attributes that guide hitting) to train the visual system necessary for real situations...

Mood research in sports typically focuses on athletes, with sports officials being largely overlooked. In the current study, mood profiling was used to determine if softball umpires reported an identifiable and consistent mood profile and if mood was predictive of umpiring performance and/or reflective of positive mental health. Eleven male and five female participants aged 25-68 years (M = 48.5 ± 15.5 years) each completed the Brunel Mood Scale on multiple occasions prior to officiating games at the 2020 U18 National Softball Championships...

Sports-related craniofacial injuries account for 10% to 42% of facial fractures in the US pediatric population, with the incidence of injury peaking at ages 6 to 7 and 12 to 14. The National Survey of Children's Health reported ~5.6 million children between the ages of 6 and 17 participated in baseball in 2021. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System reported 861,456 injuries resulting from baseball and 511,117 injuries resulting from softball in 2021, with ~500,000 of those injuries being to the face/head/neck...

BACKGROUND: There are little to no data on whether any associations exist between sport specialization and mental health in youth softball athletes. HYPOTHESIS: Highly specialized youth softball athletes will have worse self-reported depression and anxiety symptom scores compared with low and moderate specialized athletes. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was distributed in the fall of 2021 to a national sample of female youth softball athletes between the ages of 12 and 18 years...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Fastpitch softball is one of the most popular sports among youth and high school female athletes. Despite some similarities to baseball, key differences between the two sports result in different injury patterns, and there is comparatively less literature describing injury epidemiology in fastpitch softball. The purpose of this review is to describe the epidemiology, biomechanics, and injury prevention efforts in regards to fastpitch softball injury with a particular focus on underhand pitching...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the organized training of softball players, similar to the abrupt cessation of sports participation that can happen after an injury. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique model to study how sudden detraining influences softball players. METHODS: We recruited a sample of convenience of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 softball players. They participated in three data collections: pre-lockdown (Jan 2020, T1), post-lockdown (Sept 2020, T2), and before the 2021 season (Jan 2021, T3)...

INTRODUCTION: Effective rehabilitation strategies for upper extremity injuries in softball pitchers are scarce in current literature, especially among youth athletes. Additionally, there continues to be ambiguity regarding the interpretation and clinical practicality when treating an overhead athlete with scapular dyskinesis. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the examination and treatment of a youth softball pitcher referred to physical therapy with the diagnosis of scapular dyskinesis...

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing interest in psychological factors that affect the impact of self-efficacy on readiness to return to play, few clinical tools are available to assess self-confidence in performing sports-specific movement patterns in the pediatric/adolescent population. HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of sports-specific modules to supplement a general measure of movement self-efficacy, the Adolescent Measure of Confidence and Movement Performance (AMCaMP)...

CONTEXT: Participation in high school sports has physical, physiological, and social development benefits, while increasing the risk of acute and overuse injuries. Risk of sports-related overuse injury differs between boys and girls. OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in overuse injuries among United States high school athletes participating in the gender-comparable sports of soccer, basketball, and baseball/softball. DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study using a nationally representative sample from the High School Reporting Information Online (RIOTM) database...

Posteromedial elbow impingement due to valgus extension overload often develops as a result of excessive valgus and extension force during repetitive overhead throwing activities. Impingement classically occurs in throwing athletes such as baseball, tennis, softball, or lacrosse players. If isolated, arthroscopic removal of the posteromedial olecranon osteophytes shows excellent postoperative satisfaction, return to sport rates, and return to previous level of activity. This Technical Note describes treatment of posteromedial elbow impingement syndrome and associated olecranon stress fracture treated with arthroscopic removal of posteromedial osteophytes and arthroscopic-assisted screw fixation...