Behind the Seams III | Page 40

USA Baseball's reach extends beyond travel leagues and tournament play; the organization also works with the National High School Federation on establishing best practices for state associations. Riccobono estimated that "millions" of youth players are following the Pitch Smart guidelines. Riccobono added that USA Baseball can't be satisfied with the Pitch Smart's early results. To that end, he said, the program is "ever-evolving." "I don’t think this is the type of program where we feel like it’s done and we don’t need to worry about that anymore," Riccobono said. Part of Dr. John's mission centers on creating more downtime for players while still having them remain immersed in the game. Dr. John claims that specialization — which is defined as "competing" in one sport for more than eight months in a calendar year — is the No. 1 injury risk factor for youth athletes. He suggested several ways to accomplish this, including general movement training, watching videos, reading books on the sport and the success of other athletes, visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and other non-competitive actions.