Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Slightly OT: Baseball and Drums

  1. #1

    User Info Menu

    Default Slightly OT: Baseball and Drums

    I read an article yesterday about a baseball pitcher, a Mets Knuckleballer to be precise, who is planning to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro this offseason. His employers understandably frown upon this, as the risk of injury may very well render him useless for the upcoming season and thus his employers are out millions.

    Article here: http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/stor...nt-kilimanjaro

    I remembered another article I read about the silliest sports injuries. On this list was one Joel Zumaya, a pitcher who catastrophically hurt his arm...playing Guitar Hero.

    I'm dead serious. Look it up!

    I got to thinking... for those of you familiar with baseball, pitching is almost the exact opposite of what we do as drummers. While we hit something and that vibration comes back up our arms, a pitcher's arm is tearing itself apart rather then compressing by firing throws all day. Same thing with quarterbacks.

    I do not have a medical background, and thus I was left wondering: would a team ban their pitching staff from drumming? I would imagine it places a lot of strain on their rotator cuffs, and as well as the further damage it would do rattling the ligaments and such throughout the arms and shoulders.

    I've long been fascinated by pitchers, as throwing a baseball accurately is something I've struggled with since childhood. I suppose I'd like to think that I'm lucky enough to enjoy something that would be outright denied to this population.
    A simple, elegant design is good engineering.

    Axis | Ayotte | Evans | Gibraltar | Ludwig | Pro-Mark | Remo | Roc-N-Soc | SKB | Taye | Vic Firth | Whitney| Yamaha | Zildjian

  2. #2

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Slightly OT: Baseball and Drums

    I would assume that drumming would take more of a toll on the fingers and wrists which could jeopordize ones curve ball. Unless I've max'd out the spread of my kit, my roto-cuffs tend to deal with the forward motion of my arms. There is a bit of a strain when I turn passed the 9 o'clock/3 o'clock positions but I think it's due to my age and lower back injuries from days gone-by.

  3. #3

    User Info Menu

    Default Re: Slightly OT: Baseball and Drums

    MrB, I think it comes down to the mechanics of the activity. If you learn the proper mechanics of throwing a baseball, and practice them religiously, the wear and tear on the arm becomes a lot less. Nolan Ryan could throw a ball through a brick wall (well, at least he could throw the ball up to 104 mph), and his mechanics were flawless. Because of that, he was able to pitch in the majors leagues until he was nearly 50 years young.

    I think that learning proper mechanics is the key in most physical labors. The more you know, and practice, those mechanics, the less wear and tear you will experience.

    On the other hand, I injured myself playing volleyball about a week ago (I'm a highly competitive type - not mean, but competitive). I suffered mild ligament injuries to a shoulder, a pulled a thigh muscle, moderately injured some ligaments in my righ knee, and mildly injured my lower back. I really wondered how long it would be before I could play the drums. Fortunately, I have a backrest on my throne, and my drumming movements didn't affect any of the injured areas. Walking, however, was a whole different story. I've have given up volleyball, and I'm sure softball is out too, because I am too competitive and can't dial back my efforts. After all, I'm not 20 anymore.
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





    For coupons and specials, join the Drum Bum mailing list.

    Buy Gifts for Drummers. And don't miss the free Drum Lessons!

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •