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Advocate!

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  • Speak up if you are in pain—don't ignore it.

  • Pain is your body's way of telling you that something isn't right.

  • Ignoring pain can turn a small problem into a serious injury.

  • Tell a coach, parent, or athletic trainer if you have:

    • Pain

    • Tightness

    • Ongoing soreness

  • Speaking up early allows time to:

    • Adjust your pitching workload

    • Improve your mechanics

    • Recover before the injury gets worse

  • Taking pain seriously helps you:

    • Prevent long-term injuries

    • Stay healthy

    • Keep playing the sport you love

  • Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself—your health is more important than one win.

Sample Conversation

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“Coach, can I talk to you about something? I’ve been having pain in my X, and I want to make sure I’m communicating what’s going on so we can make the best decision for me and the team.

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The pain is about X/10 right now. It started X days/weeks ago, and since then it has [improved/gotten worse/stayed about the same].

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I notice it most when I X. It gets worse when I X, and it feels better when I X.

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I’ve tried X to manage it, and that has [helped/not helped/helped a little].

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I’m concerned because X. I know this game is important and I want to contribute, but I also want to make sure I’m not making the problem worse.

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Can we come up with a plan for how I can participate while managing the pain? For example, could we X or adjust X if needed?

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I’ll also keep track of how the pain changes so we can see if it’s improving or continuing.”

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