Baseball Camp Volunteer Training

What you’ll learn

• Supervise players safely and keep interactions observable with the two-adult rule
• Recognize a concussion and run the CDC HEADS UP steps: Recognize, Remove, Refer, Return
• Prevent ball, bat, and sliding injuries with gear, spacing, and technique
• Protect young arms with Pitch Smart pitch counts and required rest
• Handle heat, hydration, and the lightning rule on an exposed field
• Give calm first aid with R.I.C.E. and know when a situation is a 911 emergency
• Keep cage and bullpen one-on-one time safe and know how to report a concern

Course outline

1. 1

   Your role: supervision & staying observable

   A baseball camp scatters kids across a big, open space — infield, outfield, cages, bullpen, dugout, and the walk to the restroom.

   7 min Quiz Interactive
2. 2

   Concussions: the CDC HEADS UP 4 R’s

   A pitch to the helmet, an outfield collision, a bad hop to the face — head injuries happen in baseball, and a concussion is a brain injury you often cannot see.

   8 min Video Quiz
3. 3

   Ball, bat & sliding: impact injuries

   The two most common ways kids get hurt at baseball are being hit by the ball and being hit by the bat — and the face and hands take the worst of it.

   7 min Quiz Interactive
4. 4

   Arm care: Pitch Smart counts & rest

   The growth plates in a young thrower’s elbow and shoulder stay open into the mid-to-late teens, which makes their arms uniquely vulnerable to overuse injuries.

   7 min Quiz Interactive
5. 5

   Heat, hydration & the lightning rule

   Baseball is played on exposed fields through the hottest part of summer, in gear that traps heat — catchers especially.

   6 min Quiz Interactive
6. 6

   First aid: R.I.C.E. & when to call 911

   You’re not the athletic trainer, but on a baseball field you’re often first on the scene for a jammed finger, a rolled ankle, or a ball off the shin.

   5 min Quiz
7. 7

   Cages, bullpens & abuse prevention

   Baseball instruction is full of legitimate one-on-one time — a hitting lesson in the cage, a bullpen session, a quiet talk after a rough at-bat.

   6 min Quiz Interactive

Sources & further reading

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — HEADS UP — Concussion in Youth Sports
• MLB / USA Baseball — Pitch Smart — Pitching Guidelines for Youth & Adolescent Pitchers
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (OrthoInfo) — Baseball & Softball Injury Prevention
• National Weather Service — Lightning Safety — When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors
• American Camp Association — Staff Training, Supervision & Safety Standards
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Preventing Child Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations