How Much Is Too Much???

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Jan 24, 2013
25
0
New Hampshire
DD plays for two teams and pitches on average about 8 innings a week. There is also at least one 1 hour pitching session or practice each week. She is 13 1/2 years old.

A colleague/Softball trainer that I know told me that my daughter should be pitching more - in order to get better.

What is the norm for pitching? Is there a norm? At 13 1/2 years old should she be throwing twice as much per week? How much is too much?

I was also advised that DD should be icing her arm down after "every" game. Whether it hurts or not. Is this a good recommendation?

Thoughts and opinions welcome.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
I would guess my DD throws @ 400-500 pitches/week between games, lessons, and bucket sessions with dad....
 
Mar 31, 2013
58
0
Id throw another at home practice lesson in there each week and call it good. Let her go to her lesson, practice it at home, then apply it in the games.

good luck on the icing issue. I say yes because I was told by a major D1 head coach thats the thing to do as well...hurting or not...preventative....thats what we do. you are gonna get a thousand different opinions from folks here.
 
DD plays for two teams and pitches on average about 8 innings a week. There is also at least one 1 hour pitching session or practice each week. She is 13 1/2 years old.

A colleague/Softball trainer that I know told me that my daughter should be pitching more - in order to get better.

What is the norm for pitching? Is there a norm? At 13 1/2 years old should she be throwing twice as much per week? How much is too much?

I was also advised that DD should be icing her arm down after "every" game. Whether it hurts or not. Is this a good recommendation?

Thoughts and opinions welcome.

Well this last weekend my DD's normal was every other day last week then over the 3 day weekend she pitched 5 complete games and and part of 2 others....guess it depends how many pitchers you have on your team :D
 
Jul 17, 2012
1,091
38
My DD's PC recommended daily activity whenever possible. Obviously not 150 pitches a day....that's too much. But when she's working on "something" with her, whether it be new or corrective, she's of the belief that doing it daily in brief sessions is better than once or twice with heavy reps. Keep in mind, my DD is 10, and it's the only experience I have. At 10, sometimes the longer workouts tend to diminish and get sloppy. She loves the workouts, but I see it in her body language that she loses focus at some point. So for me, it makes sense. I know other parents of pitchers that see other PC's that were told the opposite....fewer sessions with more reps.

When learning/correcting issues, daily makes sense to me. And trust me, some of those sessions as brief as pretending shes got 8 pitches to warm up to come in mid inning. We'll play overhand catch for 5-10 minutes first, as you would do pre game. Then the 8 warm ups, then she'll throw 2 innings.

Those days are usually followed by some core strength exercises, or resistance band work with the lower half.
 
Dec 7, 2011
2,368
38
My DD went 4-5 times a week this last preseason with 35-45 mins per session.

Was incredible for her accuracy and picked up a little speed but at the cost of a fractured lumbar.

If you're gonna commit like that make sure you pitch on dirt (not hard surface) and make sure your DD is an "ironwoman" in her lower core (to support all that hyperextension and twist-torque).

You dont want what we're going through - trust me.....
 
Jan 12, 2012
30
0
A, A
You really have to be careful. While a young pitcher needs the reps to master the craft there is a downside to overuse. Pitching side sessions don't have to be 45 minutes long or 100 pitches. You can do a 15-20 minute session and limit pitches to work on a specific pitch. Overuse is a real danger. I reccommend stretching before and between sessions , especially the shoulder area. A PT could certainly give you some stretches to do. Ice is a must in my opinion. And finally, be selfish when it comes to your daughter. She is not letting her team down if she doesn't pitch 4-5 times on a weekend. Learn from my mistakes
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
My DD#1 was a D1 pitcher. At 13YOA, she practiced 60 to 90 minutes per day 4 to 5 times a week for 9 months out of the year. THe other 3 months, she probably threw once or twice a week for 60 to 90 minutes.
 
Last edited:
Oct 22, 2009
1,781
0
Mine practiced 6 days a week for approximately 30 minutes each workout. She played year round so probably just took 2 weeks off after Nationals and 2 weeks at Christmas/New Years.

Sometimes we got busy with things but we never tried to miss more than 3 days in a row of not practicing.

Prior to Nationals, we would do 2 a days, to condition for multiple games and heat. This really paid off because we always had to deal with heat and a lot of games and she always made through better than most pitchers.

In college my DD iced her arm after the end of the last game--not after every game. She also iced anything else that she felt seemed sore.
She pulled a butt muscle in one game and we had to take her out to eat with an ice pack on her derriere:p
 
Mar 11, 2013
270
0
Jackson, MS
IMO, Icing is for pain (usually caused by swelling) and swelling. Icing also slows healing, slows muscle recovery, and stresses tendons and ligaments (that aren't otherwise under stress from swelling).

Icing a pitcher's shoulder that has no swelling does more harm than good, IMO. It slows the recovery.
 

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