Metrics for determining piching volume progression throughout high school?

[BlaineAB]

I know I won't be able to change the culture, decision will be to let my daughter participate long term or not. Has about 32-35 tourney games this summer, zero school games.
Next year she'll be a freshman, about 20 high school games. So, we'll see. Not jazzed about 55 games. Sure, wouldn't play/pitch in all of them, but more to life than softball.

 

[BT3100]

DD pitched 146 innings in HS and 78 in summer. Summer her whip was .78 with an era of 1.03 BAA .144
Agaisnt gold level competition
Injury free
Proper mechanics... proper rest and nutrition

 

[BlaineAB]

Nice! What year in school?

 

[Traps71]

This is a flat out lie; there are several factors they always ignore:

- Many of the examples used are football players. Football still isn't played as year-round as other sports - the toll on the body is too much. So there still is an offseason to play another sport.
- Most of the other examples are elite athletes. They can compete with the 100% X sport athlete because they can lean on their athletism to make up for skill gaps. I was a basketball player and I concentrated on that - but I could play pretty much anything at a reasonable level without practice. Elite athletes can be casual players of other sports and have success.
- The recruiting calendar and team make up demands year-round commitment or you will be replaced. Again if you are elite you maybe get more leeway, but the reality is the vast majority of recruited softball players concentrated on softball.
- The non-elite multi-sports don't play their second sport at an elite level. You get a lot of players from small schools that played 5 sports in high school - but they were needed to make up numbers or didn't play at a high level or didn't play in some cases.
- The injury things is a bit of a weird one because everyone says it, but the science behind it is very weak. Sports are vastly different so how much is too much for one sport? No one knows. You pitch a lot you are more likely to hurt a shoulder - well yeah you have more opportunity to do so so how much is that a factor versus the actual sport. You play volleyball you are more likely to twist an ankle... and so on...

And lastly, they can tell you NOT to specialize - but they can't tell you where the limit is or how you can keep up with those that do. They can't say what point in a sport DOES the specialist equal athlete no longer has the advantage over the multi-sport athlete?

I don't see cause and effect at the moment. I may be wrong, but I see way too many glaring issues. Yes college coaches say they want multi-sport athletes but in reality what they are really saying is they want elite athletes.

From my experience, I also think that if you are determined to reach a high-level of performance in a given endeavor--or even just the highest-level you are capable of given your physical or mental limits--then it requires something bordering on obsession. Those folks that reach the highest levels are not only uniquely gifted by nature but are all-consumed by what they are doing. I do not pass judgment on anyone who decides that something less than this is enough for them because the price is high. That said, I don't think you can truly reach the highest levels--or at least your own highest level--without it.

 

[marriard]

DD pitched 146 innings in HS and 78 in summer. Summer her whip was .78 with an era of 1.03 BAA .144
Agaisnt gold level competition
Injury free
Proper mechanics... proper rest and nutrition

Every athlete is fine until they are not. You do your best to help them manage their workload.

 

[BlaineAB]

From my experience, I also think that if you are determined to reach a high-level of performance in a given endeavor--or even just the highest-level you are capable of given your physical or mental limits--then it requires something bordering on obsession. Those folks that reach the highest levels are not only uniquely gifted by nature but are all-consumed by what they are doing. I do not pass judgment on anyone who decides that something less than this is enough for them because the price is high. That said, I don't think you can truly reach the highest levels--or at least your own highest level--without it.

Highly recommend the book "The Passion Paradox" by Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness.

 

[BlaineAB]

There's a pitch count for high school baseball, at least NFHS and legion play,
Why not softball? There's a percentage of coaches that over-pitch players, and high school coaches and travel coaches tend not to communicate about total annual pitching volume.

Absence of injury, in any sport, seems like a weak metric to use for gauging the efficacy of training volume and its progression.

 

[Traps71]

Highly recommend the book "The Passion Paradox" by Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll pick it up.

 

[BT3100]

Nice! What year in school?

Last year was a Sophomore
North Penn HS PA

 

[BT3100]

Every athlete is fine until they are not. You do your best to help them manage their workload.

Agree. We are very cognizant of her workload. She takes a full 10-12 weeks off of pitching each year.