10U pitching ?s

[uncdrew]

I don't recall the specifics of the other thread - but 100+ pitches for a 9YO multiple times a week seems like a lot. How are her mechanics?
Can you "play catch" underhand, or does she resort to trying to throw a pitch every time?

Agreed.

Personally I'd dial it down a bit. Perhaps replace some of those "pitches" with drills. Our pitching instructor often has newer/younger students do about 70% drills and only 30% full pitch when they're practicing at home. Much better to drill those mechanics than it is to full pitch with flaws and make those flaws more permanent.

And lots of drills are at a shorter distance, or not 100%. So that can work to reduce the overall strain.

Now that my DD is in 14U and has good mechanics and good control, we're down to 4 days per week, no pitching on Fridays or Mondays, and about 50-80 pitches when we work in the yard (which is usually Tues/Thurs). Tues/Thur is usually working on something from lessons, but if there isn't much from lessons to work on, the session could be simply to stay strong, or work on grips, or concentrate on spin, or long toss, or a silly game (hitting a ball off a tee, around the world, 4 corners, pretend batters, etc.)

Sat and Sun are either tournaments, practice or lessons and we usually pitch those two days along with Tues/Thurs.

 

[uncdrew]

... and as far as teams go, we left a team specifically because she was pitching too much. I love that we're on a team where some days she's the best pitcher and some days she isn't. Our staff is really even and it helps drive them, and also gets them pretty even innings. So not too much and not too little. It can be hard to find, but certainly possible.

 

[Rick M]

It’s tough to advocate for something like inning or pitch limits for a nine year old. DD’s 10U team had three pitchers, the #1 was a big strong kid who could dial it up over 50 mph. DD was much smaller and was closer to 40 mph.

That big kid won a lot of games, but she was just too strong for her growing body and blew her shoulder out (her HE mechanics didn’t help). DD, meanwhile, could pitch every day with no discomfort ever. Now that she’s 16 and generating a lot more power, she’s starting to feel aches & pains after a tournament weekend.

Listen to your kid, if she’s having fun and feeling fine, let her throw. Just be aware of mechanical breakdowns that can be the result of fatigue or injury.


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