How many Pitches can my 8 year old throw per game

[ponytailpower]

I am going to add my 2 cents here but keep in mind this is not a steadfast rule and variations occur based on the physical development of each individual girl. This is my base pitch count for practices and games based on practicing every other day and encouraging other activities to maintain balanced muscle development. Now, not counting warmup and cool down throws:

8 and under = up to 30 pitches
9 - 10 = 35 - 40 pitches
11 - 12 = 40 - 50 pitches
13 - 14 = 50 - 60 pitches
15 - 16 = 60 - 75 pitches
17 - 18 = 75 - 90 pitches
19 and up = 100 - 120 pitches

If she is working primarily breaking pitches I will scale this down a bit for those under 18.

Hope this helps give you a starting point.

 

[NWITom]

I disagree with that count. Just based on at that age you are not very accurate and the only way to get your mechanics right are to throw. I think more important is frequency of pitching days.

Think about this. When most of us guys were young all we did was throw everyday. I never hurt my arm and neither did anyone I know. We were not throwing anything but fastballs and changeups if we were pitching.Otherwise it was catch,monkey in the middle ,whatever. Now junk, that is where I believe the problem is. If your DD went out to play catch ,would you say ' hey only throw 30 throws' .No different in my opinion.

 

[ponytailpower]

It is OK to disagree, I stated from the outset that this was a subjective point to start with. But to compare practicing pitching with a coach for skill and precision with playing catch in the backyard is comparing apples to oranges. I am referring to concentrated focused pitching for good mechanics. Yes, these numbers err on the low side on purpose. These are just a guide to be adjusted for each individual child. An eight year old pitching 35 pitches will probably "throw" closer to 60. Pitching and throwing are two completely different tasks and they should not be confused.

 

[sluggers]

NWITom: You are wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to start.

In a game, a pitcher is there to simply throw the ball. She is not there to work on mechanics or to worry about her form. Her only focus should be throwing the ball as hard as possible.

Practicing with her Dad in the backyard is different. An 8U kid can do do that as much as she wants if the practice is properly structured. The player throws for maybe 10 minutes at max speed. The player spends most of her time working on her mechanics. For a youngster, a practice session consists of warmup, drills, location work, speed work, cool down. Drills should be 50 minutes of a 60 minute practice for a young girl.

Kids don't play monkey-in-the-middle throwing underhanded. They don't play pitch and catch underhanded. The only time kids throw underhand is when they practice or when they pitch.

vdubya: If a team has only one pitcher, they shouldn't be in tournaments.

 

[NWITom]

I understand what you are saying. What I meant was worrying about the arm. I know you throw overhand but it is still throwing ,working the rotator cuff.

I disagree with you on the form and mechanics while pitching though.If you are not using good form or mechanics you will not throw strikes at an early age,correct? I am not saying you have to be perfect but the better they are the more strikes or location you will hit.

I just believe that the number of pitches is much higher ,more like 100 mark. I also believe in rest days in between. These kids that play travel and throw a crazy number of pitches seem to burnout by high school. Other than that I see all of your points and agree.

 

[ponytailpower]

An 8 year old throwing 100 pitches? Are you crazy (with all due respect of course)? It was mentioned as recently as an earlier post on this thread that the recommendation for college level pitchers is 120

 

[NWITom]

Not for 8 yrs old. I am sorry I meant more like 10U. Maybe thats stretching it now that I think it out. Because of the inaccuracy they walk alot. The older they get ,they are more accurate and throw less pitches. I never said it was right just what I am seeing.

Alot of parents I have ran into that their DD's pitch ,say they pitch 100 pitches sometimes everyday practicing.Again I don't say its right just what I hear.I think most of the young pitchers don't know how to go all out either.

How many pitches do you think they throw in travel ball?

8yr old-2 innings- lets say 6 batters-5 pitches=60. I have seen that alot in rec due to lots of balls.

 

[DonnieS]

Not for 8 yrs old. I am sorry I meant more like 10U. Maybe thats stretching it now that I think it out. Because of the inaccuracy they walk alot. The older they get ,they are more accurate and throw less pitches. I never said it was right just what I am seeing.

Alot of parents I have ran into that their DD's pitch ,say they pitch 100 pitches sometimes everyday practicing.Again I don't say its right just what I hear.I think most of the young pitchers don't know how to go all out either.

How many pitches do you think they throw in travel ball?

8yr old-2 innings- lets say 6 batters-5 pitches=60. I have seen that alot in rec due to lots of balls.

My dd's practices were considerably longer when she was younger, i.e. 10 and under, now at 15, when she practices with me, its about 22-25 minutes.

 

[sluggers]

NWITOM:

If you are not using good form or mechanics you will not throw strikes at an early age,correct?

WRONG...WRONG...WRONG.

It is very easy at a young age to have horrible form and throw strikes.

Re-read my post about puberty and girls. Young girls don't have hips and they don't have ....uhh....a bosom.

Here's how: The girl swings her upper body, gets on her front foot, closes her upper body early, and drags her arm. Because her arm doesn't have to negotiate around the hips, the ball goes straight. Voila--an 11 YOA, 50 MPH "wonder pitcher". Every person who has been around softball for a while has seen pitchers like this. They are a dime a dozen.

BUT: As soon as a girl's hips spread (the hips spread in order to form a birth canal), the arm can no longer go in a straight line if she closes early. The arm has to go "off line", and around the hips, and the girl then has to try to bring the arm back on line at release.

So, her accuracy becomes non-existent. Because she is on her front foot, she isn't using the legs, so she can't increase her speed. The result is a pitcher who throws 50 MPH and can't consistently throw strikes.

The girl will now spend the rest of her career either throwing batting practice to opposing HS teams, or sitting on the bench watching someone else pitch.

 

[ponytailpower]

I must apologize, I did not pay enough attention to the title of this thread, the numbers I mentioned that I use are for practices not games. I would double the numbers for games but you would want to be careful when you have multiple game scenarios such as a weekend tournament. Plenty of rest between games (as possible) and before next practice session.

As for what should be done versus what is seen, well, that is why the question was posed. As mentioned, just because it is what is seen does not mean it is what is right. As Slugger pointed out, you can have a girl get out there throwing every day with dad a couple hundred pitches at a shot and be great until puberty hits. Puberty has a massive effect on pitchers and the goal to working with the younger pitching student is to get them ready to make this transition as smoothly as possible so they can be the great pitcher when all the growing is done. Overworking early will only make this transition harder especially if they have damaged their growing joints and have to deal with early onset injuries. Not to mention burnout. I have seen too many dads push their young pitcher trying to make her great to only have her decide she has had enough by middle school or high school.