How much is too much?

[Amy in AZ.]

I suspect that you know, it was double of what she should have pitched. Your coach really took advantage of your young DD. I would not so kindly tell him, not to do it, again. Count her pitches, from now on and include warm ups. I am certain the other pitchers are not very happy. My gosh, they are 12. Let other girls play.

 

[NorthMS]

Highly likely that she pitched too much. I don't buy into some random number someone comes up with. Each girl is different. Age, size, strength, stamina, type of pitches, and velocity all come into play, so how can a random number hold any water?

Here is how I handle my DD, and I care for her more than any other pitcher. When I see fatigue set in, it's usually time to shut down. It always starts with her legs. When she's not exploding off the rubber is a sure sign. This also leads to high and low pitches while she's trying to adjust. We've been blessed with good coaches and I've never had to step in, but I would in a heart beat.

 

[NorthMS]

Last weekend my DD's softball team won a tournament they were in. My DD pitched every game of the tournament for her team (including a 7-0 shut out in the title game....proud Dad moment). So, she has pitched over 4 games in a 24 hr period. My wife is really concerned that it's too much for her to pitch that much. The coach also used her in league play the Monday after as well.

What is too much?

This should have been the last straw.

 

[cbullard]

NorthMS, that was the tipping point. That's when I really got upset. And my wife was upset too.

 

[NorthMS]

By the time you see fatigue, the damage has been done. My team (all positions) is hurting and some of them are lying about the pain. Adrenaline can take you further than your body should go (so I preempt it). You must have some standards or else someone always has an excuse to go too far. This is really silly of the coaches and parents and needs to stop now. (No one who is competitive ever thinks their own kid is the 'weaker' one that needs limits.) They can't really identify the damage until it is too late.

We will agree to disagree. I see kids every weekend playing up to fatigue. I see them back out the next weekend. Saying damage has been done by the time fatigue sets in it incorrect and just a fear tactic.. I've seen it with my DD. Play 6+ games over a weekend and only play the ones not fatigued in the championship game. See if you have enough to make a team.

Having a set number of pitches when so many factors come into play is simply a CYA response. If not, please tell me the formula that is used to adjust for the kids age, body size, and outside temperature and humidity, and ect.

The coach is wrong. The parent is here trying to learn what's right, so I'm not calling them "silly".

 

[Rocketech1]

Personal story:

Several years ago DD playing 8U all-stars, pitched all 3 games on Sunday. She threw 255 pitches. We literally had no other pitchers (they had ERA well over 10 and in the short 5 week all-star season no way the could develop fast enough to be effective (but we certainly tried to get them up to speed). 5 years later, I have not seen any ill effects from her occasionally pitching more than 200 pitches in a single day.

With that said, coaches and parents need to be smart about over use injuries. Some recommendations:

- Have several pitchers developed enough to split time in the circle, especially in pool play and/or blow-out games;
- If possible, only practice pitching every, other day and only 3 days a week to give your body an opportunity to recover. My DD works fast so we only do about 30 minute workouts;
- Prepare your pitchers year-round. I see too many pitchers take 6 - 8 weeks off from pitching. In fact, I think it's important to have a regular schedule to keep your body in top shape for if and when you have to pitch those extra innings or games. The most my DD has taken off completely from pitching is 3 weeks in a row.
- Have a talk with your coaches if you feel your daughter is becoming a work horse. She needs that arm and shoulder for the rest of her life after she hangs up the cleats.
- Lastly, monitor your DD, ask frequently how they are feeling, is the arm sore, do you feel any pain, etc. Sometimes pre-teens and teenagers don't like to share information with their parents so ask probing questions.

 

[ggalante6]

Your coach is either ignorant to the potential damage or overly enthusiastic. Either way you need to speak up. My DD is coming off a coach induced shoulder injury that took 8+ months of rehab and lost time. Nothing torn or perm damage but the shoulder has more moving muscles than any other joint. Your/her pitching coach might be able to help with suggestions re: work load, conditioning, and rest periods. Do it now before she gets hurt. He can't win if she can't pitch (been there, done that.) Good luck.

PS - dont be afraid to discuss this with the coach. He clearly needs her, or someone else will be happy to have her if she is that good.

 

[cbullard]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to talk to the coach. My DD wants to play other positions too. She doesn't want to be only a pitcher. Actually, she wants to be the number 2 and play at SS, CF long term.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

As a dad with a college age DD that has been through year-long overuse injuries with her:

Ya can't generalize anything in pitchers ability to withstand pitch-counts over a days/weeks/seasons span. Some do it just fine but others fall out.

One generalization you can take to the bank is => It takes 8 weeks OFF every year (no torso-torque) to heal-up any stress fractures in the kinetic chain of a pitch.

 

[djcarter1966]

I think you are on track with talking to the coach, maybe even mention that a couple times a year, nationals or your marquee tournament, you might be OK with her pitching that much but you want to know what the long term plan for the team is because she WON'T do that every weekend, especially throwing in Monday on top of that, a 4 game weekend is not too bad especially if they are timed games (4 to 5 innings), but she needs a recovery day afterwards. For the sake of the team not just your DD there need to be a #2 that can throw 20-25% of the innings.