How pitches is too many at 10U

[mad hornet]

[My DD pitched 5 to 7 games during a day several times. She is 30 YOA, and she doesn't complain about the pain. But she can't sleep on her right side because her shoulder hurts too much. Her long head tendon has been so stretched that she can grab it with her left hand and move it around.

This might seem like a silly question to ask. Considering her current pain / discomfort, if she had it to do over, would she have still pitched 5-7 games in a day?

Between my senior year in HS and Freshman year of college I lost 8 mph off my fastball. I am convinced I threw too many complete games in HS. Now I have arthritis in my shoulder (doc says I had a scarring from a small tear in the rotator cuff that was never treated) and have similar trouble sleeping on my left side. I can still throw well enough to play with my kids. Still not sure I would have changed a thing.

 

[splinterpicker]

At 10 My dd success was based on correct form rather than speed strikeouts etc. Pulled her out a games when she was cruising, for breaks in form. Point being is as a parent we know our kids better than anyone. I did not and still do not care what the coach thought. AT 10 form should be the most important thing more important than winning any game or tournament.

 

[sluggers]

Considering her current pain / discomfort, if she had it to do over, would she have still pitched 5-7 games in a day?

Yes, but that isn't quite the point. If she were a 21 year old adult, and someone said, "Hey, if you pitch 5 games, you could have a permanent injury?", and then she decided "OK", that is one thing.

But, what you have is some dufus coach throwing a 10 YOA girl on the field for 4 or 5 games, and then telling her parents that "softball is a natural motion, she won't get hurt". So, basically, the parents and the coaches through a combination of ignorance and self-interest decided that winning a 10U tournament in Dog Run, MN is worth the risk of permanent damage to the arm.

IMHO, softball coaches, on the whole, are lazy. They can either work with the other pitchers and their defense, or they can find a kid who can strike out 17 out of 21 batters and pitch her every game. So, they opt for the path of least resistance, and pitch the kid with the big arm for game after game.

If you told baseball coaches they could pitch a kid 7 innings every day, most of them would be jumping for joy. But, in softball, if you suggest that kids should be limited to 7 innings a day, the coaches start panicking.

The sad thing is that the pitching motion puts stress on a part of the body (the bicep) that is designed to absorb stress. If coaches were reasonable, then the risk of injury would be almost zero. But, they aren't.

 

[Bucketrider]

My 12 yo dd's PC want her to pitch at least 300 pitches every practice at least three times a week. We try, but due to school and other issues, we normally only get the 300 in once and normally 200 the other two. Naturally if any discomfort or pain occurs, we quit. She has played for a couple of teams where she was the only pitcher who could pitch more than three innings. One team in particular, she had to pitch 86 in one innings due to errors. The part that my dd still does not grasp is she got faster on the third game due to being more tired, therefore relaxed. Am I building up her endurance or wearing down her career?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

You are ending her career. I have never heard of someone telling a 12 yo to throw 300 pitches a practice. If she were my student and you asked or a number, I would tell you around 75 pitches. A MLB player, who is a grown man, wouldn't even throw 300 pitches. You need to stress quality, not quanity.

 

[sluggers]

Am I building up her endurance or wearing down her career?

Pitching three games a day could lead to permanent injury.

Believe it or not, softball will end. I'll be honest with you, I feel terrible about my DD's shoulder pain. It is my fault. I caused it...I didn't have enough sense to stop the coaches from throwing her so much.

 

[stv]

Am I building up her endurance or wearing down her career?

Good question BucketR

 

[Lozza]

I know national pitchers who throw 300 balls a day! These are all women in their late teens/20s.

A 12 year old shouldn't be throwing more than 100 a day.

 

[BROBO]

Hey Sluggers, do you think that a pitch limit and mandatory rest (like the little league boys) would work in softball? If so, what would be the limits?

 

[chinamigarden]

A friend of mine went to a clinic that featured Jenny Ritter. She had just come off of winning the WCWS with Michigan. One of the other parents there asked her how many pitches she threw a day in the off season. Her answer was 50.