If associations were truly worried about young pitchers and pitch counts I would suggest they look at the size of the ball, the weight of the ball, the pitching distance, and age.
Most leagues graduate from the 11" ball/35 ft. to the 12" ball and move to 40 ft. at the 12U level. This combination change is huge. I think this is not always healthy.
Lots of girls are not mature enough for this big jump. Certainly it adds a lot of stress to the body and IMHO it often leads to the development of some poor mechanics. The body will find a way to get the heavier ball 40 ft. but it may not be pretty.
Of course there are some very mature 12U girls----in that case let the parents make the decision to move them up to 14U.
How about 10U using an even smaller (10 inch) diameter/lighter/softer ball. I'll bet their mechanics would be much easier to control......forget the disadvantage to the hitters, just teach them how to hit.
Ever notice how great a young pitchers mechanics are when they throw dry (without a ball) and then how they can't duplicate those mechanics when you put a ball in their hand?
Most leagues graduate from the 11" ball/35 ft. to the 12" ball and move to 40 ft. at the 12U level. This combination change is huge. I think this is not always healthy.
Lots of girls are not mature enough for this big jump. Certainly it adds a lot of stress to the body and IMHO it often leads to the development of some poor mechanics. The body will find a way to get the heavier ball 40 ft. but it may not be pretty.
Of course there are some very mature 12U girls----in that case let the parents make the decision to move them up to 14U.
How about 10U using an even smaller (10 inch) diameter/lighter/softer ball. I'll bet their mechanics would be much easier to control......forget the disadvantage to the hitters, just teach them how to hit.
Ever notice how great a young pitchers mechanics are when they throw dry (without a ball) and then how they can't duplicate those mechanics when you put a ball in their hand?