pitching limits

[Mike]

I would encourage you to have DD be her best but have reasonable goals.

I agree obbay.

Thanks Alabama.

Per capita I think most girls put the same intensity into a pitch that major leaguers put into theres. They are limited to around 100+ pitches per game but they are in PEAK form. If all of your daughters are truely in peak form then I say go ahead and push the number of pitches they throw. My daughter does work on her pitching just like anyone else but she is not in peak form, and in my area
(washington st) I see very few that are, very few. I am going to go with 80 pitches per game for now, as for the week I dont have a clue yet as non of this is scientific. But this is something I think the fastpitch community should take a serious look into.

 

[quincy]

Nothing to do with anything but I know my 8U DD pitched from 500 – 600 game pitches during a one week stretch last year. I am not sure how many she pitched in practice or warming up, even during this stretch she wanted to go outside to practice. Kids are nuts.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

As far as Taryne Mowatt goes, she was 20ish and used all the gas in the tank that she had left. She was pitching CUs and running on adrenalin. I don't recommend that for anyone. Her coach (at the time) called a superb game.

I believe (my opinion only) that seeing her pitch that year and seeing her pitch the next year that her performance in that trny, left her spent, for a long time.

 

[NVfishing]

At 12U my oldest was pitching 4 games per weekend. 90-100 pitches per game. Some games back to back. She did tire out when she pitched 3 games in a row. She was sore the next day, took two or three days off and was good to go.

 

[obbay]

Yeah, I guess she was an extreme case. I didn't see her enough the next season to see the difference and I was wondering if the difference in the WCWS in 2008 was that Mike was coaching the Olympic team instead of Arizona. I didn't realize she never came back all the way.

 

[Mike]

Thanks Screwball, that helps a bit. Hard to argue with her. Should maybe look at a weekly maximum but still limit it to a certain number per session including games. Like she said every kid is different and right now 80 to 90 per outing is realistic for my daughter. BTW I didnt agree with the 100 per week either thats just what the chart I found said.

 

[splinterpicker]

I just do not care for a set number. If lets say 75 is the maximum thats all that they will ever be prepared for. I preach efficiency for a 7 inning game even though their usually 5. 3 strikes per batter x 7 innings is 63 pitches. 75 Is very little room for balls. If a 100 pitches are thrown in a 5 inning game, to me the pitcher is not very accurate. With my dd a good game is not judged in wins but in how few pitches were thrown.

 

[Lozza]

I think your problem is that you're not only using a chart for boys, not girls, but you're using a chart for a completely different sport. You really can't compare the two.

I'm currently trying to find the pitching limits that we have in Australia. I'll post them here when I find them.

 

[Jillsdad]

It would be great to hear the opinion of an actual orthopedist on this subject

 

[Bucketrider]

As a dad of a pitcher, I still believe that the batters will determine the pitch count. Keep track of when dd started falling off and then try to throw more at practice, unless we are talking the third game in a row. Just use common sense, it would be better served than any pitch count.