Pitching Restrictions

[SyndreSoftball]

Just wanted everyone opinion on what they think is an acceptable amount of time a 10-11 year old girl should be pitching a week. Everyone hears the "you need to work 4 to 5 times a week", but at the same time there are those that say you need to give your arm time to rest and let little micro tears heal. Also what should be the number of pitches a girl at this age should be allowed to throw per day. Does softball need a pitch count or more defined regulations on pitching.

 

[mothgirl]

I want my dd pitching 4 days a week minimum. If it's 4 days a week they need to be 4 days of good long practice. If she's does a a 5 or 6 day a week schedule then she can shorten it up a bit. She doesn't do this every week of the year but pretty close, my dd doesn't see much pitching time in games (this is starting to change) so she has to practice harder then the girls that get game time.


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[MNDad]

IMO rather than pitch counts a 10-11 yr old can pitch until they tire or start to lose interest. I’ve never seen a girl that age with overuse injuries, but I’ve seen plenty quit pitching or even quit playing softball because they were pushed too hard.

DD went through some overuse injuries in HS and doctors told her she needed 1-2 days rest or light work after a hard day of throwing. Her injuries weren’t from throwing too many pitches, it was going from summer ball, to fall ball, to college camps, to HS ball without resting in between. They recommended taking at least 1 month off during the year to fully recover.

 

[shaker1]

IMO rather than pitch counts a 10-11 yr old can pitch until they tire or start to lose interest. I’ve never seen a girl that age with overuse injuries, but I’ve seen plenty quit pitching or even quit playing softball because they were pushed too hard.

DD went through some overuse injuries in HS and doctors told her she needed 1-2 days rest or light work after a hard day of throwing. Her injuries weren’t from throwing too many pitches, it was going from summer ball, to fall ball, to college camps, to HS ball without resting in between. They recommended taking at least 1 month off during the year to fully recover.

I was thinking this also. Be alot like a job. I would like to hear from the parents of the older girls that stuck with pitching over the years and how they kept them interested for so long.

 

[corlay]

Just wanted everyone opinion on what they think is an acceptable amount of time a 10-11 year old girl should be pitching a week. Everyone hears the "you need to work 4 to 5 times a week"

If a 10-11 yr old has the enthusiasm to pitch that often, it should be fine.
I wouldn't *make* a kid that young workout that often, however.
Learning to pitch is a frustrating process the first couple of years, especially.
You don't want to apply so much pressure that it sours the game for her.

My 11U usually gets in 2 workouts during the week between weekend games, and we keep them pretty short. 45min or so.
During off-season is were we really break things down and concentrate on core mechanics, new pitches/spin, etc.
We still keep workouts short, but frequency is more often in that 4/week range.
Sometimes a "workout" is: pitching indoors in a lane, throwing in our basement close-range into a blanket, redcord strength training, etc.

I stay very sensitive to the feedback I get form her regarding practice duration and frequency.
I do "push" sometimes, if I feel she really is dogging it. But mostly I let her dictate.

 

[SyndreSoftball]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I really liked what you said Corlay, I am the same way with my DD, yes I will say we haven't pitched in a few days we have to work today, but for the most part I let her dictate when we practice, honestly we work about on average two times a week on our own, but this does not count the games pitched on Sunday or pitching at team practice, we only see her pitching coach bi-weekly, unless we are learning a new pitch or I see something that I cant fix, Some days she is gung-ho I want to pitch I am ready to go, other days she wants to watch dance moms and can care less about pitching or working out. Does the style of pitcher have anything to do with it, my DD is a big kid and power pitcher, she is 10 and is about 51-52 on average for speed, I would think she needs a bit more rest than a pitcher who does not generate as much velocity between workouts, or would a pitcher who spins the ball more put more strain on the arm, elbow, shoulder.

I agree with what you said as well MN dad we usually take a break for three weeks in August and a few weeks in December January.

 

[JAD]

30-40 min or @ 100-120 pitches of good focused pitching 4 days a week should be good.

 

[Eric F]

Some days she is gung-ho I want to pitch I am ready to go, other days she wants to watch dance moms and can care less about pitching or working out.

Sounds pretty normal to me.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I do see over use injuries, but it is from extreme cases. For instance my 10U student pitching 12U travel ball. The coach really had her throw to excess. So, she developed a muscle imbalance and he'd several months of physical therapy.

My lessons are 45 minutes long. We take frequent water breaks. They throw 15 fast balls, 15 CUs, and 15 mixed. If everything is OK, they are done. There is no reason to throw, and throw.

I also tell them to practice 5 days a week. The ones that do are really good. It is sort of like piano.

I keep stats, when I can get to the games. The 12U rec girls are good for about 75 pitches. I saw opposing girls throw 144 and 175, this summer, and they were losing. Average speed is 44.

 

[MNDad]

I was thinking this also. Be alot like a job. I would like to hear from the parents of the older girls that stuck with pitching over the years and how they kept them interested for so long.

Interesting question. DD is starting college in a couple weeks. In the end something has to light a fire inside the girl from within to keep interested. I can think of more things I did wrong than right. I pushed too hard, was “that Dad” too many times etc. Probably the best thing I did was back off and just let her coaches do their job. Other things that helped were just dumb luck. She landed on a club team with amazing coaching and some great kids and families. That’s where she learned that its possible to play at a higher level. Two families in particular were instrumental in showing us how the recruiting game works and the urgency to get her to camps and in front of coaches. This was the beginning of my education too realizing that being the best softball team in MN was worth as much as being the best hockey team in CA. Everything rose to a new level and created new challenges for her.

Another key moment came when her HS hired a new coach that had a very strong background as a D1 coach and player. She turned into a great friend and role model for DD. Knowing someone who’s had success at the highest level has been a great motivator. She’s also works at clinics and lessons which allows her to see the game through beginners eyes. I think that helps keep it interesting and new. It also makes it easier to identify her own issues and self-correcting.