Potential for injury

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May 7, 2008
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DD is a 13YO pitcher who throws hard. At last week's lesson her instructor was clocking her speed and saying the numbers out loud. There were a few other parents in the area watching along and as we were leaving, I heard one mumble something like, "that's all great until she gets hurt". For some reason this comment is really bugging me.

I'm just the mom of a pitcher who follows along closely enough to know that DD has decent mechanics and goes to an instructor who stresses throwing as hard as possible while staying injury-free. One lesson, DD came in with KT tape on her thigh for something minor like a muscle strain and he sent her home saying that it wasn't worth further injury or creating a new injury because she was favoring that leg. Point being, I believe the instructor has DD's health in mind and coaches her properly. DD ices after throwing, takes 1 or 2 days off from pitching per week, works out regularly with a program designed for softball pitchers, and generally (I think) does things the right way.

Am I somehow missing something that I am putting DD at risk of injury by having her throw for her top velocity on a fairly regular basis? Some lessons instructor tells her to throw at 75% while she works on something mechanical. Most lessons she throws at full speed with no gun. About once a month, the gun comes out and he checks her speed. She is super-competitive and admittedly gets really dialed up for these sessions, but this always seems like a natural part of the process and motivation for her to keep working hard. Now I'm obsessively reading the DFP threads on arm care and worried that I'm putting her long-term career at risk.

Sorry, maybe more of a rant than anything, but I'm curious if anyone has thoughts on DDs going all-out for speed during lessons and whether this is setting them up for being hurt.

Thanks! JF
You have to learn to throw hard all the time in order to perfect your game mechanics. Injury usually comes from (1) overuse or (2) weakness in key muscles. If your DD throws hard it is important to make sure she is doing a good routine of preventative strength exercises to make sure she stays healthy. These usually comprise rotator cuff exercises, scap exercises, and especially core exercises ( both front oblique and back muscles). USUALLY arm and shoulder injury is a result of bad mechanics overused. It has been reported collegiate pitchers (70%) pitch with back pain. Pitching is hard on your back. Consistent core work is the best prevention; boring, tediuous but keeps you in for the long haul. Find a good resource for these exercises and stick to it.
 
Jan 28, 2017
1,662
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Kinda on the same line. What percentage do you think most girls pitch at during a game? I think my DD throws harder at 90/95% than at max effort. She muscles up at max effort.
 

BigSkyHi

All I know is I don't know
Jan 13, 2020
1,385
113
Kinda on the same line. What percentage do you think most girls pitch at during a game? I think my DD throws harder at 90/95% than at max effort. She muscles up at max effort.
Personally believe throwing less than 100% pitching a game and then trust adrenaline to get the performance you need to get outs at various points of the game is pitching not throwing.
 
Feb 15, 2017
391
43
Kinda on the same line. What percentage do you think most girls pitch at during a game? I think my DD throws harder at 90/95% than at max effort. She muscles up at max effort.

Agree with you. My DD always clocks faster in games, usually will cruise 2mph faster than her max in a practice session. People find it hard to believe but I think its to the point you make - when they try to go 110 it turns into muscling. Hard to get them to understand 110 with the lower half but keep the arm loose. I think they know naturally in the game they have to do this to maintain their accuracy.

To the original question- I think it depends on the age/experience. When they are younger and less experienced you certainly see a very high percentage than turn the dial back and become “aimers” or untrusting of themselves. As the experience comes, the confidence follows and so from what I see its well into the 90%. As a coach I always ask my pitchers if they are working hard as a reminder that it should be max effort from the first pitch until it’s time for relief. Anything less in practice or a game and their potential will never be realized.
 
May 16, 2016
946
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Agree with you. My DD always clocks faster in games, usually will cruise 2mph faster than her max in a practice session.

I think some of this comes from getting a better push off the plate during games, especially if you are practicing indoors off a mat. The hole that develops in front of the plate on game fields, gives the pitcher a bigger area to push off of.

So, if you practice off one of these...
1589473757564.png

And you pitch from this... (actually, this is on the shallow side.) I think the pitchers are getting a better push from the plate on the field, and that explains some of the speed increase you may see in games over practice.

1589475243469.png
 
Last edited:
Feb 15, 2017
391
43
That is a great point. Leverage is much better. As a baseball pitcher I would walk to the mound to start the game and see that the grounds crew did a magnificent job packing the mound and the very first thing I would do is completely wreck it down to where half my shoe was below the surface. Of course we didn’t have to worry about leg drive as we were falling off Mt Everest. My ERA at home was 1/3 of my road ERA. Presumably because our mound was about 30 inches from level. About a decade after I graduated I went and watched a game and asked coach (former teammate) what the heck happened to my mound. He said when they did field upgrades the noticed it was over a foot too high. Welp....there went home field advantage!
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
That is a great point. Leverage is much better. As a baseball pitcher I would walk to the mound to start the game and see that the grounds crew did a magnificent job packing the mound and the very first thing I would do is completely wreck it down to where half my shoe was below the surface. Of course we didn’t have to worry about leg drive as we were falling off Mt Everest. My ERA at home was 1/3 of my road ERA. Presumably because our mound was about 30 inches from level. About a decade after I graduated I went and watched a game and asked coach (former teammate) what the heck happened to my mound. He said when they did field upgrades the noticed it was over a foot too high. Welp....there went home field advantage!

LOL I hated pitchers like you for digging a crater I had to fill in before each inning. I could never figure out how anybody actually used it to their advantage.
 
Feb 15, 2017
391
43
LOL I hated pitchers like you for digging a crater I had to fill in before each inning. I could never figure out how anybody actually used it to their advantage.

LOL. Well when you practice on it every day and had thrown on it for 6-8 years you learn how to properly “fall off of it”. My bread and butter was a 12/6....6-4” falling off a 30” mound straight down. Well...let’s just say it made me better than I was. Many times on the road I can remember thinking I was trying to pitch throwing uphill or jumping out a hole.
 

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