“How Many Pitches Should I Allow My Child to Throw?” This is the most common question asked to sports medicine professionals by parents of youth baseball players. The question really is how many [...]]]> “How Many Pitches Should I Allow My Child to Throw?”
James R. Andrews, M.D. and Glenn Fleisig, Ph.D.
American Sports Medicine Institute
February 12, 1996
http://www.asmi.org/SportsMed/youth/PITCHCNT.PDF

“How Many Pitches Should I Allow My Child to Throw?” This is the most common question
asked to sports medicine professionals by parents of youth baseball players. The question really is how many pitches can a child throw without injuring the throwing arm. Organized leagues have shared this concern for several years; as a result, most youth leagues limit the number of innings a child may pitch (Tables 1 and 2). However, most people now believe that limits should be placed on the number of pitches, rather than the number of innings.

To determine recommendations, USA Baseball Medical & Safety Advisory Committee
commissioned the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) to study pitch limits in youth baseball. ASMI sent surveys to 85 baseball experts, consisting of orthopaedic surgeons and coaches, about pitch limits and other injury factors. Twenty-eight of these experts responded. Results from the survey are shown in Tables 3 - 6.

Table 3 shows the maximum number of pitches recommended per game and per week. The large “standard deviations” reflect large variation in opinion among those surveyed. The recommended minimum number of pitches corresponding to 1-day, 2-day, 3-day, or 4-day rest requirements are shown in Table 4. For example, if an 8-year-old pitcher throws at least 21 pitches in a game, the survey recommends that he should be required to rest at least one day; if he throws 34 or more pitches in a game, he should be required to rest two days.

Several respondents commented on the concept and definition of rest. Issues such as whether a child should pitch at home or play different positions in games during the “rest period” was discussed. Some felt that youth pitchers throw too many total throws, while others felt that children today don’t throw enough. ASMI supports the belief that, in general, youth baseball players in the United States do not throw enough. While young pitchers should be given adequate rest after pitching in competition, they should also be encouraged to throw in other settings (playing other positions, playing catch with parent or friends, practicing pitching, etc.). Throwing is necessary for a young pitcher to strengthen his/her arm and body. Common sense and listening
to the pitcher for complaints of discomfort or fatigue can greatly help the coach or parent decide the right amount of rest and practice needed.

Opinions and comments on other safety-related issues in youth baseball were asked. Results are presented in Table 5. Many respondents commented that the quality of the pitcher’s mechanics is an important injury factor. The importance of strength training was also mentioned. Table 6 shows the recommended age for pitchers to begin throwing various types of pitches. Because these results were based upon opinions and not observational data, their significance 2 should be interpreted with caution. The small sample size of survey participants (N=28) must also be considered. Based upon this survey, the following conclusions may be drawn:

• Number of pitches is more important than number of innings when determining rest
requirements
• The maximum number of pitches allowed in one outing should increase with age.
• A pitcher should be limited to two appearances per week.
• Compared to younger pitchers, older pitchers can throw a few more pitches for a given
number of days rest.
• Participation in multiple leagues, playing other positions, and practice pitching should be
considered when defining and regulating rest.
• Breakaway bases should be used.
• In general, a child can start throwing a fastball at age 8, a change-up at 10, and a curveball
at 14. All other pitches should not be introduced until high school age.
• Improper technique is a major factor in injury potential.
• Conditioning of the throwing arm and entire body can reduce a young pitcher’s risk of
injury.
• While the number of pitches should be limited, the young athlete should be encouraged to throw. This includes playing catch, playing other positions besides pitcher, and practicing pitching. When symptoms of arm discomfort or fatigue arise, longer periods of rest are
recommended.

These conclusions and recommendations are based upon the opinions of baseball and medical experts. However, the great variation in opinions collected indicate the need for more facts. USA Baseball and ASMI plan to study pitching in youth baseball and measure the number of pitches thrown, types of pitches thrown, pitching mechanics used, and other factors of interest. How these factors affect the risk of injury can then be determined.

Pitch Counts

Recovery Times

 The survey also presented recommendations for the age at which a player could learn different types of pitches. These are listed below.

Survey - Age Recommendation for Learning Various Pitches

In combination with overuse, poor conditioning and a lack of focus on strength training contribute to the increasing occurrence of injuries that need to be corrected by Tommy [...]]]> This is an article exerpt taken from themedpagetoday.com on how conditioning & strength training can play a role in injuries.  Please visit the link above to view the full article. 

In combination with overuse, poor conditioning and a lack of focus on strength training contribute to the increasing occurrence of injuries that need to be corrected by Tommy John surgery, according to David Altchek, M.D., of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

“The most important thing is this issue of adequate preparation from an athletic point of view,” he said. “We see a lot of kids who are talented pitchers because they have natural talent but haven’t trained into athletes.”

They don’t spend enough time focusing on strengthening the core muscles of the back and abdomen, he said, leaving them vulnerable to fatigue, poor mechanics, and injury.

“Their mechanics get altered while they’re pitching through fatigue and that overloads the elbow specifically,” said Dr. Altchek, who is also the medical director for the New York Mets.

Shawn O’Driscoll, M.D., Ph.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., also emphasized the importance of preparing the body sufficiently for the rigors of pitching.

He described the elbow as a link in the kinetic chain transferring energy from the contact of the foot on the ground to the release of the ball. Poor mechanics caused by insufficient conditioning or an injury to another part of the body could lead to an elbow injury.

“If there’s a disturbance anywhere along that kinetic chain, then the links in the chain are exposed to risk of injury,” he said.

During the stride phase, a pitcher moves his front foot toward home plate as [...]]]> The windup phase begins when the pitcher stepped back with his front foot and positions his back foot against the rubber. The windup phase ends when the front leg is at its maximum height and the two hands begin to separate.

During the stride phase, a pitcher moves his front foot toward home plate as the two arms swing down and apart from each other. The stride phase ends when the front foot touches the mound.

During the arm cocking phase, the pelvis and then upper trunk rotate to face home plate as the throwing arm externally rotates at the shoulder. The arm cocking phase ends when the shoulder reaches its maximum external rotation.

The arm acceleration phase was from the instant of maximum shoulder external rotation until ball release.

From ball release until the arm stops internally rotating is defined as the arm deceleration.

Follow-through begins with maximum shoulder internal rotation and ends when the pitcher regains a balanced position.

The greatest kinetic and kinematic values occurred during the arm cocking, acceleration, and deceleration phases, implying that these are the phases where overuse injuries are likely to happen.

Carbohydrate [...]]]> Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy for exercise and as activity levels increase, so do carbohydrate needs. They need to be consumed at every meal with the majority of carbohydrated being complex. Simple carbs can be eaten first thing in the morning and after exercise to restore glycogen levels.

Carbohydrate Needs:
Body Weight (BW)/2.2kg= BW kg
BWkg x 6-10=Grams of carbohydrates a day

A moderately active baseball player that is 200 lbs athlete would need about 545.5 grams per day
(200/2.2=90.9kgx6=545.5

Remember 1 gram of carbs equals 4 calories