Setting limits on how many pitches/innings a girl can pitch

[ontheblack]

I agree, more research is required. However I am not going to pitch one girl all weekend and every weekend until conclusive research agrees it is a bad idea to do so. I think common sense would dictate that repetitive athletic motion can lead to injury. Pitching the same girl every game is like smoking a pack a day while waiting for undeniable proof that smoking is bad for you (Bad example, probably but best I could do at noon on a Friday).

How would the landscape of travel softball change if there was a inning/pitch limit? Would be interesting at just about every age level. I see a lot of teams with only one strong pitcher who pitches almost EVERY game.

Maybe, just maybe we would develop more pitchers. From rec on I see kids decide not to pitch because there is no point if they are not going to be the ace. And its not just coaches at 10 and 12 u. Rico lost PGF while leaving 3 capable pitchers riding the pine.

Its a complete change in mindset that is required.

@Happy, your advice was weak. With a masters in kinesiology, why hide behind the "there are not enough studies" bs? As for mechanics, the more tired a kid is, the more the mechanics get out of whack, assuming they were sound in the first place.

[Sackett13]

I am posting this not beacuse I have all the answers but to share my experiences. No-one wants to burn their daughter out or worse expose her to injury that could end participation in a sport she loves. I coach and my daughter is a 10U pitcher. She pitches alot. Last july she came down with "little league shoulder". This was not due to over-pitching or improper mechanics, at the time she was my #3 and maybe pitched 7 innings/tourney. It was due to the force on her shoulder, she throws hard and her back muscles could not support that force. Hence her shoulder came & remained partially out of socket. After seeing a shoulder specialist we were referred to physical therapy. She was forbidden any over hand shoulder motion for 3 to 9 months. No softball, basketball, volleyball, or even p.e. The upper extremity therapist we saw was very helpful. He explained how & why this happened. She went 2x/wk for 3 months. She still does those exercises 4x/wk. No issues. Ive also noticed in any sport girls knees have trouble. I also obtained from the therapist a knee stregnthening workout. Not because my daughter has knee problems, but because i don,t want her too.

[phjapo]

We should ask some of the top athletes how many days,weeks or contracts they took off. Millions of dollars at stake. I hear that UK pitcher threw a ton with John when she was younger.

[killerbee]

SWEET JESUS! Get back on your meds John!! That UK pitcher shared time her entire HS and travel career with a soon to be DII All-American!
Thanks to Jason Wise working with her on proper mechanics!

[killerbee]

Ain't nobody got time fo dat!!

[Dark Angel Coach]

If you have a Daughter who pitches, make sure she is pain free before she enters the circle to pitch the next game.
Use common sense and let the Coach know if your DD is in pain.

It's not worth it, " winning a 2 dollar trophy!"

[a70290]

k

[phjapo]

You should do stand up comedy, Jason Wise. HAHAHA
WOW
He should be a swimming coach.

[softball65]

The underhand motion is more natural & puts less stress on growing elbows/shoulders.

And there is one of the great myths being perpetuated regarding fastpitch pitchers. There are studies out there about the effects of the windmill motioning it ain't all roses.
The reason girls are made to pitch endless innings is because there is no big contract waiting for them so there is no concern for their long term welfare. You may be surprised how many softball players that are living in pain after the end of their playing careers.

I think we only have to look as far as the Div 1 College world series. There are two pitchers specifically that have been talked about pertaining to this topic, coming into the tournamen: Jackie Traina - Alabama, and Chelsy Thomas - Missouri, who went into regionals and super regionals with "arm fatigue". Both are now out of the tournament.

I think the argument is that the fastpitch motion is not as harsh or damaging to the arm, shoulder and elbow because it is a much more natural motion that a baseball pitcher. I've done both so I can personally attest to that. But we'd be down right foolish to think that using specific body parts repetitively, isn't going to stress the body to some degree, all be it a lesser degree than the baseball pitcher. I'm not one that supports the max innings per week thing for softball because I think the threshold of where the limit needs to be needs to be studied more. But having a pitcher for a kid myself, I know that there is a limit. For weekend tournament play, it's probably in the 4-5 games range I would say off the cuff... But she has never had shoulder pain, stiffness etc. the day after like I had after pitching one game in college, HS, or AAU (the day after the outing).

Interesting debate but to me it needs to be studied more.

[PDad]

I think we only have to look as far as the Div 1 College world series. There are two pitchers specifically that have been talked about pertaining to this topic, coming into the tournamen: Jackie Traina - Alabama, and Chelsy Thomas - Missouri, who went into regionals and super regionals with "arm fatigue". Both are now out of the tournament.

I think the argument is that the fastpitch motion is not as harsh or damaging to the arm, shoulder and elbow because it is a much more natural motion that a baseball pitcher. I've done both so I can personally attest to that. But we'd be down right foolish to think that using specific body parts repetitively, isn't going to stress the body to some degree, all be it a lesser degree than the baseball pitcher. I'm not one that supports the max innings per week thing for softball because I think the threshold of where the limit needs to be needs to be studied more. But having a pitcher for a kid myself, I know that there is a limit. For weekend tournament play, it's probably in the 4-5 games range I would say off the cuff... But she has never had shoulder pain, stiffness etc. the day after like I had after pitching one game in college, HS, or AAU (the day after the outing).

Interesting debate but to me it needs to be studied more.

Andrews Institute has developed softball-specific recommendations based on their extensive experience and research - Softball Injury Prevention. Besides providing a baseline for avoiding injury, their structure highlights the factors that come into play. Exceeding their recommendations doesn't guarantee an injury, but there is a corresponding increase in risk.

Don't put too much trust in the lack of pain because quite a bit of damage can occur before they feel anything.