Arm Health For Pitchers
One of the most important responsibilities of a youth baseball manager is
proper arm care. Especially at the early stages of a baseball season, a
manager must have a plan with regard to pitch counts and arm health.
Daily and Monthly Pitch Counts
It is not the number of innings pitched which matters most. Instead, the
number of pitches thrown is most relevant to significant arm health. Pitches
should be counted at all times, with the manager holding strictly to a pitch
limit - both per day and per week. This ensures that no young arms are
compromised for the sake of winning a youth league baseball game.
Often times, leagues set guidelines to assist in monitoring athletes' throwing
levels. Develop several pitchers and their arm strength, to help distribute
the pitch load. A chart offering suggested pitch limits and games pitched
follows below:
Age Games Pitches
8 2 48
9 2 52
10 2 56
11 2 60
12 2 66
13 2 72
14 2 78
15 2 86
16 2 96
17 2 106
18 2 106
Season Plan
One of the most frustrating aspects of managing a baseball team is the topic
of sore arms. Typically, sore arms are not medically serious. Instead, it is a
young arm getting in shape, much like the lungs or legs of a middle aged
runner after taking a considerable amount of time away from jogging. A young
arm is like any other muscle in the body, it must be worked into shape at the
beginning of a season. Regardless of age, size or athletic ability, a plan
must be set in place to ensure that the arm has ample time to build strength
and endurance.
This can be safely achieved with a simple plan. Several weeks before the first
game of the season, set up a schedule designed to ramp up your athletes
pitch count levels. Use an increasing scale to bring arm strength from out of
shape to game ready in this time. An example of pitch counts (thrown in
practice bullpen sessions) follows below:
Day 1 25 pitches
Day 5 28 pitches
Day 9 31 pitches
Day 13 34 pitches
Day 17 37 pitches
Day 21 40 pitches
This does not mean, however, that a pitcher needs to be ready to throw 60
pitches on Opening Day. Instead, plan on working through a long-term schedule
that will have your pitchers peaking near the later stages of league play.
With a plan in place, your athletes will be safely ready to throw 50 - 55
pitches by the second or third week of competition.
This way, as other arms are growing tired from the rigors of a 20 - 30 game
schedule, the arms of your pitchers are growing stronger and showing no signs
of slowing down. Remember, each pitcher should still be held to strict daily
and weekly pitch counts.
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See Also: Pony Baseball
Pitching Rules
Baseball Articles
Baseball Drills