Watching the Little League World Series made me shudder. Curve ball after curve ball. Hardly any change ups. Poor follow through. I understand these kids are working hard and learning. I also know they need better instruction.
As a curve ball pitcher with Dr. Jobe’s Tommy John scar to show, I can tell you: do not let a kid throw curve balls until he’s at least sixteen years old – their bodies are not ready for the strain. It’s especially true for kids serious about the game. It’s not worth the risk of career-stopping injury.
Besides risking injury, it’s better to work on fast ball pitches and change ups anyway. These need to be learned and perfected first. A pitcher needs to be able to place fast balls and change ups when and where he wants. Every time. The ability to do that comes from practicing good pitching mechanics.
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September 5, 2008 at 1:11 am
worldwar1letters
Thanks so much for this.
I also was very concerned to see the number of curveballs and was surprised that the commentators didn’t say anything about it. There were all these other instructional elements throughout the Series but nothing about that.
You would think that if LL is so concerned about protecting arms with pitch counts they would also be concerned about not promoting the use of curveballs until the mid-teens.
I’m linking to your site on my blog about youth baseball at
http://dirtdogbaseball.wordpress.com.
Stop by & visit!