Healthy Pitcher – Part 5 In my last blog
Healthy Pitcher – Part 5
In my last blog, I discussed pitch counts and the importance of keeping track of them. The tricky part is how to manage your coach (and player) to abide by the pitch count standards.
It starts with parents. Educate yourself on the recommended guidelines and then monitor your son during every game to make sure he is not going over the standard pitch count protocol (see my previous blog for pitch count guidelines).
It is true that most leagues have inning limitations. However, there are scenarios when inning limitations can be a moot point in terms of pitch count. For instance, what happens if JR has back to back 35 pitch innings and his coach (maybe even his dad) sends him back out for the 3rd inning not paying attention to the fact that this 10-year old has already thrown 70 pitches? In this case, the 3-inning rule does not account for the amount of pitches thrown in the first 2 innings. Since, as you learned from the last blog, 10-year olds should throw no more than 50 pitches per game; this league established rule is detrimental to what should really be observed – TOTAL PITCH COUNT. And by the way, the practice of monitoring pitch count and not innings should begin with the 10-year old leagues, but also continue all the way through high school. Parents please don’t be naïve and think your 17-old has a “strong arm that can handle it.”
This all sounds easy for parents whose first priority is to keep their son healthy. However, what should be done about the coach who wants no part in listening to a parent tell him how to run his team?
My advice is to send your son’s coach an email or letter that states that you would like to see his pitch count follow the US Medical Advisory Guidelines for Pitchers. Explain your concerns about the dangers of overuse and that you would like to work together to ensure this be kept a priority. To keep up to your end of the bargain, buy a pitch counter and keep track yourself. As a side note, it has been my experience that often times as a player advances to the high school level, the scorebook is kept by the players on the bench and pitch counts are often inaccurate. During his freshman year, my son was forced into a situation where he pitched 20+ pitches over the limit because the coach was basing his count by the scorebook. Because the players were the ones keeping track, they may have missed pitches and neglected to count foul balls etc…which lead to a misleading count for the coach.
Although I do not advise parents to be “sideline coaches,” I do urge you to take matters into your own hands and be very aware when your son is pitching that his count is not overlooked due to errors or carelessness. I would also suggest that you and your son have your own “signal.” If you realize his pitch count has gone over the limit, give him your designated signal and advise him to let the coach know that he feels as if he has thrown enough for that day.
Lastly and most important, communicate to your son and tell him if he has ANY pain, especially in his elbow, DO NOT continue to throw and seek medical attention immediately.
I hope that my healthy pitcher blogs have been helpful for you as a parent of a pitcher. At DuPage Training Academy, we are focused on not only training athletes to be their best, but also training them to take care of their bodies and be understanding of their limitations.
Jeff Kramer
DuPage Training Academy – Owner
