Posted by: BHL (Knight1285@aol.com) on Mon May 17 23:29:02 2004

Just this weekend I attended a LL day at SBC park with Giants bullpen coach Mark Gardner, former pitcher Mike Krukow and others. Basically they said breaking pitches should NOT be introduced until High School. Instead,young pitchers should learn a good fastball and change-up. (Jesse Foppert, also there, said he really learned in college!). I've read many things on many boards. Conventional wisdom says that one should wait until 13 or 14. Another pitch that saves arms (and could be deadly in H.S. if a youngster starts now) and is fun is a knuckleball!

Hi FG,

For the record, I started throwing curves when I was seven.

I also understand that you are diametrically opposed to having youngsters throw a curveball. In lieu of this pitch, you suggest that a pitcher throw a knuckleball, a pitch which is difficult to "center" with the bat-head. This philosophy is probably a stellar one to promulgate.

However, in their pre-teens, children tend to go through a "rebellious" phase, and might attempt to throw curves, even if they are instructed not to by their father.

In such a case, you might spend the time teaching a youngster to throw a curve correctly, and instruct him to use it sparingly.

When it comes to sports, saying "yes" or "no" often lead to the same effect: they do not work.

Yet, if a child is put in a situation where he receives "yes" and "no" answers, you have made a wise move by engaging in a compromise.

I will admit that BG has exerpertise in the art of pitching, and, if all conditions were perfect, his answer would be the right one.

By contrast, all conditions are not perfect, since all pre-teens reach a rebellious stage. When this occurs, the sporadic use of a weapon capable of causing injury (i.e., if used all the time) is far better than restricting the pitch altogether.

Since the first thing that pre-teens usually rebel against are "age limits," I suggest individuals look at my alternative.

In the end, it is up to the father and son to come to a consensus.

I am sure they can, and wish the father who brought up the topic every bit of luck.

Also, I wish his kid the very best, and hope to see him in a Little League World Series someday.

Regards,
BHL
Knight1285@aol.com

P.S. For the record, I am not bringing up other national teams just to put them down with comments of blatant jingoism. While it is true that I have the utmost respect for the USA, I think we can learn how to compete with some of these "invincible" teams if we analyze their pitch selection. Thus, if Americans are to compete, we must learn to teach pre-teens how and when to throw curves.

But, this is just my opinion, and I respect everyone's right to affirm, refute, or accept / reject my statements.