Posted by: B. Allen (ballen@inetfund.com) on Mon Apr 10 02:51:29 2000

My son is on a 12 yr old select team. He has pitched an average of 50pitches in a game. The head coach just had another pitcher on the team (who weighs about 70 lbs) pich 110. Isn't this too much for a young child?
> Thanks for any input,
> Bob
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Hi Bob,
110 pitches is a lot for a 16 year old. Dick Mills has a nice website for Pitching at http://www.pitching.com/
If I'm remembering correctly there's a suggested pitch count and days rest recommendation for different age groups on his tips page.
Your challenge is how to address your son's coach in a constructive way. I suggest that you engage discussion as a colleague. Ask him what his recomendations are for training throwing athletes to prevent sore arms. Ask about running a pitcher to work out lactic acid. Ask for icing recommendations. This way your discussion is centered around your shared experience.
I'm new to coaching but have the benefit of working with a volunteer coach who's been scouting and coaching for 30+ years. He's developed players (and a number of pitchers) that have, or are now, cashing checks to play. Our 14 year olds (Freshman) only throw two innings - period. This way we work three or four pitchers per game and develop a larger staff to send up to the next level. And no sore arms - just strong ones.