Limiting Innings for Youth Pitchers

Early specialization and overuse in youth athletes is a recipe for disaster. It will lead to injuries, ending athletic careers as well as causing burnout and peaking too soon. An example of this would be the kid who was throwing 80mph in 8th grade and was the most talented player in his area, but due to overuse and high demands, they are done with the sport by their junior/senior year of high school.

It is incredibly important for youth athletes to avoid specializing in a sport to soon. Kids 14 and under should be participating in a wide range of sports and physical activities, developing a large athletic foundation for future development. Upon entering high school, the athlete can begin to narrow their sport focus, allowing for further skill acquisition. However, they should not at this point devote all of their time to 1 sport. Continuing on with 2-3 sports should allow for sufficient time to develop the skills of those sports, while avoiding overworking the athlete to the point of physical and mental breakdown. Other physical activity is still highly encouraged.

I came across this article through a newsletter I subscribe to and I thought it was worthy of being brought to your attention. If you are a parent or coach of a youth baseball player, or a player yourself, the study cited in the article is a good source of information on the impacts of overuse. Even if baseball is not your sport, it should still teach you a very important message.

Too many pitches strike out youth athletes early, new 10 year study suggests

Kyle Bohannon, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Owner/Head Trainer

kyle@trainstrive.com

513-571-2950