Friday, August 12, 2011

Youth Baseball: Curve Balls Not Taboo Anymore?

Study shows: The force of a fastball on an 
elbow is equal to or greater than a curve.
I faced my first curveball when I was 11 years old. Very few 11 year old kids threw the taboo curveball, so I still remember the pitcher's name, Ricky Franco. His curveball was nasty. Well it was nasty for kids who had never see one up close before. He was not overpowering, but he made me look foolish with knee buckling curves on more than one occasion. I remember our coach saying that that kid's arm will never last. I was thinking I will never last if I cannot hit a curveball. I'm not sure how long Ricky pitched.

A recent 5 year study conducted by North Carolina and backed up by another 10 year study The American Sports Medicine Institute which was founded by the famous Dr. James Andrews, indicates that overuse and not curve balls is the problem.  Read the USA Today article STUDY: Overuse, not curveballs leads to injuries.

The Main Point

Let's face it, anyway you throw a baseball is a physically abusive and unnatural motion. Proper mechanics and proper rest are imperative for young pitchers, no matter what pitches they have in their repertoire.


Still I am glad my son did not throw a curve while he was younger.


Are you going to let your son throw curves now?

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