DYBA Protection of Pitchers Guidelines

DYBA is committed to protecting young pitchers' arms from damage due to overuse.

Every time a player throws overhand pitches his arm sustains a certain amount of damage. We have developed guidelines for the maximum amount of pitching that a young player should engage in and the proper amount of rest that allows the arm to heal between pitching outings. Note that these concerns apply mainly to baseball pitching. The underhand motion of the softball pitch is far less stressful on the arm.

There are three parts to a pitcher protection program:

Conditioning of the pitching arm.
Limiting overuse.
Sufficient rest between outings.

The DYBA Protection of Pitchers Committee has developed guidelines to help assure that pitchers do not hurt their arms. Click HERE to download a copy of the guidelines.

To help understand the issue involved, the Protection of Pitchers Committee has reviewed numerous scholarly books and articles about this subject. We recommend the following:

Saving the Pitcher by Will Carroll, Ivan R. Dee Publisher, Chicago, 2004, 202pp.

This book is written by a sports journalist who researched the increasing problem of pitchers' arm injuries in both adult and youth leagues. He explains the anatomical reasons that the arm is at risk of pitching injuries and goes on to describe regimens to condition the arm to withstand the stresses of pitching and then to recommend appropriate pitching schedules. His conclusions are based on the experience of Tom House, who is the pitching coach for Nolan Ryan and Mark Prior, and of Dr. James Andrews, the orthopedic surgeon who developed "Tommy John" surgery.

"How Many Pitches Should I Allow My Child to Throw?" by James R. Andrews, M.D. and Glenn Fleisig, Ph.D., American Sports Medicine Institute, 1996 (Click HERE to download a copy).

This article examines recent trends in pitching limits used in youth baseball leagues throughout the United States. Dr. James Andrews is the orthopedic surgeon who developed "Tommy John" surgery, which has saved the careers of many pitchers, including Kerry Wood and John Smoltz. He founded the American Sports Medicine Institute, which researches pitching injuries, among other things. Dr. Glenn Fleisig is a researcher at the ASMI.

"Position Statement on Youth Baseball Injuries" by USA Baseball Medical & Safety Advisory Committee, 2004 (Click HERE to see this statement).

USA Baseball is the organization that forms the USA Junior and Youth National Baseball teams and the USA Olympic Baseball team. Their Medical and Safety Advisory Committee based their recommendations for youth pitching limits on current research in the subject.

Last update: 11/01/06