quote:Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:
I personally see nothing wrong with kids throwing curveballs. My son was throwing them by the time he was 11 years old and throwing them rather frequently. Our main concern should be with "overuse". All of the new research now being done is finding that LL elbow is due primarily from "overuse". Throwing "curveballs" is not overuse just as throwing fastballs isn't overuse. Throwing too much on fatigued or even sore arms is "overuse" and then it flat out doesn't matter what a kid is throwing at that point.
But, if one wants to get real picky about it, studies by ASMI have actually shown that the fastball has the greatest stress loads on the arm. But....we don't hear about people complaining if a kid throws 10 fastballs in a row......
If he was throwing them frequently, at 11 that signals overuse. The whole argument with the FB is because there are many that do not throw the FB correctly just as they do not throw CB correctly and a lot involves the argument of pronation vs supination, early or late. It also involves a lot of other stuff, which includes arm slot, RHP,LHP, wrist angles and where the pitcher is in his development (open or closed plates). There is a huge argument that supination is harmful for young pitchers and those pitches include breaking balls.
I would love to see a study on more and more CB specialists (those that don't throw the heat and rely on frequent use of CB), in HS,college and pro ball. I will bet they have just if not as many injury issues as heat throwers. You have a very little experience at this time. You remind me of the dad of the LHP who constantly was telling us what a stellar pitcher his LHP was, and he lived off of the CB to get players out, in college he was basically done, though the parent blamed it on the pitching coach, finally admitting as a seior he had shoulder issues. Someday if your son comes to you with an injury, you won't know whether it will be because of all those curveballs he threw or if he went home after pitching and threw a ball against the wall for hours after pitching. And you will not admit it, as most won't. I challenge any parent whose son has had to have shoulder or TJS to tell us what they threw when younger, most won't.
Do you hold up your information based on personal info? I mean how many kids do you see who are injured that throw very high velo in your area vs. other pitches? If you can, please present data. You claim that studies and data prove results yet in another topic when presented data, you don't recognize it. You are neither here nor there.