Pitching should be phased in slowly for young players

Editor's note: Nancy Justis is a former competitive swimmer and college sports information director. She is a partner with Justis Creative Communications. 

When should kids start pitching in games?

Despite participating in many conversations about this topic, I have found little definitive research on the subject, just opinions.

My opinion is kids should start pitching in competitive games later than sooner.

I have spent the last two summers watching my now 9-year-old grandson play rec program baseball. This summer was the second summer they played kid pitch games, and before that, coach pitch.

Nine year olds can't pitch. Hitters come in all sizes. Some are tiny, some are tall for their age. Nine-year-olds don't adjust to the hitters. The pitches are too high for the small kids. Most pitchers don't have the strength to throw the ball across the plate on a consistent basis. The ball doesn't hit the plate, soars too high, too low or too wide.

Consequently, hitters can't hit. Give them credit, though, most have good eyes. There aren't many swinging outs. Instead, there are many walks. Good for the team on offense, because most of the runs are scored by walking base runners home. Bad for the defense. Fielders don't get to participate in the game. They stand around watching the bases load up. And the game is slow,

Sports should be fun. This is not. Players are bored. They aren't learning anything. They aren't learning how to pitch, they aren't learning how to hit, they aren't learning base running, they aren't learning how to field balls.

Let's go back to machine or coach pitch until at least fourth or fifth grade.

David Jacobson, a Positive Coaching Alliance trainer and past youth baseball and softball coach, said the most important consideration is arm health and safety — 'taking care that a child not pitch too much, even in practice, and not throwing curve balls, which puts unique stress on the arm, too early.'

At this age, my grandson's team does not practice formally once the games begin, so there is no danger in pitching too often. Plus, several different kids get the opportunity to pitch in a single game. Which is good. Everyone gets to play.

Jacobson said another safety consideration is the 'training of batters to avoid being hit by pitches' — minimizing the impact and damage when not getting out of the way of mis-thrown pitches. And 'teaching pitchers the footwork and glove work necessary to defend themselves against balls hit back at them at high speed.'

I've seen a few batters and catchers get hit by balls. Balls are not being thrown at 90-plus miles per hour. I'm not minimizing kids being hit by balls. They are scared and it hurts. But it doesn't happen often.

I totally agree with what Jacobson said next. 'Keeping kids in baseball — a sport increasingly seen as 'boring' by kids who grow up with fast-action video games and other forms of immediate gratification in regards to what keeps their attention and engagement — depends on the ball being put into play.

'The younger the pitcher, the less that happens. Why? Because inexperienced pitchers mean more walks and more nervous batters, who fear being hit by an obviously errant pitcher and won't put in play the same ball at the same speed and same location as one thrown by an adult.'

Yet, he said, you need to start working youth pitchers into games at some point. 'It is not likely that you will strike the balance between ball-in-play and pitching development needs before age 9-10.'

He said let kids throw batting practice and in practices and scrimmages and gradually work better pitchers into live action.

'Even then, to ensure ball-in-play, have a written or unwritten rule that the game goes to coach-pitch after, say, three walks in an inning.'

Let us know what you think. Send comments to njustis@cfu.net