So you want to pitch for the Big League Cardinals one day, kid? Better start working on your curve. It's not that bad for your arm. Less stressful than throwing fastballs. Trust us, science says so! They did a study on it! Two studies!Each study concluded that curves are less stressful than fastballs and, based on the data collected, contributed little, if at all, to throwing injuries in youth players.There's also this: Birds don't really fly, the world is actually flat and smoking a pack of cigarettes a day can add up to 10 years to your life.
But this is a scientific study, done by doctors and SCIENTISTS, it has to be true. Right? RIGHT?!?!
So – and we're just thinking out loud here – what these studies are saying is that when a kid's elbow blows up because he's been throwing curveballs since he was eight, it wasn't the curveball that led to the torn ligaments?
“I don’t think throwing curveballs at any age is the factor that is going to lead to an injury,” said Glenn Fleisig, the chairman of research at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Ala.We don't know Glenn or his background, but we do know that HE'S A FUCKING SCIENTIST! AND HE SAYS THROW FUCKING CURVEBALLS ALL DAY LONG YOU LITTLE RASCALS. START DOING IT WHEN YOU'RE SIX. FUCK THE HEAT. THROW THE BREAKING BALL. THROW THAT SHIT ALL. DAY. LONG.
So listen closely, kiddos: Coach telling you to throw the gas? Shake that dickhead off and THROW THE FUCKING CURVE.
Except don't. And don't do drugs. Those will fuck you up worse than curveballs.
So...is heroin really a good source of vitamin C?
ReplyDeleteI think kids should have to throw underhand until they are 16 to preserve their precious little arms.
I'm not reading the article because I don't care what eggheads have to say about baseball. Some points though.
ReplyDeleteThe slider most taxes your elbow. But, over time, constantly over-throwing your fastball, as most kids do, would have the same effect.
The curve doesn't involve the same snap. If you're snapping your elbow like you would on a slider, the chances are that you've hung the curve or you've bounced it.
If you're pitching at that young of an age, it doesn't matter what you throw. By the time you're 20, your elbow ligaments are so frayed from
-putting such strain as pitching does on your arm at such a young age and
-probably, the by-product of shit technique
that you're better off blowing up your elbow and getting the Tommy John surgery out of the way, provided, of course, that you've learned how to pitch without putting undue strain on your elbow.
Next they will say that masturbating is bad for your arm...
ReplyDeleteIf that was the case, I would have had a few Tommy John Surgeries...
I only throw screwballs and slurves.
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with Bokolis, except for the statement that overthrowing your fastball is as likely to cause arm damage.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, who throws a straight overhand curve anymore? Not many people. It is hard to get into the strike zone and it doesn't have the speed of a slider.
I threw nothing but fastballs until I was 14 -- arm never hurt. From 14 through 17 I threw a slider. There are still some times today (age 45) when I play catch with my son that my elbow, neck and right shoulder blade start to throb.
I have no idea how they did this survey, but I really seriously doubt they were having young kids throw breaking pitches in tough game situations. I would agree that if you just went out and played catch and screwed around with breaking pitches in your back yard you would not have arm problems. But if you are throwing 45 sliders in a 7 inning game where your fastball is getting hammered all over the place, your arm is gonna hurt like a mother, particularly where you are playing in northern climates....in April and May.
OK -- I read the article now. They had kids throw "as if they were in a real game." This is the equivalent of doing a study on how suave certain guys were and asking the male subjects to talk to a puppet "as if she is a real girl."
ReplyDeleteComplete bullshit study.
Fact is that most people do not know the proper way to throw a curveball. Don't blame scientists unless you have actually read the study. Most young pitchers come around the ball producing break on a pitch, but this is not the proper way to throw a "curveball." The pitch that they are beginning to throw is a very bad slider. When throwing a slider the fingers stay on top of the ball and push through it sideways to produce and x like cut with their fingers. If adults paid more attention to the details of how to throw a breaking pitch, and not how many strikeouts their kids have in little league. The game would be improved.
ReplyDeleteYou never snap your elbow on any pitchers either. Have you even played baseball at a competitive level?
ReplyDeleteOK people, here is the REAL truth...
ReplyDeleteI am 50, been playing bball all my life (mostly as an outfielder).
But I have been working on pitching for the last 20 years. The thing that is the hardest is hitting the strike zone consistantly. When I get into a rythm with my fastball, I can pitch pretty good. But when I screw around with changeups and curveballs and cutters, then my fastball slows down because i am changing my arm motion so much.
My changeup gets killed for homers, so its OUT! My curve strikes out hitters, but it makes my throw ALL curves, so its out too.
So I am just a fastball guy. I change speed and location with it. I also can slide my hand over teh right side of the ball for a little slider action & I can hold back the wrist snap - making it die a little.
So to wrap up. Just throw the dam fastball.
Also, I seen too many times in senior leagues - guys who can't throw a fastball for a strike because they have so many sh!t pitches.