What age should you throw a curveball?

So, what is the appropriate age? In regard to curveballs and sliders, I recommend a player wait until he is 13- or 14- years- old. It all depends on his physical maturation and muscular development. You want to avoid overloading the shoulder and elbow.

Can a 10 year old throw a curveball?

Throwing a curveball prior to age 13 was not found to be a significant risk factor for the development of a serious arm injury, defined as one requiring shoulder/elbow surgery or leading to retirement from baseball.

Can a 11 year old throw a curveball?

The short answer is that many experts agree that pitchers can begin throwing curveballs between the ages of 13-16.

When should you throw a curve ball?

A curveball is often thrown when pitchers are ahead in the count because it is harder for hitters to make solid contact with the bat. The main difference between a curveball and a slider is that a slider does not have as much of a downward break as most curveballs do.

What pitches should a 12 year old throw?

Kids can have a lot of success with average curveballs at that age because hitters struggle with them. Fastball/change is the foundation for sure. Curveballs are not dangerous, or more dangerous, than any other off speed pitch if they are thrown correctly.

What Age To Start Throwing a Curveball in Baseball

Is it OK for a 12 year old to throw a curveball?

While the research has not conclusively shown a connection between curveballs and injuries; it is safest for young pitchers to avoid throwing curveballs until they are more mature and can use proper mechanics.

Does throwing curveball hurt your arm?

No studies found increased force or torque about the elbow or shoulder. Three epidemiologic studies showed no significant association between pitching a curveball and upper extremity pain or injury.

Why can't kids throw curve balls?

Throwing too many curveballs or throwing curveballs improperly could lead to ligament damage, coaches and doctors said, specifically tears to the ulnar collateral ligament, the tissue in the elbow that connects the upper arm to the inside part of the lower arm.

Is curveball the hardest pitch to hit?

A . 300 hitter, that rarest of breeds these days, goes through life with the certainty that he will fail at his job seven out of ten times.” And the consensus of the pros is that the curveball is the toughest pitch to hit.

Should little leaguers throw curveballs?

Little League did not institute a ban on curve balls, and, in light of new research suggesting that the pitch does not, contrary to conventional wisdom, put more strain on a young pitcher's elbow than other pitches (indeed, the research suggests curveballs place less stress on the elbow than a fastball), was perhaps ...

Should a 10 year old throw a slider?

Young pitchers who throw breaking balls–including sliders–report more arm pain than those who do not. The right age to start throwing a slider or curveball is between 14 and 15, which gives a player enough time to develop the pitch (takes 1-3 years) so that it's good by the time the college recruiting process heats up.

How hard should a 10 year old pitch?

The average fastball velocity for pitchers 10 years old and younger is between 40-50 mph. The average change-up speed for this age group is about 10 mph slower, making the velocity between 30-40 mph.

How hard should a 12 year old pitch?

11 and 12 Year Olds

The average fastball is between 50-60 mph. However, at this age the players may start to hit puberty, therefore it is not uncommon to see a pitcher throwing near 70 mph. The changeup velocity at this age is typically between 40-50 mph.

How many inches does a curveball break?

A major league curveball can veer as much as 17 1/2 inches from a straight line by the time it crosses the plate. Over the course of a pitch, the deflection from a straight line increases with distance from the pitcher.

Is throwing a curveball hard?

The curveball should be thrown – just like all pitches – as hard as the fastball. The arm-speed for all pitches should be 100% at all times, but the output speed, the final radar gun speed, is determined by how much speed is converted into spin.

What age do you throw changeup?

Players at the age of 9 or 10 years old can start developing a changeup. The key is to be able to throw strikes with a two seam and four seam fastball before moving on to other pitches. Everybody wants to have a trick pitch, instead of mastering the most important pitch in baseball.

What is the most nasty pitch in baseball?

1) Jhoan Duran -- 99.7 mph splitter, Aug.

Duran is the only pitcher in pitch-tracking history to throw a 100 mph "offspeed" pitch. His "splinker" -- a unique splitter/sinker hybrid that gets classified by Statcast as a splitter -- reached as high as 100.8 mph in this same game, but that one was a ball.

What is the rarest pitch in baseball?

Definition. A screwball is a breaking ball designed to move in the opposite direction of just about every other breaking pitch. It is one of the rarest pitches thrown in baseball, mostly because of the tax it can put on a pitcher's arm.

Who has the most unhittable pitch?

What pitches should a 9 year old throw?

The only two baseball pitches needed to be successful in youth baseball are the fastball and change up. Combine a good fastball and change up with the ability to throw strikes consistently, and you're on your way to a winning season!

Is it harder to hit a fastball or a curveball?

A hitter is more likely to contact a fastball, but curveballs have more power potential. Basically, a hitter is more likely to get on base by hitting a fastball, but a curveball has more capacity for extra bases. Hunting one pitch over the other may be situational.

What is worse for your arm a slider or a curveball?

Sliders had the highest arm stress (54.6 ± 12.9 N·m) while curveballs had the lowest (46.8 ± 16.3 N·m). Fastball arm stress was 50.1 ± 16.8 N·m and changeup arm stress was 51.3 ± 15.5 N·m.

Is a slider or curveball better?

A slider is a breaking pitch that is thrown faster and generally with less overall movement than a curveball. It breaks sharply and at a greater velocity than most other breaking pitches.