#28: Curveballs - What age?

At what age should an athlete throw them? The majority of medical professionals recommend a starting age of 13/14 years old when throwing curveballs. This allows the arm to physically mature in preparation for excess stresses caused by a curveball’s radical release and delivery. However, a large number of athletes are throwing curveballs at much younger ages and a discussion of why is merited.

With all the controversy about when an athlete should throw curveballs, why is there even a need to ask the question? Because they work! Understandably, young hitters have problems hitting a breaking baseball when seeing movement for the first time. Pitchers experience success throwing the pitch, and then want to throw it more and more. Coaches enjoy watching their athlete strike batter after batter out, and naturally encourage breaking pitches.

However, this is a dangerous situation because a curveball can be damaging to a young arm. As noted before, I found that most experts agree curveballs pose a threat to arm health and recommend throwing them at 13-14 years old. There are those, however, that say a properly thrown curveball does not put any extra stress on the arm. So, our decision hinges on either of two lines of logic:

#1 – The majority of medical professionals are correct that curveballs can be dangerous to a young arm.

or

#2 – Curveballs are safe when thrown correctly.

The first statement is fairly self-explanatory. Following the second line of reasoning, we put our faith in a 10/11-year old pitcher to properly execute a curveball each and every outing. While I’d like to show confidence in “Little Johnnie,” and believe in his ability to execute, the fact is that it’s very difficult for a young pitcher to throw a proper curveball. Thus, the chances are high that an athlete will throw a curveball incorrectly, which no one will dispute can jeopardize arm health.

Both of these then lead us to the conclusion that an athlete should not throw a curveball until the age of 13. The risks simply outweigh the reward. With that being said, ask yourself why we would let that athlete throw breaking pitches at younger ages? What purpose does it serve? Who benefits in the long run? I find it hard to validate any decision which risks a chance of injuring a young athlete.

I encourage all coaches to do their own research and make a decision of what age is acceptable to throw a curveball (my earliest age is 13 years old). Make this decision and stick to it. Much like pitch count regulations, communicating age restrictions on curveballs early in a season or career can help to avoid compromising positions, such as the dilemma of allowing an athlete to throw the curveball in order to win the “big game.” Challenge your athletes to learn how to pitch using a fastball and change-up - change speeds and location!

What about the Football Curve?
The football curve or football slider is a type of curveball where an athlete is taught to throw without breaking the wrist. Two, three or even four fingers are placed on the side of the ball, imparting side spin and slight movement across the plate. Because the wrist does not break, the idea is that this will keep unnecessary stress off of the arm. This pitch is taught to young pitchers as a substitute for a traditional curveball.

While this shows that a coach is thinking about arm safety, I do not agree with any substitute curveballs. First of all, we are (once again) trusting a young athlete to be disciplined in pitch delivery and not try to spin the ball. Secondly, we are expecting this athlete to be satisfied with a “slight” break, as the pitch is intended to do. The problem is that young pitchers want more than “slight” breaking action. They will, invariably, continue to break the wrist in an effort to see more movement. It’s only natural for a pitcher to want movement… especially a young athlete enamored with the fact that a baseball can actually break.

Changing Times
Over the last 20 years, some of the local youth leagues have dramatically changed their throwing regulations. Regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, it’s interesting to note the trends:

• 7-8 Age Division – Years ago, this was entirely coach-pitch. Several local leagues have gone to a Major division which uses kid-pitch, and a minor division which is coach-pitch. Other leagues have gone entirely kid-pitch at this level.
  
• 11-12 Age Division – Years ago, there were no curveballs allowed in certain leagues. Over the years, these leagues have gone from allowing curveballs in the second half of the season… to allowing curveballs the entire season.
  
• 13-14 Age Division – Discussions are ongoing in local leagues to move this division from 54-ft mounds to a 60-ft pitching distance.