# Curveball injury - Young pitchers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curveball-injury-young-pitchers/259356 "2004-08-11T14:36:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@Kel\_Varnsen\_Latex\_Division](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kel_Varnsen_Latex_Division)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curveball-injury-young-pitchers/259356/1 "2004-08-11T14:36:09Z")
Will throwing curveballs injure a young pitcher’s arm? Is the possibility of injury even worse for young pitchers than an older person? ---
**Author:** ![Redsland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@Redsland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redsland)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curveball-injury-young-pitchers/259356/2 "2004-08-11T15:29:38Z")
Yes on both counts. Children should not throw curveballs until high school. Here’s a [Special Report](http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/25/spt_onlinekidsarmupdate25.html). ---
**Author:** ![Redsland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@Redsland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redsland)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curveball-injury-young-pitchers/259356/3 "2004-08-11T15:35:33Z")
Actually, [this](http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/05/23/pitchers/) link to the same content is a bit better, because you can see some charts. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curveball-injury-young-pitchers/259356/4 "2004-08-11T16:54:11Z")
It’s generally unadvisable for kids to throw curveballs. To be honest, the danger of throwing the curveball, specifically, is somewhat overstated. The problem with young arms is simply that they pitch TOO MUCH. Pitching is enormously stressful on the shoulder and elbow no matter what specific pitch you’re throwing. Redsland’s cite quite clearly states that the problem is increasing pitch counts, not curveballs. That said, kids should still avoid the curveball until they’re older because 1. It might cause extra stress, which they don’t need. 2. Children are not sufficiently skilled as pitchers to worry about throwing breaking balls. They should be concentration on control and command. 3. Little League hitters shouldn’t have to face curveball pitchers. The addition of curveballs unnecessarily complicates matters for both picher and hitter and doesn’t help in learning and development. ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curveball-injury-young-pitchers/259356/5 "2004-08-11T17:42:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I3. Little League hitters shouldn’t have to face curveball pitchers. The addition of curveballs unnecessarily complicates matters for both picher and hitter and doesn’t help in learning and development. And teenaged little league umpires shouldn’t have to call curveballs. They get enough grief from the parents. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curveball-injury-young-pitchers/259356/7 "2020-10-30T23:44:32Z")
Closed on October 30, 2020, 11:44pm UTC ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2020, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curveball-injury-young-pitchers/259356/8 "2020-10-30T23:45:18Z")
Since this thread is 16 years old and was bumped by a spammer, I’m closing it. Colibri