Pitch CountAthlete-Centered Arm Safety

Baseball CanadaNovember 2008

What is LTAD ?

• Optimal training, competition and recovery programming with relation to biological development and maturation

• Equal opportunity for participation and competition

• Athlete centred, coach driven and administration, sport science and sponsor supported

Athlete -Centered

The Best Sport Science Available

Innings Pitched

• Easy to manage

• Has been the traditional approach

• Within Canada – we have several different sets

of rules

• ‘Innings’ does not relate directly to arm safety

– Coaches currently manipulate the system

without regard to arm safety

– We can have 3 pitch innings & 30 pitch

innings – treated the same

Pitch Count Approach – An Athlete-centered Approach to Arm Safety

Background

In preparation for our LTAD implementation, Baseball Canada took the following steps:

• Conducted a ‘Pitch Count Pilot’ with Baseball Alberta assistance during the summer of 2007

• Consulted medical research done on the subject of arm safety and impact of ‘loading’ on pitcher’s arms in the last 5 years

• Consulted the work of other organizations regarding arm safety and pitching rules

Pitch Count Approach – An Athlete-centered Approach to Arm Safety

Research Tells Us?

Research – most recent

• Risk Factors in Adolescent Baseball Pitchers Olsen SJ, Fleisig GS, Dun S, Loftice J, Andrews JR. Risk factors for shoulder and elbow injuries in adolescent baseball pitchers. The American Journal of Sports Medicine 34:905-912, 2006.

• Olsen et al. examined 95 adolescent pitchers who had shoulder and elbow surgery, and 45 adolescent pitchers who never had a significant pitching-related injury. The adolescent pitchers ranged anywhere from 14 to 20 years of age. The study compared their responses to a survey to determine risk factors associated with pitching injuries and surgery.

When a pitcher regularly threw with arm fatigue,

he was 36 times more likely to require surgery

› 8 months of competitive pitching during a year,

he was 5 times more likely to be in the surgery group.

4

More than 80 pitches in a game,

he was 4 times more likely to be in the surgery group

Research Tells Us?

Fatigue –major cause of injuries

# of pitches (long term damage)

Proper rest and regeneration ignored

Not Significant Factors

• Private pitching instruction

• Coach's chief concern

• Exercise programs

• Stretching practices

• Relieving frequency, or

• Age at which pitch types were first thrown

What did the pilot tell us?

Survey - Pilot in AlbertaWhat was the most difficult item as far as managing

the Pitch Count Program in the 2007 season?

• Based on the schedule and playing too many games in a short period of time.

• Tracking and Counting Pitches.• Finding Volunteers to Count Pitches. • Consistency in the Rules and Regulations. • Interpretations of the Rules & Regulations. • Following the Pitch Count Numbers Grid. • Other:_________________________________

Pitch Count Approach – An Athlete-centered Approach to Arm Safety

Feedback – Survey Results

The following were the 3 responses shown as the most difficult to manage:

• Tracking and counting pitches

• Finding volunteers to track pitches

• Consistency in the rules and regulations

Pitch Count Approach – An Athlete-centered Approach to Arm Safety

Survey - Pilot in AlbertaWhat was the most Positive item as far as managing the Pitch

Count Program in the 2007 season?

• Developed more Pitchers and found some diamonds in the rough

• Arm soreness/injuries were less this year• I had more fun as a coach because it felt like I was managing

my pitchers better this year• As a coach I appreciated the educational information that

came along with the Pitch Count Program• It made for very exciting games and it kept the players

engaged a majority of the time• There was more parity in competition this year. (Teams were

on more of an even playing field) • Other:

Pitch Count Approach – An Athlete-centered Approach to Arm Safety

Feedback - Survey Results

The following were the 3 responses shown as the most positive results

• Exciting games / kept the players engaged a majority of the time

• More parity in competition

• Developed more pitchers / found diamonds in the rough

Pitch Count Approach – An Athlete-centered Approach to Arm Safety

Recommended Safety Grid

Age 9-11 Age 12-13 Age 14-15 Age 16-18 Rest required

1-25 1-30 1-30 1-30 None

26-40 31-45 31-40 31-44 1 day

41-55 46-60 41-59 45-64 2 days

56-65 61-75 60-74 65-79 3 days

65-75 76-85 75-90 80-100 4 days

75 85 90 100 Maximum

Additional Safety Rules

• Pitcher cannot pitch in 3 consecutive days.• Pitcher, when removed from the position, may play other defensive

positions; however, he / she CANNOT play the position of catcher during the remainder of the day.

• A player cannot play the position of pitcher and catcher in the same game. Once he / she catches in a game, he / she cannot take the pitcher’s position in the same game.

• A pitcher, once removed from the position, may not return to pitch in the same game.

• A pitcher may not pitch in more than 2 games in a day• These rules apply to the pitcher – when a pitcher plays for more

than 1 team, his pitch counts shall be cumulative, that is, if he / she is on a rest period arising from a game with Team A, the counts still apply to games involving Team B.

We get questions?????

• A pitch is defined as an official pitch made during play in the game.• If a pitcher reaches the maximum pitch count during an at bat, he /

she can finish that hitter and the change made at the next stoppage.

• Pitchers that play in an age category above their own age group, e.g., 14 playing Midget, shall be governed by their actual age. Coaches shall be responsible for monitoring this and will be liable to penalties for any violation.

• The home / host team is responsible to appoint an official scorekeeper to keep track of the pitch count for all pitchers during a game. That record shall be the officially recognized pitch count for that game.

• Intentional walks will be included in pitch counts.

Yabut… . …..we’re different

ARE WE

REALLY

Athlete Centered System

LTAD Report on Baseball

Issues on Current System

• 150 different systems – no relation to LTAD

principles

• No Best Practice review

• Training & Competition system – climate based

• Competition / Practice / Recovery ratios

• Competitive imbalance

Baseball Canada – LTAD Impact – November 2008

Change and Innovation......

Innovation comes from our differences

Accepting the ideas of others

Being open to change

But we must be able to measure the

success of any proposed changes

Seeking Innovation

Based on research / sport science

Tested (pilots)

Based on LTAD Principles

Applied system wide

So you want to throw a curve ball?????

what we have learnedAll On the

same page

Athlete

Focus

Stage

Appropriate

Development

Coach

Driven

Science

Based

Administration

Consistency

Support

One Vision, One System, One CountryOne Team

Baseball Canada – LTAD Impact –November 2008

WE ARE DEVELOPING THE PLAN

Key 3

Safety

Baseball Canada – LTAD Impact –November 2008

The Baseball Canada Pitch Count Athlete-Centered Arm Safety Guidelines

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