Pitch Smart is a collaborative effort between USA Baseball, the national governing body for amateur baseball, and Major League Baseball. They have teamed up "to help young players reduce arm injuries by providing a comprehensive resource for safe pitching practices. Baseball is a safe game to play at all ages, but research has shown that pitching too much - particularly at a young age - can increase a pitcher's risk of injury."
Little League Baseball is a member of USA Baseball and was the first youth organization to suggest and implement pitching guidelines and rest based on Pitch Count. Little League introduced Pitch Count in 2006.
Due to the research of people like Dr. James Andrews, a member of the Little League International Board of Directors, and Dr. Glenn Fleisig, a member of USA Baseball and head of the USA Baseball Medical and Safety Advisory Committee, pitching guidelines have been instituted in many youth baseball organizations. In 2016, the National Federation of High Schools voted to institute pitching guidelines in all their member states.
Following are videos that can be found on the Pitch Smart website.
Learn About Arm Safety Through Little League® and the Pitch Smart Program
Pitching Guidelines | PitchSmart has established guidelines for pitchers according to age for number of pitches and the corresponding rest to be observed. Note: These are the same guidelines set by Little League Baseball. View the PitchSmart Guidelines and the Fully Compliant Pitch Smart Organizations as of January 1, 2017. |
Risk Factors | View the explanations of the following Risk Factors:
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Tommy John Surgery FAQs | View the explanations for the following Tommy John Surgery questions:
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