Fastpitch Softball: Tips to Reduce Throwing Injuries This Spring

Across the country, signs of spring symbolize the return of outdoor sports, including softball. Fastpitch softball, in particular, is experiencing significant growth in popularity. With its hallmark windmill pitching, fastpitch softball is starting at a younger age and pushing the limits of softball pitching speed and variety. The rise of travel softball leagues has also given more opportunities for players to participate year-round. Unfortunately, more opportunities to play come with increased risks of injury, unless athletes are properly cared for and trained. You will learn more about fastpitch softball tips to reduce throwing injuries this spring below.

Understanding why youth athletes are at unique risk for injuries is essential. Unlike adults, children and adolescents are still growing into their adult bodies, and this contributes to their different vulnerabilities.

Girls typically reach the end of their growth potential by about age 16, with some continuing to grow until age 20. Boys typically stop growing until around age 17, with some continuing to grow into their early 20s.

Until their growth period is complete, young athletes are playing sports while managing the following changes and more.

1. Ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves become overly stretched or shortened to accommodate growing bones. This can increase the risk for strains, sprains, and nerve irritations.

2. Muscles are used despite being weaker and fatiguing more quickly due to an imbalance between muscle function and lengthening bones.

3. Athletes may struggle with incoordination, clumsiness, and poor balance during growth spurts.

4. New bone is being built at open growth plates. Growth plates are located at the ends of bones. Open growth plates allow for bones to lengthen, while closed growth plates mean that bone growth is complete for that bone section. X-rays can show if a growth plate is open or closed. Open growth plates are at a particularly high risk for injury because they are weaker than the surrounding bone.

Given the popularity of travel softball leagues—which can start for players as young as age eight—and with softball highly favored through high school, a softball player may be actively growing throughout their entire softball career.

Additionally, youth athletes often don’t have the same resources as adult athletes in terms of injury preventive plans, injury rehabilitation and medical care, and injury risk education. In a sport like softball, where its popularity seems to be running ahead of research and playing restrictions, athletes can unknowingly push their limits.

If not trained and performed well, throwing motions can wreak havoc on an athlete. Youth baseball players have been given the most attention regarding throwing injuries, but athletes of any sport that requires repetitive throwing (lacrosse, water polo, etc.) are at risk.

The shoulder and elbow, in particular, are at risk for injury in softball players. This is especially true for pitchers, but also for catchers and field players. Interestingly, elbow growth plates are some of the last to close.

Thankfully, there are ways to reduce the risk of throwing injuries for fastpitch softball players. To date, most throwing research has been done with baseball players. Some of this research can be cautiously applied to softball players, but not all.

The most unique difference between baseball and fastpitch softball is the pitching form. This is where much of the data differs on how to best care for pitchers—fastpitch softball pitchers need training that differs from baseball pitcher training.

The underhand, windmill style of a fastpitch motion puts a high level of strain along the front of the shoulder, particularly where the biceps muscle meets the labrum, which is part of the shoulder joint. The windmill motion also creates strong forces that all parts of the rotator cuff need to work against to keep the shoulder joint stable. Additionally, the speed of the pitch relies on how much power is created through the legs, trunk, and hips.

Proper training for fastpitch pitchers requires specialized exercises for the shoulder muscles, core, and lower extremities to make the windmill form as efficient and effective as possible. Physical therapists are key resources to creating training plans that address the unique biomechanical needs of fastpitch pitchers.

Fastpitch pitchers are at a higher risk for injury than their teammates in other positions, but throwing injuries can happen to catchers and field players, too. All players should have proper core, length, and arm strength for their specific roles.

Pitch counts are commonly discussed in youth baseball, especially for travel leagues. Pitch counting involves tracking how many throws a pitcher makes in a day. Based on age, pitchers are limited to a certain number of pitches in a day and are issued required rest days based on the pitches thrown.

The same concept is just beginning in fastpitch softball, particularly due to the rise of year-round softball and players specializing in one sport.

Softball research does show that higher pitch counts lead to greater muscle fatigue. Softball teams also tend to have only a couple of pitchers on their rosters, which leads to higher play times and minimal rest breaks. A pitcher’s pitch count can quickly add up with weekend tournaments, frequent travel, and playing for more than one team in a season.

However, there is limited data on what the pitching restrictions should be for fastpitch softball, and the data on baseball pitching restrictions can not yet be confidently carried over. Softball pitching restrictions are still generally considered guidelines, not actual league regulations. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s STOP Sport Injuries initiative has released its own softball pitch count guidelines and injury prevention strategies, which are a great starting point for athletes, parents, and coaches.

As softball pitching restriction research continues to grow and evolve, watching a pitcher’s form change throughout a game can be useful. As a fastpitch pitcher begins to fatigue, their core form can noticeably worsen. Their pitching stride may become wider, their weight may shift heavier to their stride leg, and their spine may start to overextend. Watching for these signs may be another way for coaches to protect pitchers and substitute players when needed.

Pitch counts are short-term restrictions on throwing. What can be even more impactful on injury prevention are extended rest periods for players. This does not mean just rest days . . . this means rest months! Taking three months off to do anything non-throwing related (a different sport, rest season, or favorite hobby) can be pivotal in caring for a softball athlete. Unfortunately, given the current trends of youth sport specialization, year-round play, and high competition, extended rest periods can be a tough pill to swallow. However, long breaks from softball can make players stronger, more resilient to injury, and refreshed to return to sport, making them even more powerful players than those who play softball year-round.

It can be difficult for young athletes to understand that rest is necessary, especially if their world revolves around softball. Education on injury prevention and realistic performance goals is essential for players, parents, and coaches. It is the responsibility of parents and coaches to implement rest policies and a supportive team culture.

Fastpitch softball is an exciting sport for many young athletes. With proper education, training strategies, and rest breaks, fastpitch softball players will feel more confident in playing with less risk of injury.

 Schedule your appointment today with one of our Throwing Specialists to keep your body in top form for softball season.

Cleveland Clinic. Puberty: Tanner Stages for Boys and Girls. Cleveland Clinic. Published 2023. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/puberty

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Feeley BT, Feeley SE, Chambers CC. Fastpitch Softball Injuries: Epidemiology, Biomechanics, and Injury Prevention. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine. 2024;17(4):110-116. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-024-09886-y

SOFTBALL INJURY PREVENTION: What Are the Most Common Overuse Injuries in Softball? How Can Overuse Softball Injuries Be Prevented? https://ncys.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_ST_Softball-Injuries-2.pdf

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