Kelly, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. I've heard pitchers have many different way of entertaining themselves. This is usually around 15-20 pitches, sometimes more. Add to that the 15-25 pitches we might throw in the game and the count gets kind of high quickly. Each pitch is a violent action that puts a lot of stress on your body, specifically the arm.
Hitters love to see a guy with dead arm.
My son is 12 years old and pitches in Little League. A number of boys 11-12 years of age are throwing curve balls. However, I do not allow him to based on what I have read in the past. The most recent issue of the Little League magazine supports not allowing kids to throw a curve ball until they are 16-17 years old. It is not until this time their arms are physically able to with stand the pressure a curve ball puts on their arm.