Caregiver Awareness of Safe Pitching Recommendations in Youth Fastpitch Softball Pitchers

BACKGROUND: Although fastpitch softball participation continues to rise, there is a lack of established pitch count guidelines, potentially putting young female athletes at risk of overuse injuries. In addition to coaches, caregivers’ ability to recognize and employ safe pitching guidelines plays an important role in athlete safety. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to assess caregivers’ knowledge of their child’s pitching practices and their familiarity with softball pitching recommendations. We hypothesized that caregivers would be unaware of safe pitching recommendations in youth fastpitch softball. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: A 30-question survey was distributed to caregivers of youth fastpitch softball pitchers in age groups 10U (ie, ≤10 years), 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U. The survey included questions on the demographic characteristics of caregivers and athletes, caregivers’ knowledge of safe pitching recommendations, and athletes’ pitching background and throwing habits. Comparisons of responses between the age groups were conducted using the chi-square test, Fisher exact test, or 1-way analysis of variance, as appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 115 caregivers completed the survey. Of the respondents, 84% were between 31 and 50 years, and 81.7% had a degree beyond high school. Only 28.1% of caregivers reported participating in youth sports. When asked to estimate the number of pitches they considered a safe amount during a single outing, 28.7% of caregivers (n = 33) did not provide a limit, 4.3% (n = 5) stated no limit was needed, 32.2% (n = 37) suggested 25 to 80 pitches, 21.7% (n = 25) suggested 81 to 100 pitches, 12.2% (n = 14) suggested 100 to 150 pitches, and 0.9% (n = 1) suggested that >150 pitches were acceptable. These data emphasized that only 14.8% of the caregivers were aware of any pitching guidelines. However, 93% of caregivers acknowledged that they would adhere to recommendations if guidelines were made available. CONCLUSION: The study findings demonstrated that a majority of caregivers are unaware of current youth fastpitch softball pitching recommendations.