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How Often Should Young Pitchers Throw Between Lessons?

A simple week of easy catch, rest days, and pitch-count limits by age.

Arm care
Ages 8–16
Free

Short answer: Most healthy young pitchers do well with light, easy catch three to four days a week between lessons, at least one or two full rest days, and only one or two days of real pitching effort, following the pitch-count and rest rules for their age. Throwing and pitching are not the same thing. Easy catch keeps the arm in rhythm. Full-effort pitching is what needs rest after.

Every week, parents ask us the same thing after a lesson: "How much should they throw before we come back?" Here's the simple plan we give families in Naples.

Throwing is not the same as pitching

Easy catch: relaxed throws to a partner, short to medium distance, no max effort. This is how the arm stays loose and the new movement from the lesson sticks.
Pitching: full-effort throws off a mound or flat ground to a catcher. This is what wears the arm out, so it gets counted and followed by rest.

If your child only remembers one thing: practice the movement often, throw hard rarely.

A simple week between lessons

This sample is for a healthy player ages 8–16 with one lesson a week and no games that week. Adjust it around games and team practice.

Day, What to do
Day	What to do
Lesson day	Lesson. That counts as the pitching day.
Day 2	Rest from throwing. Bands and stretching are fine.
Day 3	Easy catch, 10–15 minutes, plus the warm-up from the lesson.
Day 4	Easy catch plus 10–15 dry-run motions (no ball) of the lesson cue.
Day 5	Rest.
Day 6	Easy catch, or a short, light flat-ground session (well under the daily pitch limit).
Day 7	Rest or easy catch only.

Game week? The game becomes the pitching day. Drop the extra flat-ground session and follow the rest rules below.

Pitch counts and rest days by age

The most widely used youth guidelines come from MLB and USA Baseball's Pitch Smart program. The main idea: the more pitches thrown in a day, the more days of rest before pitching again.

Daily pitch limits (games):
Age	Max pitches per day
7–8	50
9–10	75
11–12	85
13–14	95
15–16	95

Rest before pitching again (ages 14 and under):
Pitches thrown	Days of rest
1–20	0
21–35	1
36–50	2
51–65	3
66 or more	4

Ages 15–16: 1–30 pitches, 0 days. 31–45 pitches, 1 day. 46–60 pitches, 2 days. 61–75 pitches, 3 days. 76 or more, 4 days.

A few more rules worth knowing:

Don't pitch on back-to-back days in games.
Don't pitch for more than one team in the same week without adding up the pitches.
Don't catch and pitch in the same game. Catching is a lot of throws too.
Take real time off each year. Pitch Smart suggests at least two to three months a year away from overhead throwing, with at least four months off from competitive pitching.

Rest days mean rest from pitching. Easy catch and bands are usually fine on those days, as long as the arm feels good.

Signs it's time to back off

Stop throwing for the day and check in with your coach if your child:

Says their elbow or shoulder hurts (not just "tired")
Starts dropping their arm or changing their motion
Loses a lot of speed or control all of a sudden
Is still sore the next morning

Pain that doesn't go away after a couple of days is a reason to see a doctor, not to push through.

Make the easy-catch days count

Easy catch is where lesson cues turn into habits. Keep it short and focused:

Warm up first. Our pre-catch warm-up takes about five minutes.
Do the band routine from our band routine checklist.
Pick one cue from the last lesson and think about only that one.
Stop while the arm still feels fresh.

For more on keeping the arm healthy, see the arm care checklist. When your child is ready to work on accuracy, try our strike tips.

Quick answers for parents

Can my kid throw every day?

Easy, relaxed catch most days is usually fine for a healthy player. Full-effort pitching every day is not. Build in at least one or two full rest days a week.

Should they pitch the day after a lesson?

No. Treat the lesson as the pitching day and rest or play easy catch the next day.

Does long toss count as pitching?

Long toss at high effort is hard on the arm, so treat it like a pitching day. Short, easy catch does not count.

What if they play on two teams?

Add up all the pitches across both teams for the week. The rest rules apply to the total.

Want a plan built around your child's schedule?

Every young pitcher's week looks different once games, team practice, and other sports are in the mix. Reach out on the contact page and send a note with your child's age, goals, and schedule. We'll help you map out a throwing week that fits. We offer in-person lessons around Naples and video check-ins if you can't make it in person.