Pitch Counts Don’t Talk—But Players Do. Are You Listening?

Strength in Numbers #201

For too many elite-level pitchers, this simple statement feels impossible to say.  Not to mention, when they do communicate pain, trust your gut that their arm hurts way more than what they are letting on.

We have been indoctrinated into being tough, not being a quitter, not being selfish – these are all things that come in the way of self-care for athletes, and it ends up “hurting” everyone.  The team, the player, the families, the game all suffer when we do not appreciate words spoken and act upon a pitcher’s dinged-up wing. 

Between team expectations, self-imposed pressure, and the drive to achieve dreams of college scholarships or pro contracts, athletes often ignore early warning signs of injury, risking long-term damage for short-term opportunity. 

We must help bridge the gap by giving players safe language, a framework for decision-making, and systems that reduce the risk of catastrophic arm injuries. Missed observations are the leading cause of injuries, but the strongest associative factor is a lack of communication, followed by the inability to execute an adjustment in time. 

Let’s examine the emotional, physiological, and communication-based dynamics behind this issue and explore how we can keep players psychologically and physically safe when voicing their pain and fatigue levels.

The Athlete’s Dilemma: Team Pressure + Personal Ambition

Elite pitchers are wired for competition, accountability, and ambition. These traits make them great, but also vulnerable.  But that said, all pitchers experience some level of fear and pressure when mentioning that their arm needs to take a rest.

Common internal and external pressures include:

• Not wanting to let teammates down during high-stakes games,
• Fear of losing starting roles or missing out on exposure,
•  The belief that playing through “pain” is a badge of honor,
• Perception that coaches will see them as weak or soft.
• Mistrust that reporting pain will result in financial loss such as signing bonuses

Unfortunately, this mindset can lead to dangerous decisions like continuing to throw when the arm is not ready, especially during transient or low-level pain, which may not feel severe, but is often a sign of under-recovered tissue or poor workload adaptation. 

If you are reading this and saying, “It hurts at the beginning of throwing”, or “I feel discomfort every 5 throws”, I am telling you there’s something wrong. 

Most recently, I had spoken with a trusted baseball coach whose son has had popping and clicking in his arm.  No real pain, but affected by the feeling and sound. 

Unusual feelings and sounds from your joints are unusual and should be investigated. The arm needs to be evaluated for fatigue, strength deficits, imbalances, and poor recovery – use the data to determine the extent of what could be happening.

This athlete consulted a sports medicine expert who communicated to continue to throw through the popping and clicking – this is not advisable, nor is throwing through pain. 

These simple rules and solutions, communicated in our Certified ArmCare Specialist Course, are built from professional and scientific experiences. Following our company’s guidance will significantly improve your throwing arm health and performance. 

From Soreness to Surgery: The Inflammatory Cascade

Let’s talk physiology.

When athletes push through low-grade pain, they’re entering what we call the inflammatory cycle.

These are some of the critical features when it comes to inflammation:

• Repetitive microtrauma 
• Local inflammation & discomfort 
• Tissue breaks down faster than it can be repaired 
• Loss of strength capacity to shield forces and torques on joints
• Risk of partial or full structural failure leading to surgery! 

In pitchers, this often means progressive stress on:

• The Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL)
• The shoulder labrum
• Flexor-pronator mass (the elbow’s primary muscular stabilizers)

Return timelines are measured in years when these tissues fail, and some never recover full throwing capacity.

In our Eliminating Arm Pain and Soreness course, we discuss the progression of injuries that starts with fatigue, then poor recovery during the inflammatory cycle, then weakness and compensation.  Injury severity increases when the athlete has pain, soreness, and a loss of functional strength. 

Power of Communication: Giving Players a Safe Space to Voice Their Pain

One of the most significant barriers to injury prevention is the lack of productive dialogue between pitchers and coaches. The challenge? Players fear negative repercussions from saying they’re not 100%.  They 100% don’t want to let the team down, generally aim to please, and have been brought up to respect authority, so it makes tough conversations even more challenging.

There are a few methods to explore, but one of the best comes from good old-fashioned communication counseling.  The Non-Confrontational Communication (NCC) approach below has been adapted from the Non-Violent Communication (NVC) method, used in mediation, counseling, and leadership — an adapted strategy to be applied to sports conflicts:

4-Part NCC Framework for Players:

Below is an example dialogue that can occur between players and coaches.  Unfortunately, these conversations are not had until it’s too late.  This communication ALWAYS has to be initiated by the player, as a coach will not fully understand what is happening with the player’s arm. 

1. Observation (no judgment):
   “Coach, I’ve noticed my arm’s been feeling tight the last two outings.”
2. Feeling (not blaming):
   “I’m concerned that pushing through might lead to something worse, as my arm doesn’t feel 100% right.”
3. Need/Request (clear and honest):
   “I need a little time to recover and build my arm. Would you allow me to do flat ground sessions instead of taking the mound until my arm feels better?”
4. Outcome/Benefit (team-centered):
   “That way, I can give you more down the stretch and stay in rhythm.”

This approach:

• Shows the player is being responsible, not avoiding a situation that could be worsened over time
• Keeps the coach in the loop and creates clear communication
• Offers a performance-based benefit to the team and a solution for the coach
• Fosters trust and open dialogue 

In working with numerous athletes, the above method has been successful 95% of the time.  But, sometimes, coaches decide how to manage their throwing for the athlete.  

At the collegiate and professional levels, coaches are fired all the time.  There are no guarantees, and more money means more pressure to win and less job security.  The elite-level player is integral to their career ladder. 

A change in win expectancy can advance, preserve, or dump their role with a team.  With this kind of pressure, it is not unusual for negotiated tradeoffs, such as future rest that dovetails with the overemphasized need in the immediate.  We are in playoff season, and nothing burns hotter than the head coach’s seat currently.   

It’s easy from our standpoint to say it’s criminal and unjust to ask a player to compete through discomfort, especially with so much on the line for an elite player. Still, these coaches are trying to feed their families and win a championship to appease their leadership. They can sometimes override conventional human physiology, which suggests that pain and soreness require time to regenerate, repair, and reload the throwing arm. 

ArmCare Data is the Only Approach in this Situation

When the NCC method does not go as planned, nothing speaks with more volume than objective data from the ArmCare.com platform to communicate objectively with a coach.   

Take Home Message: Trying to be a Hero Can Lead to Zero 

Take Home Message: Trying to be a Hero Can Lead to Zero 

Let’s be clear — this isn’t about being cautious for caution’s sake.  The circumstances presented foster improved leadership, value, self-worth, and self-care for athletes.

We must manage the athlete more than we do a system at times, and it’s about sustainable performance, sticking to data, facts, being adaptable and appreciating players’ feelings.  

Teammates should understand that by pitching in a game with significant pain and dysfunction, what happens if a microtear turns into a rupture?

Where is that pitcher then? 

Pitchers who speak up and connect effectively with their coaches manage their workloads better, listen to early pain signals, and communicate clearly what needs to be done to have players perform at their best.

They see the following benefits:

• Longer careers,
• Recover faster from small setbacks,
• Maintain velocity and command,
• They are seen as mature and professional by scouts and recruiters,
• Can handle adversity and thrive in having crucial conversations. 

Coaches who promote this open communication culture and put the athlete first change the game. They’re not just developing players—they’re protecting futures.

Success requires effective communication, objective testing, and adjustment to work with elite athletes. When it clicks, you can also have that player ready to go on short notice because what they feel is real. 

In those critical moments in the season, two heroes emerge: the player and the coach, who are bought into a process that prioritizes throwing arm health and performance.

Strength Matters Most,

Ryan

Ryan@armcare.com