Your 10U pitcher is practicing in the backyard, and you're guessing at the distance. Let's fix that today. Here's the exact number for each league, how to mark it with a tape measure and the pitching rules that cost 10U pitchers the most balls.
The 10U softball pitching distance is 35 feet in USA Softball, USSSA and Little League Minors, measured from the back point of home plate to the front of the pitcher's plate. Bases are 60 feet. One catch: Little League Majors can include 9- and 10-year-olds, and Majors pitches from 40 feet.
Train it: Command & Composure (Level 2 Pitching) → Free: Free Softball Practice Plans →10U pitching distance and base distance by league
| League and division | Pitching distance | Bases | Ball |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA Softball 10U | 35 ft | 60 ft | 11-inch |
| USSSA Fastpitch 10U | 35 ft | 60 ft | 11-inch |
| Little League Minors (ages 5–11) | 35 ft | 60 ft | 11-inch |
| Little League Majors (ages 9–12) | 40 ft | 60 ft | 12-inch |
| Little League tournament, 8- to 10-Year-Old Division | 35 ft | 60 ft | 11-inch |
So most 10U pitchers throw from 35 feet with an 11-inch ball. If your daughter makes a Little League Majors team at 10, she moves to 40 feet and a 12-inch ball. Check your league's rules before you mark anything.
How to measure and mark 35 feet in the backyard
You need a 50-foot tape measure, a throw-down home plate, a strip of tape or a throw-down rubber and a net or a catcher in full gear.
- Set home plate: lay it flat with the point toward the net or backstop. Leave room behind it for the catcher or net.
- Hook the tape at the back point: that's the tip of the plate facing the catcher, where all three rulebooks measure from.
- Mark 35 feet: walk the tape straight out over the middle of the plate. At 35 feet, lay a line 24 inches wide. That's the front edge of her pitcher's plate.
- Add a 40-foot mark: paint a small dot 5 feet behind it. Don't use it yet; it's for the year she moves up.
- Check it twice: measure again before each session if the plate moves. A foot off is a different pitch.
"Do your homework." For a 10U pitcher, that means the backyard spot matches the game spot, so the release she grooves at home works on Saturday.
10U pitching rules worth knowing
These are the rules I'd want a 10U parent to know before her first game in the circle. They differ by league, so I named each one.
- Feet on the plate: her pivot foot starts on the pitcher's plate, both feet on the ground within its 24-inch width, and her one step goes forward toward the batter within that width (USA Softball and USSSA).
- Leaping: USA Softball and USSSA allow her to leap with both feet in the air. Little League calls a leap or hop an illegal pitch, and the pitch is a ball.
- Crow hop: pushing off from a spot other than the pitcher's plate, or replanting the pivot foot before the release, is illegal in all three.
- Arm circle: USSSA allows no more than one and a half revolutions of the arm in the windmill.
- Little League innings: Minors and Majors pitchers may pitch up to 12 innings in a day; 7 or more innings means one calendar day of rest. One pitch counts as an inning pitched.
Your league may add tighter limits. Ask your coach or league for the local rule sheet, and count her pitches either way.
What to do the year she moves up to 12U
At 12U in USA Softball (11U in USSSA), the rubber moves from 35 to 40 feet and the ball goes from 11 to 12 inches. Two changes at once, so take them one at a time.
- Step 1: at 35 feet, switch to the 12-inch ball for one to two weeks.
- Step 2: move back to 37 feet, then 39, then 40. Move only when most pitches reach the glove without bouncing.
- Step 3: end every session with 5 easy pitches from 35 feet, so she finishes on a good one.
Our free softball practice plans give you a printable fastpitch practice by age, no login. For a full pitching program, Command & Composure is our four-week, 16-session Level 2 course with routines, target work and workload habits. Warm up first, keep sessions short and stop if her arm hurts.
One thing to remember
Most 10U fastpitch pitchers throw from 35 feet with an 11-inch ball, so measure it exactly and practice at that spot.
What to do this week
Check which league runs her team, then measure 35 feet from the back point of a throw-down plate and mark it. Pitch two short sessions from that exact line, counting every pitch.
Parent questions
Is the 10U pitching distance measured from the front or back of home plate?
From the back point of home plate to the front edge of the pitcher's plate, in USA Softball, USSSA and Little League.
Can a 10U softball pitcher leap off the rubber?
In USA Softball and USSSA, yes; a leap with both feet in the air is legal if she doesn't replant. In Little League, a leap or hop is an illegal pitch and is called a ball.
What size softball do 10U pitchers use?
An 11-inch ball in USA Softball 10U, USSSA 10U and Little League Minors. Little League Majors uses a 12-inch ball, even for 10-year-olds.
SEE COMMAND & COMPOSURE (LEVEL 2 PITCHING) →
Sources: USA Softball: 2026 Official Rules of Softball (Rule 2 Official Distance Table, Rule 3 balls, Rule 6A pitching) · USSSA Fastpitch Rulebook & By-Laws, 18th Edition (Rule 1 distances, Rule 2 balls, Rule 6 pitching) · Little League: Field Specifications · Little League: Little League Softball Divisions · Little League: Approved Tournament Balls (11-inch and 12-inch softballs by division) · Little League: 2026 Softball Tournament Rules · Little League: Regular Season Pitching Rules (Softball, Regulation VI) · Little League: Rule Interpretations for Little League Softball FAQs