It's That Time of Year...

[chazbz1]

It's that time of year again... The days are warmer, outside practices are ramping up, tournaments are once again populating the calendar and well meaning coaches, assistant coaches and parents may be encouraging their team's catchers to adopt a very unsafe practice... Take your mask off!

Whether it's a pop foul, a pop up down the line or as soon as the pitch is hit and put into play, many adults still think it's easier to to see the ball, tag at home or catch the ball without the mask. Not realizing the danger they are asking their catcher to place themselves in.

[video=youtube_share;-xgBGpICS48]http://youtu.be/-xgBGpICS48[/video]

There is virtually no reason for a catcher to take their mask off while the ball is in play. Modern masks are designed for better visibility. Coaches at the Blu Chip Exposure Camp instruct catchers to leave their masks on... I have watched catchers trip over their masks, umpires hit by thrown masks, balls thrown into the plate deflect off the mask to ruin a play and runs score. Worst of all I watched an 11 year old at Hidden Valley get knocked out after she took her mask off for a tag play at home several years ago. I have seen catchers suffer concussions after taking a thrown ball to the temple while standing at home during practices. (The catchers attention was diverted by something/someone else)

I have watched my own daughter get her mask knocked off by a high elbow when a runner slid into home. She had just gotten her braces. Thankfully the mask saved her from Kendra's awful experience.

For examples of how pro players, college players and tournament players can make the plays with their masks on, check out KEEP YOUR MASK ON!!!

Please don't ask your catcher to take their mask off while the ball is in play. The risk of serious injury is too great. Encourage your catcher to practice all their skills with their mask on. Encourage them to wear their mask at practice... even when covering home and shagging throws for infield practice. They can make the plays. But just like every other skill, they must practice their skills with their masks on.

I only coach catchers.... And I have seen too many get hurt. Please keep your catcher safe to enjoy this time of year. Tell them NOT to take their mask off...

-Chaz Wood

 

[PA SB Dad]

I think a big part of the "remove the mask" philosophy is driven by the old style catcher's face masks that are no longer used, the kind where any movement of the head displaced it and made it hard to see. It's a reflex that coaches "just teach" to their catchers, without giving it any thought. The modern hockey-style helmets are infinitely better and don't move around and obstruct your vision, and I agree they need to stay on for the protection of the catchers.

 

[InsidePitch]

DDs old coach used to scream at the catchers to remove the mask. This coach, from a heavily influenced baseball background might take a new queue from Baseball so I scanned the MLB catchers and found my example. I pulled the coach aside and asked him what he thought about Molina. "One of the best in the game" he says. I reply, "you know he keeps his mask on. Why do you think that is"? We didn't hear any more about it that year.

 

[Eric F]

I've had this discussion more than a few times with coaches and parents of other catchers. Leave the mask on!!!

 

[spleen1015]

Before this post, I was a mask comes off coach. After this post, I am a mask stays on coach.

 

[Eric F]

Before this post, I was a mask comes off coach. After this post, I am a mask stays on coach.

Glad to hear it. Seriously.

 

[justanotherguy]

Thanks for the post. I'm going to tell my DD the same. She's been trained as one of those "throw the mask off" types when the ball gets by her.

 

[InsidePitch]

Who's got the extra time to throw the mask off? Keep it on and keep your eyes on the ball. Plus you never know when what seems like a routine play turns into one of those throw it around the diamond that culminates in a play at the plate and you with no helmet on.

 

[FP26]

We have two catchers on our team. The one keeps her mask on. The other pulls it off. We are working with her to stop this, but it has become so much of a habit for her that she is struggling (has done it for three years at rec ball). As soon as the ball goes into the air, her first instinct is "remove the mask". We have been doing drills every week at practice, so hopefully it will sink in before our first tournament....

 

[Greenmonsters]

We have two catchers on our team. The one keeps her mask on. The other pulls it off. We are working with her to stop this, but it has become so much of a habit for her that she is struggling (has done it for three years at rec ball). As soon as the ball goes into the air, her first instinct is "remove the mask". We have been doing drills every week at practice, so hopefully it will sink in before our first tournament....

Two words - duct tape