Bucket Dad Mitt

[PJR202]

Hopefully not hijacking the thread, but seems relatively on-topic: Do you all wear shin guards as well? Are there any that are really light weight/easy for parents to slap on quick?

I do. For god's sake, do it. Even once the pitches hit 40mph they hurt like a mofo when you catch one in the ankle. Ugh. I have scar tissue. I have a pretty standard pair of Wilson shin guards on long term loan from a buddy. They're light and you have like 4 hooks on each. you can have them on in 20 seconds. I've sooo many times just say "nah" and went without the guards and ended up regretting it.

One night she threw with some 4/10-ish drop spin and it caught the turf short of the plate and changed direction as soon as it hit the turf. caught me right in the shin muscle and partially on the tibia. It sound like someone getting slapped in the face with a raw chicken breast. I dramatically fell out of the chair and just laid on my side like a big baby. A buddy of mine took one to the ankle when he got buttonhooked into catching for a HS pitcher who was sharing his MS daughter's lesson. I don't think he ever even played baseball. He was hit so hard that his lower leg turned bright yellow. It was nasty, and he limped for a week.

Shin guards, and shoes with a hard toe. Don't wear mesh running shoes. Wear some turf cleats or work boots or something. You can lose a toenail.

 

[CoachCeetar]

What size baseball glove is that?

I'm now thinking of just relacing my old Rawlings HOH 12 in baseball glove from my high school days and rocking with it.

I looked it up/at it and I guess it's actually 14", so fairly big (It's an Easton BMX 14008) . Good job decades younger me!

 

[LEsoftballdad]

I do. For god's sake, do it. Even once the pitches hit 40mph they hurt like a mofo when you catch one in the ankle. Ugh. I have scar tissue. I have a pretty standard pair of Wilson shin guards on long term loan from a buddy. They're light and you have like 4 hooks on each. you can have them on in 20 seconds. I've sooo many times just say "nah" and went without the guards and ended up regretting it.

One night she threw with some 4/10-ish drop spin and it caught the turf short of the plate and changed direction as soon as it hit the turf. caught me right in the shin muscle and partially on the tibia. It sound like someone getting slapped in the face with a raw chicken breast. I dramatically fell out of the chair and just laid on my side like a big baby. A buddy of mine took one to the ankle when he got buttonhooked into catching for a HS pitcher who was sharing his MS daughter's lesson. I don't think he ever even played baseball. He was hit so hard that his lower leg turned bright yellow. It was nasty, and he limped for a week.

Shin guards, and shoes with a hard toe. Don't wear mesh running shoes. Wear some turf cleats or work boots or something. You can lose a toenail.

I wear Easton shin guards I bought cheap at Dick's a few years ago. I also have an Easton chest protector, helmet, cup, or mask. If it's hot, I wear a mask. I wear a hockey-style helmet if it's cool out or I am inside. I also use a HOH Jadier Molina baseball catcher's mitt. The last piece of the puzzle is New Balance Steel Toe sneakers. They're a must for anyone who catches them. And I am not a bucket dad. I get in a crouch. I know not everyone can do it, but I find it gives her a much better target, and it protects me much better.

 

[PJR202]

I wear Easton shin guards I bought cheap at Dick's a few years ago. I also have an Easton chest protector, helmet, cup, or mask. If it's hot, I wear a mask. I wear a hockey-style helmet if it's cool out or I am inside. I also use a HOH Jadier Molina baseball catcher's mitt. The last piece of the puzzle is New Balance Steel Toe sneakers. They're a must for anyone who catches them. And I am not a bucket dad. I get in a crouch. I know not everyone can do it, but I find it gives her a much better target, and it protects me much better.

I catch from a crouch pretty often if we're outdoors. I'm much better at snagging the bad pitches. As I'm sure you know, sitting on the bucket takes the load off the legs and it's difficult to react and grab wide or high ones. The ones on the ground up the middle still scare me, but I've got cat-like dad reflexes, so I just stand up and jump away for my dear life. I do need to get a helmet though. I took an errant bounce to the side of the head a few months back and it was no fun. My ear probably saved me from a concussion.

 

[Nuwin]

Much love to those gearing up over being on a bucket!

For those pitches on frame but low or in the dirt if it helps...

 

[Strike2]

I'll reply here instead of creating new thread.

Any recommendations for a good dad glove? If my daughter takes up pitching, I'll worry about that later (she's soon to be 9). Just looking for something to play catch with her and to use at practice while I'm coaching her rec team. Been using a 30+ year old glove that's is a pancake for the last 2 years, but would like to treat myself to something decent. Would like to keep it under $200, but am willing to buy used.

Do I just get an adult fastpitch glove at around 12-12.5 inches (would that be your recommended size?) and call it a day? I have average size hands for a man (wear a size L golf glove), so will standard fastpitch gloves fit comfortably? If I get a baseball glove, do I need to get an outfielder's glove for a deeper pocket? And would I stay with the same 12-12.5 inch size? Or, I guess the last option is just to grab a slow pitch glove off the shelf at Academy.

Thanks in advance.

Don't recommend a FP glove. I'm an average size guy, and I can't get my hands comfortably into any of the full-sized "adult" FP gloves my DD uses. Why? It's because they're all built for girls.

I have a good quality SP fielder's glove (12.5 in) that I've used for play and practice the last 20+ years. I've used it to catch pitching all the way to 18U and during practice with players who could throw pretty hard. That worked for me. If you get a baseball glove, get a 1B mitt.

 

[Gambler Bob]

For a fastpitch mitt, the Liberty Advanced is your best, fastest bet. The 34" mitt is big enough to handle a male's hands, and it breaks in pretty quickly.

That being said, I had to upgrade to a baseball mitt to handle my daughter's speed. The LA is good, but I needed more padding once she started throwing over 60 MPH. If you go that route, you just need to break it in with a softball. I went with a Rawlings Heart of The Hide Jadier Molina model, but All-Star makes good ones, too.

You can always contact me for a good deal as we carry all brands.

I agree with everything said in this quoted post about the Liberty Advanced. I use a Liberty Advanced 34" to catch for my daughter. She throws in the 59-61 mph range. If I don't catch the ball correctly it can hurt pretty good. I usually where a leather work glove underneath the Liberty Advanced. The leather glove helps a little with poorly caught pitches. Lots of room in the Liberty Advanced 34" model for a mans hands

This is the glove i wear underneath the Liberty Advanced. Just trying to give you an idea of how much room is in the 34" version of the Liberty Advanced. My hands are relatively big. I wear a 2xl glove underneath. After owning the Liberty Advanced for 5 years the hand protection/padding could be better IMO.

 

[ArmWhip]

I have a silicone heel protector that I cut to size and jammed up into the index finger slot, it hangs down a little and does a great job at protecting my index finger and part of the palm. The finger is outside the slot. I used to have a pair of hockey shin guards that I got from a friend, they were very easy to put on, with just a velcro strap that went around the calf.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

I agree with everything said in this quoted post about the Liberty Advanced. I use a Liberty Advanced 34" to catch for my daughter. She throws in the 59-61 mph range. If I don't catch the ball correctly it can hurt pretty good. I usually where a leather work glove underneath the Liberty Advanced. The leather glove helps a little with poorly caught pitches. Lots of room in the Liberty Advanced 34" model for a mans hands

This is the glove i wear underneath the Liberty Advanced. Just trying to give you an idea of how much room is in the 34" version of the Liberty Advanced. My hands are relatively big. I wear a 2xl glove underneath. After owning the Liberty Advanced for 5 years the hand protection/padding could be better IMO.

View attachment 29274

The Liberty Advanced is quite big. I'm 6'3", and my hand fits in there fine. In fact, I don't always recommend the LA 34 mitt for girls because of its size.

 

[sstevens117]

If you get a baseball glove, get a 1B mitt.

Is there a particular reason why I should get a 1B mitt over a 12.5 or 12.75 outfielder's glove?