DD (10u) was at try outs today for her team. She is already on the team, she was there helping the coach. Tryout was indoors (weather was horrible) so distances between players were short. New player trying out (big girl with some strength) threw the ball hard at short range to my DD and she didn't get her glove up in time. Took the ball top dead center of her mask. I'm so glad she is the one who insists on wearing it every time. Rung her bell pretty good and left a mark on her forehead. I took her mask and inspected it to see what caused the mark and realized the foam in the mask was shot. A year+ of sweat, skin oils, sun screen, bug spray etc. had worn it out. The metal of the mask did a great job taking the hit, but the metal frame doesn't perfectly match the shape of a girls skull so once the foam is worn out that impact load is going straight from the metal frame into the skull over a pretty small contact area. Still much better than no mask at all, but I'm left wondering if the foam head band was in better shape if it would have distributed the load a little better. We have been monitoring my DD all afternoon and evening for concussion symptoms and other than a mild headache she doesn't seem to be exhibiting any other symptoms. I'm going to evaluate her again in the morning and take her to the doctor if she still has a headache. Needless to say, I jumped on Amazon and ordered her a new Schutt Titanium mask and will pay much closer attention to it in the future.
Inspect your DD's Face Mask!
- Thread starter lancer360
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- May 29, 2015
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Lancer, you bring up some very good points. I would encourage parents to check ALL of your daughters’ gear regularly. Replace a face mask (or batting helmet) that has sustained a serious impact, even if it still “looks good”.
I will admit I have some issues with face masks ... but they aren’t your traditional “toughen up” BS. I would never say “don’t wear one” but I would encourage you to be aware of what you are getting.
My issue is, as you alluded to in your experience, that they are just cages at this point. Yes, it will protect your face (very important), but they are not designed for concussion protection (equally important). As you saw with the padding in your experience Lancer, there are impact/pressure points. The masks aren’t designed to spread out the impact and disperse the force like they are with a catcher’s/umpire’s mask.
Currently, there is no performance standard or testing for face masks from NOCSAE (my opinions on NOCSAE aside) or any other organization. Any cheap piece of metal with the cheapest of pads (designed for cost effectiveness and possibly some mild comfort, not safety) can be sold as a face mask.
This is a decent article that is a few years old, though I wish it would have dug more into the standardization. (Note the comments from the NOCSAE Director.). https://www.athleticbusiness.com/athlete-safety/more-softball-pitchers-adopt-face-masks.html
If you really want to dig deep, I would encourage you to peruse this study (and very good paper) on facemasks and prevention of bone injuries, but it does touch in some information on concussion prevention: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10439-018-02144-6
I will admit I have some issues with face masks ... but they aren’t your traditional “toughen up” BS. I would never say “don’t wear one” but I would encourage you to be aware of what you are getting.
My issue is, as you alluded to in your experience, that they are just cages at this point. Yes, it will protect your face (very important), but they are not designed for concussion protection (equally important). As you saw with the padding in your experience Lancer, there are impact/pressure points. The masks aren’t designed to spread out the impact and disperse the force like they are with a catcher’s/umpire’s mask.
Currently, there is no performance standard or testing for face masks from NOCSAE (my opinions on NOCSAE aside) or any other organization. Any cheap piece of metal with the cheapest of pads (designed for cost effectiveness and possibly some mild comfort, not safety) can be sold as a face mask.
This is a decent article that is a few years old, though I wish it would have dug more into the standardization. (Note the comments from the NOCSAE Director.). https://www.athleticbusiness.com/athlete-safety/more-softball-pitchers-adopt-face-masks.html
If you really want to dig deep, I would encourage you to peruse this study (and very good paper) on facemasks and prevention of bone injuries, but it does touch in some information on concussion prevention: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10439-018-02144-6
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- Jul 29, 2016
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Check this shot out. Daughter was shaken up after that. One of her teammates' mom is a nurse practitioner and checked her out after this. We're pretty sure it was a mild concussion.
- May 29, 2015
- 3,813
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Goes to show how easy it is to sustain a concussion. That video honestly didn’t look that bad (I’m sure it looked worse in person) and it was an impact to a helmet that is designed to disperse the force.
As I mentioned above ... if she sustained a concussion from that, I would seriously recommend replacing the batting helmet. Like a car seat for an infant or a motorcycle helmet, they are not designed to go through repeated traumatic impacts.
I used to build and race amateur formula cars. I did a ton of research into impact protection for the cockpit. These formula cars don't have a traditional seat. Your sitting in a metal tube frame that is lined with aluminum panels. Some guys would go super cheap and cut up a bunch of yoga mats or use the two part polyurethane "boat" foam. Pretty much like the cans of expanding foam you get at the hardware store. I have had two friends get in wrecks that shouldn't have been that serious, but because of their "cheap" seats it ended up costing one a broken lower vertebrae and the other one some broken ribs, coughing up blood. Both had hospital stays and were out of work for weeks recovering. Those products are just not designed to absorb and distribute the kind of G forces that are sustained in a wreck. There are some really great products out now that work really well at absorbing the impact energy. You can buy it in sheets of various thickness or be bought as a two part foam mixture, but it is designed for protecting the human body from hitting hard metal roll bars and frame in race cars. I think when her new mask comes in I'm going to evaluate the foam that is on it. When I got her original Schutt mask the thought did go thru my head that the foam head bad was very soft and squishy. From my racing experience I knew that foam would do absolutely nothing at absorbing the impact. It would only make it comfy to wear. As she was just starting 8u I guess I wasn't as concerned. 10u is a much different story and I should have inspected her gear. If I'm not happy with the foam on the mask I will probably order some of the foam from my racing days and replace it. If anyone is interested in the foam here is a link to it.
https://www.rollbarpadding.com/product/id-40
https://www.rollbarpadding.com/product/id-40
Considering the hit it took and it's age, I thought it was best to replace it anyway.
- Jul 29, 2016
- 231
- 43
Yeah - the pitcher was throwing mid-50's I'd guess. Daughter stayed in for the next inning, but was clearly not sharp. Complained of a headache (obvious) but then said she was nauseous - that's when we asked the NP to look at her. We shut down the screen time for the night, and by the next day, it was just a mild headache that resolved later that day. She did have a nice round bruise about the size of a silver dollar on her temple where the helmet pushed into her temple at the point of impact.
As for the helmet - we're changing organizations - we'll never use that helmet again.
The new Schutt Titanium mask arrived today. Pretty happy with the weight difference to her steel Schutt. Saved 3 oz which is 25% weight savings. Not happy with the foam head band. It is the same super soft comfort foam that will do nothing for absorbing an impact. I'm going to try my hand and making a better head band using the foam from my racing days.
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- Dec 11, 2010
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GoGamecocks, what brand was the helmet?
That was a solid hit.
L360 I wonder if you can cut that foam with an electric knife. Way back when.... dd was a 10u that took a direct hit to a Rip-It. Bent the mask. I’ve always wondered if she had a minor concussion.
That was a solid hit.
L360 I wonder if you can cut that foam with an electric knife. Way back when.... dd was a 10u that took a direct hit to a Rip-It. Bent the mask. I’ve always wondered if she had a minor concussion.
