Game Face After you look at some of these pictures I think it will convince you !
Is a fielding Face Mask necessary?
- Thread starter SoCalSoftballdad
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Ok, here is my $.02. My daughter just started playing softball after her final season of LL. We found the best 14U travel SB team around and sent her to tryouts. She made the team and they planted her at SS. Up until August of this year she played highly competetive baseball on the 46/60 diamond. Pitchers were usually around 70 mph and the ball coming of the bat is much faster than a softball. Now, mind you, slug or slash bunting was illegal for safety reasons and I think it should be for softball as well.
So her first ever softball game rolls around this fall and one of the parents says to me... "isn't your daughter going to wear a facemask at SS". My response was, "yeah, right after I wrap her in bubblewrap and send her out there". Yes, she looked at me like I was crazy.
The only possible positions I could see that need a mask are pitcher and 1st and 3rd and only because of that slash bunt bs that goes on. If your daughter needs one for another position she probably shouldn't be playing there.
So her first ever softball game rolls around this fall and one of the parents says to me... "isn't your daughter going to wear a facemask at SS". My response was, "yeah, right after I wrap her in bubblewrap and send her out there". Yes, she looked at me like I was crazy.
The only possible positions I could see that need a mask are pitcher and 1st and 3rd and only because of that slash bunt bs that goes on. If your daughter needs one for another position she probably shouldn't be playing there.
You guys will all learn after hearing that softball hit a face.
We are so fortunate to have safety equipment available today.
Most of the fields that we play on, are like plowed fields. The ball bounces everywhere.
I have sent a mask to all of my little relatives and their folks are making them wear them. They want to wear them though, because I sent them to them.
We are so fortunate to have safety equipment available today.
Most of the fields that we play on, are like plowed fields. The ball bounces everywhere.
I have sent a mask to all of my little relatives and their folks are making them wear them. They want to wear them though, because I sent them to them.
- May 29, 2009
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My DD who has a fall bday was pitching as an 11 year old last year. She is big for her age but still 11. She faced a team who had all 13 year olds, an ump who wasn't giving the edges of the plate and a field where the backstop hung over the infield halfway down the line so every infield pop up was a foul ball. I almost threw up after I watched the hardest line drive I've ever seen hit back at her face. Thank God she was able to get her glove up in time and caught it. Thing is, she had the Defender mask in her bag but she didn't like it. That night I bought the Rip-it mask and she's worn it every game since.
That line drive affected all the parents on our team. Pitchers and 3rd base from that team all wear the Rip-it now. It was that scary.
That line drive affected all the parents on our team. Pitchers and 3rd base from that team all wear the Rip-it now. It was that scary.
I do feel that masks will eventually become required. Do you know that we played without batting helmets until 1980 ish. You can't imagine how we hated helmets.
I find it hard to believe that Little League still doesn't require cages on the helmets, though. I don't know what they are thinking.
Face protection and helmets are becoming the norm in men's slow pitch. They are having guys almost killed and seriously maimed (pitcher's mostly). They are also wear shin guards.
Slow pitch is the most dangerous sport I have ever been involved in. Some men are wearing lacross helmets.
I find it hard to believe that Little League still doesn't require cages on the helmets, though. I don't know what they are thinking.
Face protection and helmets are becoming the norm in men's slow pitch. They are having guys almost killed and seriously maimed (pitcher's mostly). They are also wear shin guards.
Slow pitch is the most dangerous sport I have ever been involved in. Some men are wearing lacross helmets.
My DD was pitching in 12u and I had bought the gameface mask for her but she didn't like wearing it. She was hit with a linedrive to the chest and it knocked the breath out of her, after composing herself she went to her bat bag got out the gameface and has worn it ever since. Another pitcher on our team quit pitching after seeing that and has never pitched again. Oh yeah, I have $5,000 in braces so a $50 mask seems like a good investment.
My DD plays third in 14u travel ball. I picked up at GameFace mask for her (she wanted to try one out). She wears it regularly. It does bother her a little bit in the heat, but she doesn't mind. She feels more protected, can play closer to home, and can beat the catcher most times to a bunt lying in front of the plate. It has made her a better player. When trying to tag a runner stealing third, she also doesn't have to worry about her own safety, and can concentrate on catching/making the tag.
She talked so much about it, three other girls on her team who pitch and play first tried it in practice, liked it, and went and bought their own.
No brainer here, She considers it a normal piece of fastpitch equipment.
She talked so much about it, three other girls on her team who pitch and play first tried it in practice, liked it, and went and bought their own.
No brainer here, She considers it a normal piece of fastpitch equipment.
Gameface has a product to sell so of course they will sensationalize the dangers of fastpitch softball. With that said, as my DD gets older and the game gets faster, I will probably leave it up to her if she wants to wear one or not. My last point is if there was a sport called "boys fastpitch softball" would we require our boys to play with batting helmets with cages and fielders with face masks?
Pitcher, definitely. Third and probably first, definitely. I don't make my DD wear one at SS or 2nd, although I probably should. Up until a couple years ago, I played fairly competitive slow-pitch, and I had 2 teammates, one at SS and one at 2nd, who were both very good ballplayers/infielders, take bad hops to the mouth. The guy at SS was making a backhand play in the hole and it hopped up, hit him on the wrist, and right in the mouth. All it did was knock his teeth through (literally) his lower lip.
The guy at 2nd took a one hopper to the mouth, he lost 3 teeth.
Yes, that was grown men hitting the ball...but, a softer ball (core .44), and they were both well behind the base path, probably more than twice as far as 3rd basemen in fastpitch play on every pitch.
The guy at 2nd took a one hopper to the mouth, he lost 3 teeth.
Yes, that was grown men hitting the ball...but, a softer ball (core .44), and they were both well behind the base path, probably more than twice as far as 3rd basemen in fastpitch play on every pitch.
- Jan 15, 2009
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I'm with most that the corners and pitcher should have the mask. The other positions should wear mouth guards to protect against bad hops and protect the money mom and dad put into braces. Not sure how 100% of the kids in basketball, volleyball, soccer, football etc have figured out mouthguards are a good idea but they are still pretty rare in fastpitch.
We've played on plenty of multi use fields where football practices in the outfield and outfield is the most dangerous place to play. Had a kid take a bad hop to the temple and go down, but I would still advocate only mouthguards. The reality is that by the time the ball reaches SS/2B (70-80 ft) or outfield (90-150 ft) it's lost significant initial velocity, add in a bounce on the ground and you have a damaging but not fatal velocity.
We've played on plenty of multi use fields where football practices in the outfield and outfield is the most dangerous place to play. Had a kid take a bad hop to the temple and go down, but I would still advocate only mouthguards. The reality is that by the time the ball reaches SS/2B (70-80 ft) or outfield (90-150 ft) it's lost significant initial velocity, add in a bounce on the ground and you have a damaging but not fatal velocity.
