Is a fielding Face Mask necessary?

[BB Coach]

All sports come with some level of inherent danger. I'm new to this particular sport but from what I see, the coaches could do a better job protecting there players. If you play your player 20 feet from the batter, guess what? You are increasing that fielders risk of being injured. That is the coach's fault because girls will do whatever the coach tells them.

Slash bunting (show bunt / swing away) is dangerous. Period. The intent is specifically to draw the corners in and then try to hit the ball through them. LL and Cal Ripken do not allow this in their 12 and under leagues. The coach and player both get tossed, dead ball and batter is out. Older levels, Babe Ruth, HS etc.... it is allowed but it is also self policed even on the 90 ft bases. I have seen kids do this and their next ab take one in the ribs or back. Eliminating this would allow the corners to play deeper increasing reaction time. Fake bunt and steal third. Fake bunt to mess the pitcher up. Don't fake bunt and swing away.


As for pitchers, move the rubber back and increase their reaction time. At least to the HS distance or even back to 46. Teach the girls to be better hitters.

 

[PA SB Dad]

BBC,
Rule changes for safety reasons are great, but often take time to implement, and moving the pitching rubber back in fastpitch addresses only a part of the problem. Small ball is an important part of fastpitch on the shorter diamond, so I don't see slapping going away anytime soon if ever. I am not going to try and convince you that baseball and softball are different sports. You will see that for yourself as time goes on.

I will say however, that travel softball is vastly different than LL BB with regard to talent level on a good team and a kid "securing" their position. In LL (and higher levels of BB), a good player can expect to play every inning of every game at SS, 3B, catcher, etc. In travel SB, with multiple games in a day, players are more likely to play in multiple postions - a smart coach will get several players reps at different positions to increase the team's depth. You say your daughter plays SS now. Whose to say she will not see time at 1B or 3B at some point this year or next? Will you have her refuse to play up close in bunting situations? Or have her keep a mask in her bag and only use it when not at SS? Do you think it might affect her play if the only time she wears it is during a game at a less than familiar position? I think it's a no-brainer to have your kid used to a very simple piece of equipment that will let her keep her teeth or her eyesight in the unlikely event that she gets hit in the face. These are life-altering injuries that are potentially preventable. It's not about softball now, it's about what her life will be like after softball is over should she sustain a terrible injury.

 

[BB Coach]

PA,

Good points and if called on to play 3b or 1b i'd suggest she grab some girl's sweaty mask and make the best of it. Funny thing is 1b, 3b and CF were her primary positions in BB. She probably saw 20 innings at SS last year in BB out of 55 games but she saw innings at every position.

I guess my point is that when 3rd base coach calls fake bunt / swing away... they know that they are putting F3 and F5 in jeopardy. When DM plays his corners 20 feet from home they know they are putting their players in jeopardy.

I do agree 100% that they are different games. I'm just trying to learn as much as possible about what is a new game to us and offering my opinion.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Thanks for all of the comments. You have convinced me that DDs safety is number 1 and when the game gets faster after 8U I will definately be buying either Game Face or Rip-It face masks. In the meantime, DD will be wearing a new mouth guard when fielding/pitching in the spring!

 

[RichK]

My 11U is pitching AND playing third base and I make her wear a mask AND a heart guard -- she does it, no complaints we started early...

Saw a girl take a line drive in the chest once, scary....

 

[coach D'E]

The only negatives that I've heard are that the masks become uncomfortable during hot days. Also, a player could do severe damage to their neck if they were to fall face down directly on the mask. This could put an extreme amount of pressure on the neck. If your players wear these devices during games, have them wear them during practice. Not only will they get used to wearing them, it will protect them during practice. When my daughter plays the infield, she insists on wearing one.

 

[SnocatzDad]

I guess my point is that when 3rd base coach calls fake bunt / swing away... they know that they are putting F3 and F5 in jeopardy. When DM plays his corners 20 feet from home they know they are putting their players in jeopardy.

I agree. That is why a coach should feel justified in making it a requirement to wear protective gear to play those positions against player protest.

It's also why in slow pitch bunting is not allowed. People would be getting killed. IMO fastpitch would be boring and more pitcher dominated if it weren't for the short game.

 

[Mike]

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.

Kids shouldn't be made to feel like they are wimps or less of a player if they wear a mask. If it makes them get down on grounders with more confidence then I encourage they wear them, for any position. My daughters wear them, pitcher/center field, and a 2nd baseman. They like it and I like it. Thats a win win. I have seen outfielders lose balls in the sun and take one to the face. To each their own.

Slash bunting (show bunt / swing away) is dangerous. Period.

I guess my point is that when 3rd base coach calls fake bunt / swing away... they know that they are putting F3 and F5 in jeopardy.

Taking part of the short game away is not the answer. I teach the corners to creep then crash hard once the pitched ball get's half way to the plate. Even if a 12-uer pulls back and turns on it, it will be a weak hit.

They are not mandatory on our team, just strongly encouraged. Not sure what the answer is there.

Mike

 

[Coach JV]

Yes. my DD wears one (P/3B) and it was her choice! I watched a girl at 3b get hit in the cheek by line drive this year. The ball glanced off the top of her glove and hit her. Funny thing happened, her dad (coach) picked her up and carried her to dugout, when he sat down on the bench, he sat on a can of coke which then exploded all over the dugout. Girl was fine and continued to play next inning, she did get a nasty cut, nothing bleeds like a head wound...........Moral of the story, my daughter whispered to me while watching the game, "that's why I wear a mask"-Yes, she is very aggressive when fielding at 3B since wearing a mask

 

[mudbug]

gameface is probably most popular, but most irritating to look thru, especially down. The newer rip-it is a bit heavy, many of our girls tried it on at a national tournament where reps had it when it first came out, all complained about the weight. Need to make it from Titanium or something, not steel, its just too heavy.

My daughter wears the D-mask. Bulky, but wt is very close to face and you dont notice it, doesnt obscure vision as much as gameface, esp looking down, but in summer it holds dirt and fogs up too from sweat. They all have drawbacks, just find one a girl is willing to wear and encourage her to use it.

And, they should always practice in the gear they will play in too. This includes practicing with their face protection, and batting with their helmets even for soft-toss and tee work, pitching arm guards too for pitchers. Seemingly minor weight additions to the head and body can change the way they move and perform in game situations .