^what cobb said.
to add the plastic ones get scratched making vision even lower. add to that that plastic stresses over time with prolonged exposure to the sun, metal is simply a better choice.
Protective mask for pitching?
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^what cobb said.
to add the plastic ones get scratched making vision even lower. add to that that plastic stresses over time with prolonged exposure to the sun, metal is simply a better choice.
Merrill Danner
Relax and breathe!
DD who pitches wore Rip-it for last 2 years, loves it, this year upgrading to the Schutt titanium.
Both of mine, one a 10u pitcher the other 14 2nd Base, wear the Rip It masks. I wouldn't recommend the plastic. They are thicker, heavier, and I have heard of them shattering when hit hard enough. Metal isn't going to shatter.
Both my DD's wear the metal Rip-its. Why?
1. Because I can slightly bend and shape the metal mask to better fit wider/narrower heads. Can't do that with the plastic ones.
2. Rip-its have a soft cloth-type chin pad that my girls prefer over the harder molded chin caps the Schutt models seem to come with. On the flip side of that, I know a lot of girls like the harder molded caps as they don't get stinky, sweaty & soggy in the heat.
1fingeredknuckler
TOUCH EM ALL
Thanks
Ordered Rip it for grand daughter, she has no clue it's coming.
One just about lost her teeth in a state regional game 3 years ago, the catcher threw down to second a rocket, ist inning was just beginning .
No one had ever taught grand daughter to leave the circle on throw down, so at that point i had to tell the hs coaches. Prior to that she had some real real close calls/
See if this one will wear it?
Mother has had plenty of trips to orthodontist already.
thanks for the comments
Ordered Rip it for grand daughter, she has no clue it's coming.
One just about lost her teeth in a state regional game 3 years ago, the catcher threw down to second a rocket, ist inning was just beginning .
No one had ever taught grand daughter to leave the circle on throw down, so at that point i had to tell the hs coaches. Prior to that she had some real real close calls/
See if this one will wear it?
Mother has had plenty of trips to orthodontist already.
thanks for the comments
My 12yo DD uses a plastic Skilz mask. She has a very narrow face and it was the best fit by far. She likes it, and it seems to be well constructed. http://www.amazon.com/SKLZ-Field-Shield-Full-Face-Protection/dp/B00C0WZET8
- Dec 11, 2010
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Odds are most mask strikes will be somewhat glancing and IMHO most balls hit back at an experienced pitcher will not be direct hits, some or most will be somewhat deflected by most players glove.
That very sharply hit ball that the pitcher can't get a glove on that hits the mask square is the bad one. My experience is with a very hard hit ball (seemed freakishly fast) that hit a Rip-it mask nearly square and hit hard enough to bend the mask slightly. The mask impacted the player and left red marks on the chin and nose where the mask hit the face. This was 10u so consider how much harder an older kid can hit.
A couple of posters mentioned fitting the mask to the shape of the kids face. That is a really good idea. Shape the mask and adjust the straps correctly. The ball hits the mask, imparts energy on the mask and the mask impacts the face. If there is space between the padding and the head, seems like it would increase the impact between the mask and the head to me. Seems to me that you want as much of the mask touching the face and head as possible to spread that energy out. I don't think the mask in the above case was fitted as well as it could have been.
Because of the above, it seems like a great idea to try on as many kinds of masks as possible and buy for fit. I can vouch for Rip-it but would buy whatever mask fit best. Fit will probably affect their willingness to wear it too I suppose.
On the square mask hit, consider the possibility of concussion. Don't know how likely it is but I have learned a lot about concussions recently and I think it is a possibility the player listed above had a minor concussion.
Hope this helps. Masks are a very good thing IMHO.
That very sharply hit ball that the pitcher can't get a glove on that hits the mask square is the bad one. My experience is with a very hard hit ball (seemed freakishly fast) that hit a Rip-it mask nearly square and hit hard enough to bend the mask slightly. The mask impacted the player and left red marks on the chin and nose where the mask hit the face. This was 10u so consider how much harder an older kid can hit.
A couple of posters mentioned fitting the mask to the shape of the kids face. That is a really good idea. Shape the mask and adjust the straps correctly. The ball hits the mask, imparts energy on the mask and the mask impacts the face. If there is space between the padding and the head, seems like it would increase the impact between the mask and the head to me. Seems to me that you want as much of the mask touching the face and head as possible to spread that energy out. I don't think the mask in the above case was fitted as well as it could have been.
Because of the above, it seems like a great idea to try on as many kinds of masks as possible and buy for fit. I can vouch for Rip-it but would buy whatever mask fit best. Fit will probably affect their willingness to wear it too I suppose.
On the square mask hit, consider the possibility of concussion. Don't know how likely it is but I have learned a lot about concussions recently and I think it is a possibility the player listed above had a minor concussion.
Hope this helps. Masks are a very good thing IMHO.
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another vote for Skilz.
but like others have said: each player will have their own preferences. So try a few and see what works.
but like others have said: each player will have their own preferences. So try a few and see what works.
