The Ongoing Debate about Masks

[CoachKevin]

What is even worse is if parents and coaches hesitate or turn a blind eye because of the belief some college coaches view the use of safety equipment as a sign of weakness.

Although it's not really a belief... it is a fact. There are College coaches out there that will actually say that.

 

[MsDinosaur]

Both my DDs are happy with the Rip-it mask but I have also heard good things about the Schutt mask though I have no first hand experience with it.

I'll second the Rip-it. DD wears it when she's playing third rather than catching.

There was originally an issue with the chin pads not staying on well. We had one of those. DD kept sticking the pad back on, but eventually it fell off and was lost completely. Rip-it has great customer service though; when I contacted them, they sent us a new pad (I think they re-did the pads to stay on better) and there have been no problems since.

 

[marriard]

What is even worse is if parents and coaches hesitate or turn a blind eye because of the belief some college coaches view the use of safety equipment as a sign of weakness.

Although it's not really a belief... it is a fact. There are College coaches out there that will actually say that.

Yeah, they'll say that right up to the point where the talent shows her skills.

"Oh no, I'm not recruiting the 3rd base on that team. I know she bats fourth and hits .680 for a ASA Gold semi finalist, clouted 3 HR in a game against a pitcher who has signed for our biggest rival while I was watching and made 3 spectacular fielding plays and all the routine plays but she wears a mask while fielding. " said no coach ever.

If I was recruiting and coaching college I would be THRILLED to hear my rival college coaches saying stupid things like this about fielding masks. I would be out there making all sorts of noise about how I welcome players wearing masks and consider it a smart thing done by smart players. I'd be thinking I could possibly upgrade my roster and get some serious consideration as a destination from a few players I couldn't before by taking this stance.

Schutt and Rip-It are the current gold standards for these fielding masks. Either is a good buy. I find they both size small though - all our 10U girls last year who wore masks were wearing the larger 'adult' size and no one had a youth size.

 

[slingnit]

Liability is typically determined in degrees with factors such as frequency and cost. Question is where is the line.

I take it I am the only one that heard anything at a national asa event this summer. Starting to wonder how many of us are coaches that have been to a national event as this may not be the forum for my question.

Most concussion and head injuries are caused by collisions, not balls to the face. Commotio cordis, cardiac arrest caused from blowto the heart, is the most deadly. The most common cause of injuries is sliding. Turned ankles, torn, ACL's and menisci. So I would think these two items should be addressed before a face mask, if we are discussing this on a purely safety level.

 

[MTR]

I am more of an advoctate of deadening the bats. The cause is the ball being hit off a $300 bat that a well trained athlete is swinging.

I agree. Changing the bats from wood to aluminum was more of an environment and economic issue, not to change the game. That was until someone figured a way to sell the product that would change the game, and I'm not sure if it was for the best. Then the cause changed.

Instead of selling the product on endurance and cost-savings, it now became "how much are you willing to pay to be better without all the work and skill development". Yeah, yeah, I know the players still have to develop skills and strength, but there are two things here. At the time, the target market was more SP. Adults had more money than kids and many teams "back in the day" had team bats as not every kid could afford their own. Secondly, the skills needed changed from placement to power as the priority. Not necessarily power for distance, but for speed of the ball reducing the fielder's ability to react and field.

Then along came softball in the Olympics and FP became the hottest sport in the US which means more sales to what was the secondary market. With the college carrot came every girl having a bat, maybe two or three, a high-tech glove (waste of money) and the explosion of the personal coaching business.

IMO, there is no way anyone is going to willing drop back 40 years, not even for safety's sake. ASA has made an adjustment in the SP game by going to the 52/300 ball which in the SP game has reduced the number of accidental home runs. Those who hit the ball correctly can still hit home runs, but it is now more the technique than the equipment. The bats testing standard has also been adjusted for SP-only bats that will keep the BES at 98mph. This move, along with ASA's pre-testing ABI applications have almost completely negated an advantage that would be gained by altering a bat.

The 52/300 also has a lower impact level that turns what would previously be a catastrophic injury into something much less dangerous to the player. I am not stating this will eliminate injuries, but it may mean the difference between being checked out by an EMT and a hospital visit.

Unfortunately, I don't see the FP advocates supporting such a move if it means some (not all, not many, not x%, just some) DD will not be as good as the equipment makes them. The only way this changes, IMO, is if NCAA endorses the move to the higher COR/lower compression ball.

The only drawback with this type of ball is that because it flattens out more on contact with the bat, if it is hit well and hard, it does not always regain it's shape quick enough to keep it from knuckling during it's flight or a sharp second hop on a ground ball. The SP players seem to have adjusted well and this ball will be the only ball used next year for male batters (except Seniors) in ASA slowpitch.

The masks will still be a good idea, but I'm afraid too many would think the bat and ball being safer may mean the masks needn't be worn and that would be a mistake.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

What is even worse is if parents and coaches hesitate or turn a blind eye because of the belief some college coaches view the use of safety equipment as a sign of weakness.

Although it's not really a belief... it is a fact. There are College coaches out there that will actually say that.

Let me remind y'all - DD & I went to a D1 college camp two years ago and here is what was announced to all in participation (I would guess 100+ players):

"Everyone who has a mask can leave it right there in your bag,.....we will teach you how to play defense......."

 

[MTR]

Let me remind y'all - DD & I went to a D1 college camp two years ago and here is what was announced to all in participation (I would guess 100+ players):

"Everyone who has a mask can leave it right there in your bag,.....we will teach you how to play defense......."

And in a perfect world with perfect equipment and a perfect field, that may work most of the time. But if you are not playing in Utopia, that is a callous statement showing a fair amount of ignorance on behalf of the coach