Ever since I watched the updates on facebook of the son of someone I played baseball with learning to walk and talk again because he walked out of a dugout with a helmet off (I don't know if it was a practice or a game), I have required helmets at all times if bats are out of the bags. I don't want to go through that with one of my players and it should limit my liability if something like that were to happen at one of my practices.
When do you require helmets worn???
- Thread starter Rolling Hard
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
- May 29, 2015
- 3,813
- 113
Thanks to @cvsoftball for posting the 2019 legal thread! Immediately thought of this thread after reading this:
In August 2019, in Platt v. Cedar Falls Community Schools, an Iowa school district agreed to a settlement of $60,000 with a family whose daughter was hit in the head with a bat during a bunting drill inside a batting cage during softball practice as she was picking up balls and was struck in the head from behind with a bat swung by a teammate. The victim, a member of the junior varsity team, was not wearing a protective helmet at the time of the incident, because allegedly the team had enough helmets to outfit the entire varsity squad, but not the junior varsity team. The blunt force trauma to her head caused the victim to lose consciousness, fall to the ground and begin bleeding from the ear. The original filings in the lawsuit alleged a failure by the defendants to fulfill their duties of specific supervision (supervising athletes while they are engaged in the sports activity itself) and provision of protective athletic equipment.
The standard of practice illustrated by the case is that athletic personnel should exercise an increased level of caution whenever student-athletes are participating in activities where there is a foreseeably increased level of danger because of the nature of the activity – so many of the injuries resulting in litigation seem to occur when players or P.E. students are crowded together swinging bats, golf clubs or using other equipment in multi-sport environments, often indoors when practices or classes are moved because of inclement weather or other circumstances.
In August 2019, in Platt v. Cedar Falls Community Schools, an Iowa school district agreed to a settlement of $60,000 with a family whose daughter was hit in the head with a bat during a bunting drill inside a batting cage during softball practice as she was picking up balls and was struck in the head from behind with a bat swung by a teammate. The victim, a member of the junior varsity team, was not wearing a protective helmet at the time of the incident, because allegedly the team had enough helmets to outfit the entire varsity squad, but not the junior varsity team. The blunt force trauma to her head caused the victim to lose consciousness, fall to the ground and begin bleeding from the ear. The original filings in the lawsuit alleged a failure by the defendants to fulfill their duties of specific supervision (supervising athletes while they are engaged in the sports activity itself) and provision of protective athletic equipment.
The standard of practice illustrated by the case is that athletic personnel should exercise an increased level of caution whenever student-athletes are participating in activities where there is a foreseeably increased level of danger because of the nature of the activity – so many of the injuries resulting in litigation seem to occur when players or P.E. students are crowded together swinging bats, golf clubs or using other equipment in multi-sport environments, often indoors when practices or classes are moved because of inclement weather or other circumstances.
- Jan 17, 2020
- 20
- 3
For me it was if the ball moved prior to contact with the bat, soft toss through live pitch, helmet on. If it is a stationary ball, tee work, it was optional. Didn’t say this rule to the girls, so had a lot of girls wearing when doing tee work.
- Jan 8, 2019
- 668
- 93
Still too many opportunities for mishaps! I have seen several accidents and near misses doing benign tee work: someone backs up when someone who shouldn't be swinging makes even a soft cut, ball ricochets off of bow net bar. Especially at tourneys where warm-up space is super tight, accidents will happen. Most instances are minor and forgiven, but it only takes one medium to major injury to change a life forever, and only one litigious family to bankrupt a league or organization.
Bats up, helmets on.
- May 29, 2015
- 3,813
- 113
Bats are a much bigger concern than balls.
- Jan 13, 2020
- 33
- 8
Anytime bats are involved helmets are on. We started this in T-ball. This way the kids get use to this just being routine.
When our team leaves the field and is up to bat everyone gets their helmets on. We teach our girls to be responsible with their bats and that they are very dangerous, but we can’t be watching the dugout while we are coaching.
- Oct 18, 2019
- 3
- 3
My team players use a batting helmet (and all other softball PPE for hitting) at all times when they have a bat in their hand.
Certainly this is a risk management solution in relation to safety but I also link this practice into our mental skills program by having the players put their game (or “batting face”) on at all times for hitting, bunting and of course base running activities.
I teach various skills and concepts related to game and practice “routines” (to help athletes stay in the moment) that “putting on” your batting equipment (helmet, gloves, elbow guard, etc) are completely linked to.
Certainly this is a risk management solution in relation to safety but I also link this practice into our mental skills program by having the players put their game (or “batting face”) on at all times for hitting, bunting and of course base running activities.
I teach various skills and concepts related to game and practice “routines” (to help athletes stay in the moment) that “putting on” your batting equipment (helmet, gloves, elbow guard, etc) are completely linked to.
Similar threads
