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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
 Posted - 10/06/2010 : 07:50:39
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I was reading another post (and praying for Ben) and Steel-Will mentioned safety gear: And thanks for the reminder to wear batting helments. Sometimes we get in a rush and forget. To that end, all safety gear is a must and should be priority in our preparation: cups, padded under-garments with heart, rib, and spine guards.
What does your son wear? I tried having my son wear a padded under shirt back a few years ago, and he hated it. Now that is is playing with bigger, stronger kids, I think I neeed to look into it again. Also, does it matter what position they play? (other then catcher, of course.) |
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Alter-Ego
802 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 10:13:33
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I would say that if you are throwing in the batting cages, use an L screen. The area is confined and the hitters focus is to hit it in the middle where the longest amount of space is.
I know there are some other safety gear being developed that will fit under your hat to protect the temple area.
I have always wondered how long it would take before baseball pitchers started using the "game face" facemasks you see in fastpitch softball. |
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gafan
66 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 10:48:46
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| I think the boys in the infield should wear mouthguards... however... I can't get my 10 yr old son to...he does wear a hexapad shirt though. |
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starspapa
2 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 11:02:41
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| All in field positions safe to wear a padded under shirt. 3rd base is a "hot" corner. |
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Shut Out
512 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 11:49:36
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| There is not a single study that shows the any heart/chest gaurds will prevent commotio cordis. (A condition caused by a blunt impact to the chest that results in sudden cardiac arrest) The only proven preventative is to have a defibrillator/ AED unit at each and every ball park our kids and parents are at. The chest pad my keep a kid from having a bruise from being hit but what causes the sudden cardiac arrest is not the actual force but unfortunate impact that comes at the exact wrong time within the heart beat. |
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Rick Cosper
450 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 12:24:19
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I would agree with the L Screen in the cages but as a ex coach who throw tons in the cages, you still sometimes can get hit with a batted ball and like Ben it only takes one swing of a bat to do serious damage. Ben was throwing in the cage when he was hit and at 14 years old I would seriously doubt he wasn't behind an L Screen.
I would strongly suggest that if a coach allows a kid to throw in a batting cage he does two things: (1) Make sure there is an L Screen. (2) Make sure the kid is wearing a batting helmet. |
Edited by - Rick Cosper on 10/06/2010 13:08:44 |
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coach0512
123 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 12:26:08
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My family has been praying for Ben since the first post. Horrible accident.
We also tried the padded shirt. My son hated it and won't wear it.
I had done research about the heart guards and also found them terribly ineffective so we don't bother.
Funny thing about the mouthguard- A couple years ago we had a player on our team running to 1B and he collided with the first baseman pretty hard. Our runner had his helmet with face shield on and the first baseman had only his cap. It was our runner who had his front teeth knocked out! The collision pushed the face shield up and into his mouth knocking out the teeth. The first baseman had no injuries at all. Don't know if the mouthguard would have helped. Maybe........
I can't believe the number of kids who play sports without a cup! My son has worn one since T-ball. Most of the kids on his travel team don't wear them. I just don't get it. Should be mandatory. Also, he was one of about 5 on his football team that was wearing one. Whats wrong with parents??....
The best safety gear around is the coaches. If they teach properly and talk about safety enough it will sink in to the kids. Accidents will ALWAYS happen and you can't guard against them all. But in Bens case, and please don't think it heartless, there never should have been 2 kids in that cage at the same time. Pitching in an enclosed area should ONLY be done by an adult with only 1 batter in there at a time. On the field with more space is a different story, but cages should be 1 adult and 1 kid.
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12uCoach
357 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 13:57:04
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I would also like to suggest that players not be allowed to stand near the nets. Batted foul balls can do damage to those standing nearby thinking they are safe. It kills me to see see kids standing 3 feet from the batter thinking the net will protect them.
I had a former player get hit in the head, outside the cage. The scar goes across his head from ear to ear... |
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4for4
15 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 21:59:44
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| I would recommend looking in the products made by a GA. company Evoshield. I purchased the A100 Chest & Back Rib Guard System with Shields for my son over a year ago. He tends to get hit more than most and is a catcher. It does an excellent job at impact dispersion, vs. absorbing impacts like the foam padded shirts do. No complaints from him, form fitting and no restriction of motion. I will say its interesting see him get hit in the back or take a foul tip to the chest and have coaches and umpires check him, when he didnt even feel it. |
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4for4
15 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 22:10:25
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I would add another item to watch out for that happened to me this past weekend throwing bp. Check the nets to see if they hang away from any support polls. I got clocked in the jaw from a ricochet off a support pole. After getting knocked on my back side I wondered how it happened. The net was strung pretty tight up against the pole. Check everything.
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metsFan
63 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2010 : 22:32:54
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| Has anyone seen the product Evoshield? It has a custom mold for the chest and two pieces for the back/ribcage. A lot more substantial than the padded shirts. Plenty of testimonials on their site, not sure if any of our sponsors sell this product. |
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bluecup
49 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2010 : 08:51:05
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Yes, Evoshield makes great products. They have elbow protectors and shin protectors, thumb protectors, as well as rib/chest protectors. While watching games, I noticed that several pros use their stuff, as well as many college players.
My son has been using the rib/chest protector for 3 seasons, and likes it a lot (though if your son finds the padded shirts are uncomfortable, maybe this would be too).
http://www.allsportsarmour.com/Baseball_Chest_Protector_Rib_Shin_Foot_s/1.htm
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22202
263 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2010 : 11:05:38
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| +1000 on the evoshield. My son wore the heartguard product and complained about it moving around and being uncomfortable. we got the evoshield for him last week and he played 3 games and never once said anything about it. he said he actually forgot it was on. i wish they made a long sleeve version for colder days. great people to work with also! |
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BREAMKING
323 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2010 : 15:03:37
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| I like the evoshield product. Kids do not complain about it. |
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loveforthegame25
448 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2010 : 22:10:17
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| I DONT THINK ANY KIDS UNDER THE AGE OF 16 SHOULD THROW BP OR FLIPS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN THE CAGE. 15 YR OLDS AND YOUNGER ARE NOT ABLE TO FOCUS ENOUGH TO EVEN STAY BEHIND AN L SCREEN. IT ONLY TAKES ONE BRAIN CRAMP TO GET A BASEBALL IN THE FOREHEAD. ITS THE COACHES RESPONSIBILITY TO THROW IN THE CAGES. |
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Spartan4
913 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2010 : 00:24:20
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| I'm not usually one for all the new safety gizmos....But I agree 100% about kids in the batting cages..Younger kids just flat out don't have the ability to NOT PLAY AROUND....which is fine and why we are doing this travel ball thing to begin with...I dont' even let mine soft toss to other boys, just looks like it is asking for trouble |
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Steel-Will
278 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2010 : 16:27:42
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We were fortunate to have had a surgeon, a OBGYN and two nurses as parents on our team. "I've always wonder what our OBGYN would do in case of an emergency :)"
The nurses, having seen kids experience "commotio cordis" from baseball incidents, were adamant about their children wearing "heart guards" although I don't think any of us ever looked into the effectiveness of some of the products. My son also plays basketball, and with the influence of the plethora of basketball pros who now find it advantageous to wear Hexpads and other protective products under their uniforms, we adopted the same mentality for baseball: Stay padded up!
Last year at a TC tourny at East Cobb, they had the Evoshields for $30.00; wish I would have gotten some then! Good to hear folks are using them with success although I was concerned that the "form fit" would be out-grown in 6-months.
I’ve always wondered why we don’t use facemask for pitchers and safety bases at first. I’ve seen several nasty collisions at first also; as solid a collision as the best hits in football without the pad; bone against bone could be heard!
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What safety gear?
