Will be playing 9U kid pitch baseball in the Spring, and was looking for recommendations on which faceguard to buy for the batting helmet. I'm trying to find one that offers the greatest visibility. Has anyone tried any of the clear emasks?
Take a look at the "C-Flap". It offers great visibility while maintaining proper coverage for protention. I see it more than the traditional cage style mask. GOOGLE: C-flap
At age 9 we thought the same thing about the faceguard. We didn't need them..Most kids can pitch at this age and the ones that can't usually throw over their heads or in the dirt..Teach you players to turn from the baseball and they will be fine... I have seen more kids get hit in the face playing defense or pitching..Haven't seen one get hit in the face while batting yer..
My son never liked the facemask but liked the C-flap because it protected his jaw and face, but did not restrict his visibility like a faceguard did.
Now, I know several kids that like using them because it takes the fear away of being hit in the face.
I have always been concerned with the clear plastic ones because of the shatter possibilities. Maybe they have gotten better the last few years, but I had heard this was a possibility.
I have seen more injuries caused by the face mask in a hard collision sliding into bases than I have someone at bat getting hit in the face. My sons have been playing travel ball for a total of 12 seasons and the only direct hits taken to the face that I have witnessed were by a line drive to a pitcher and three bad hops. In rec. league I have seen teeth knocked out, stitches needed, and bloody noses by the metal cages they make the batters use. This was all under the age of 10 rec. leagues. I have seen the same type hard collisions in All-star and travel ball (where the medal cage is not required) where everyone walked away with some small scrapes and bruising.
My oldest had a bad injury and used a C-flap for one season.
The worst injury I have seen (knock on wood) is a kid hit in the forearm by a pitch (10U travel ball) and he ended up with a broken arm.
I agree Infinity. Proper coaching and practice will get most players over the fear of being hit. Kid pitch is a big transition for ball players and you can definitely tell which kids are going to stick with it at this point. I think any kind of face mask for a batter (unless of course doctor recommended) is only going to restrict their vision and give them a false sense of safety, perhaps leading to not using proper techniques to avoid and/or go with the pitch.
For the first year kid pitch at 9U the face mask is a good idea. There is no significant restriction of view and for sure you get every year the boys in first year kid pitch that do not know how to move out of the way of a ball coming at their face.
**The problem is not the pitching it is the reaction of the batters. At 10U they have seen it for a year and are so much faster and for the most part do not need the mask. But at 9U I would highly recommend one.
***Every mfr has one that fits their individual helmet. So whatever helmet you get is what kind of face mask you need.
Batting Helmet Faceguard
Posted - 09/15/2009 : 21:28:32
