A Guide to Youth Baseball Protective Equipment
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- What baseball protective gear should youth and amateur baseball players be using? What's necessary and what's optional, depending on a family's tolerance for injury risk? In this video, we cover all the major accessory safety gear for youth baseball.
--
❤️ Article on heart injuries in baseball: my.clevelandclinic.org/health...
--
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Overview
👉 NECESSARY EQUIPMENT
0:58 Batting Helmets
1:33 C-Flap Option
2:43 Face Mask Option
3:18 Athletic Cup
6:03 Cleats
8:30 Cleat-Cleaning Devices
9:04 Throat Guard (catchers)
👉OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
11:12 Sliding Mitts
12:17 Thumb Guard (catchers)
14:31 Arm Guards (hitters)
17:13 Leg Guards (hitters)
18:18 Heart Guard
19:45 Mouth Guard
--
✅ EQUIPMENT LINKS
-
*Note: Do your own research on the safety of protective gear and your needs. I may receive a commission if you purchase a product using the links below - thanks for supporting my channel.
-
Nutty Buddy Athletic Cup (what I use): bit.ly/nuttybuddy-cup
👉Use code CoachDan for 10% off your order at Nutty Buddy
Sliding Mitts: amzn.to/3R7LI0R
Easton Batting Helmet: amzn.to/3R7KLpj
Helmet C-Flaps: amzn.to/3V2sFWL
Face Mask Helmets: amzn.to/3X433eK
Throat Guard: amzn.to/4e2dpBJ
Cleat Cleaner Mat: amzn.to/3yH4dmm
Thumb Guards: amzn.to/3R7Ldnv
Leg Guards: amzn.to/3yyORA7
Arm Guards: amzn.to/4bEMIBw
Heart Guards: amzn.to/3V0P5HX
Mouth Guards: amzn.to/3KnggYt
👉 Dan’s books: amzn.to/455OEAx
--
✅ Grab a copy of my books on Amazon: amzn.to/4bNij3W
--
Dan’s IG: / coachdanblewett
Dan’s Tik tok: / coachdanblewett
🤝 Want Dan to be your mentor? Sign up here: danblewett.com/coaching
📘 Buy my books on Amazon: amzn.to/4bNij3W
✅ My Self-Guided Pitching Programs 👉danblewett.com/courses
❤️ LOVE THROWING, My Free Program: danblewett.com/lovethrowing
⚾️ New to Baseball? Learn the terminology: danblewett.com/baseball-cheat...
📬 Email me a question 👉 danblewett.com/ask-dan-blewett/
💪 My baseball strength program 👉 earlyworktraining.com/baseball/ - กีฬา
Both of my boys are catchers. Thumb guard (Team Defender shout out, best by FAR), is an absolute must. 💯
agree! I used to catch a LOT of bullpens during my pitching lessons, and I've been thumbed a few times. It really, really hurts.
As for the cup. Comfort is key. My son catcher only liked the Nuttybuddie. As an umpire that's brand didn't work for me... They needed a size between. But the one I got literally forget it's on. I've actually gotten home before remembering to remove it. That's the comfort you want. And 100% use a tight jock strap over it. Not those shorts with the pockets. Those don't keep it tight enough especially for balls that bounce and hit you from below! Finally, size has to do with your height, not anything else.
yep THANK YOU for adding this - putting a cup in the pouch of compression shorts just allows it to bounce around and not stay in place. Big key to wearing one correctly.
Was just going to comment this. Shorts, cup, jock is the way. Dan, I'm surprised you didn't talk about sliding shorts at all.
I'll probably do a different video just on cups - I didnt want to get into the weeds too far on it, and sliding shorts aren't really a protective issue in my mind
@@DanBlewettI feel their protective as far as getting a cherry check is concerned
I would like to add about the cleats on turf. If you are a pitcher, plastic molded cleats on a plastic mound do not work well. You are much more likely to slip on the mound, whereas rubber molded cleats tend to get better grip.
true! Thank you - I hate those mounds for that reason. The plastic mounds or the mounds with carpet turf (without infill) will not work, as you said, with molded cleats.
We for sure try to make sure our pitchers wear turf shoes specially the faster ones that do most things right
The mask/cages for the helmets are mandatory in our youth baseball programs. Also, the elbow guards are very helpful if you have a kid who throws righty and bats lefty or vice versa. Wearing it protects their throwing arm
On c-flaps - I highly recommend that you purchase a helmet with it pre-attached, or one that is pre-drilled for one. Never drill into a helmet! On the dangling throat protectors, it MUST dangle. If the throat guard is attached properly, it will lower down and brace on the top of the chest protector or collar bone. If it isn't dangling, it just sticks out and provides minimal protection. Improperly worn equipment can be just as dangerous, if not more so, than not wearing it at all.
12-13 years ago, a 14 year old LL player in the next town over was struck in the chest while squared off to bunt. He took about 10 steps to first base and dropped. He didn't make it to the hospital. I'm not a researcher, so I don't know about the efficacy of heart guards, but I DO know that AED's save lives. Had there been an AED on site, he may have survived. They aren't cheap, about $2000, but find a sponsor for them and keep them maintained. Every field with older players should have one, and not just for player safety but also those of us old farts that might get a little stressed at times.
this is a great contribution - thank you! 100% agree with the AED - people don't realize that even with CPR, it's useless unless an AED can be brought on site and used in a short period of time. Especially for games, etc. in remote locations, an AED traveling with the team is pretty much the only way someone suffering a heart attack (spectator or athlete) will survive. We had one at our baseball academy and were fortunate to never use it.
Throat guards - Little League rules now require catchers at ALL levels of play to wear a throat guard. Other youth leagues do not so, be advised.
Heart guard shirts - High school rules now require ALL catchers must wear either a NOCSAE stamped chest protector or a heart guard shirt which must also have the NOCSAE tag on the shirt.
this is good extra info - thanks! I kinda assume all chest protectors would have that stamp, kinda like helmets?
@@DanBlewett I think this is the case when stuff is bought from a brick and mortar store inside the United States. However, a lot of parents and players might be tempted by the numerous seemingly cheaper options online. A lot of online sales are fulfilled out of Asia and in some cases might not have the required equipment certifications and or stamps.
My son got hit on helmet while batting. I did some research and found that most helmets are rated at 65mph. Rawlings makes a helmet rated at 95mph and and another rated I think 100mph. We bought the 95. Just a heads up (mind the pun) nowadays 65 mph after the age of 14 is almost outdated.
The Nutcracker mashup is epic.
I bought some elbow guards for my team after I had two different kids get hit in the elbow and quit. It may not happen often but especially for young kids if they get hit there it can be pretty rough on them
dang. thats a shame. I feel pretty conflicted about elbow guards with young kids, to be honest. I'm not sure how much we should be protecting them from the bumps and bruises that are a part of the game. Dont have a firm answer but my gut says that if a kid quits from a hit by pitch, its probably just a sign that the game isnt right for them. which is Okay! There are dozens of sports and part of being young is finding one that fits - mentally and physically.
@DanBlewett I throw left and hit right so I feel elbow guard is the move. I took a ball in the throwing elbow and lost 2 weeks out of a season. Our seasons are not long. My son throws right and hits right and doesn't bother because it's less of an issue in that case.
Another factor to batting armor is cofidence . Especially for younger players where pitching isnt very accurate . This could take a bit of the fear out of the equation where the kid belives he has some protection . The earlier you start the sooner you get use to it . Fear to me is the single biggest demise of a player . I have seen players ruined by one substantial hit batter to where they developed some ptsd and they were done . Its the only with siftball that you have high velicity projectiles that cone at you in a relaxed position like target practise . I noticed jappenese little league players have been wearing batting armor for manny years . 😊
Yeah I'm really not sure about this. Baseball is a physically demanding sport, and I think exposing kids to some of the reasonable risks when they're young prepares them and tests them in a positive way. It hurts - but you don't get injured - getting hit by a 50 mph pitch. Bumps and bruises - that's all a hit by pitch is, no different than falling off a bike or a piece of playground equipment. And I really think the kids who would quit or become frightened to the point of not wanting to go back up to the plate probably aren't a good fit for the sport. Which is OK. There are lots of sports. I think in today's society, everyone wants to make every activity safe and comfortable so that no one quits...but ultimately I think the kind of kid who quits after a HBP at age 7 will end up choosing another sport sooner or later. I'm not saying this is a settled matter - it's controversial - but I'm not on board, generally, with making kids utterly safe. Hit by pitches are a part of the game and any good hitter has to accept this fear every time they step in.
@@DanBlewett I see your point Dan but many sports have developed more protection over the years like football and hockey . Actually hockey has some similarities to a high velocity projectile . Of course there is some player contact . Its funny you said biking . I actually mountain bike . Lots of armor being worn . Especially for down hill which has developed more and more over the years . Got allot of the ideas from motos . Baseball has been less enthused about body protection . It's just been recent that you see more netting to protect spectators. That was frowned upon because it affects the viewing experience . I think it's more about keeping the purity of the game from what we remember when we played as a kid . My granddaughter wears a guarded batting helmet for softball . She has done some pitching and wore the face guard but hasn't wore that guard in the field . Generally she did not like it . She is 9 . Girls softball definitely uses more protection over baseball . Most girls at the college level wears some sort of armor . Now softball is a tighter game with shorter field dimensions . The thing about baseball and softball is not if but when you will be hit by a ball .
One thing I can tell you is I am more confident and have less fear when I have protection on my mountain bike . I will take on more risk because I feel the protection will prevent serious injury .
the question is, is this all necessary and good? Or is it the era of parent protectionism we live in? Many new books are arguing against so much safety - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is a good example. Just because something is widely adopted doesn't mean it's the right thing to do - such as giving kids smart phones (which has turned out to be horrible for them). Haidt specifically mentions playground design in the book, and how they're now so safe that kids don't learn how to take reasonable risks and learn to interact with the world - what will truly hurt them and how much they can overcome - and I see a lot of parallels to youth sports protection. And I'd caution against using adult protection as a guide for kids - you know what will damage your body. Kids have to learn that on their own...by doing, as Haidt argues. Highly recommend the book. Anyway, my two cents. Good luck out there!
@@DanBlewett I definitely see your point Dan and yes bubble wrapping kids can limit the things they do . My question is does the protection gain you an advantage ? The Japanese little Leaguers thought so . Gaining a legal advantage is what we strive for as players and coaches .
yeah I'm not sure - I think the other thing is, hit by pitches on the arm, leg - they give a kid a chance to work through the pain and come outside the otherside tougher (and often respected by his peers) when he can shake it off and run to first like nothing happened. THAT can be a big confidence boost, when they learn they are mentally tougher than they thought, even in the face of that fear. Thanks for the discussion!
Victim of a freak incident where I broke the upper humerus of my left shoulder sliding into 3rd headfirst and it took me out for the whole season. Accidents are going to happen and lots cannot be avoided. Will I slide headfirst into that base again, on that field? Probably not as the dirt ate me up. Will I slide in again elsewhere? If I have to, then yes.
Great video, as always.
there's a lot of demonization of head first sliding, and they certainly do expose players to a bit more risk, but they also work well - they're lower to the ground, easier to control (yanking a hand away from the tag, etc.) but fingers + cleats is a big problem. Thanks for the comment, that injury was probably awful
@@DanBlewett I saw a study that showed feet first sliding posed slightly more risk of injury than head first. Sprained ankle was, I think, the main culprit.
interesting - I hadnt heard that. Overall, slides slides, in my book - a fast-moving body going into a fixed object - jammed fingers and ankles seem to make sense given that context, but it also comes with practice - you dont see college or pro players getting injured from sliding very often for those reasons - its more the ball, a cleat or a fielder's body that hurts them
Thank you for this informative video. Thankfully, my kid wears a cup. One time when he was pitching the umpire made him take off his wrap-around sunglasses as being too distracting to the batter. Now I can't get him to wear sunglasses even in the OF and even though he we live in southern CA and he sometimes gets headaches playing in the afternoon sun. Are pitchers allowed to wear sunglasses? Are sunglasses a good idea?
good question. I agree with the umpire - sunglasses as a pitcher are not allowed - they would be sending shards of reflected light toward the hitter, a huge distraction. BUT - in the INF or OF? They're a necessity, pretty much. The sun can be brutal, and it's no excuse to lose a ball in the sun if you don't have sunnys on. Eye black would reduce the glare a bit under his cap.
I think another thing to add is that for a lot of these bits of kit, especially the visible stuff, the kids want to emulate their idols on the baseball field so may want to wear the flashy gear as well and the makers of this stuff are well aware of it. I played all of childhood with a club fiber glass helmet and no gloves until my teens. There weren't elbow pads, hip pads, ankle guards etc. If you took a hit where it really hurt you learned to adjust and mitigate that from happening in the future. Some kit can breed complacency if kids aren't taught the proper ways to play safer.
yep that's a good addition to this discussion - thank you!
Elbow guard is a mandatory if your son pitches and hits from different sides. My son throws/ pitches righty but hits lefty. This puts his throwing elbow out front. $40-60 to protect that elbow is well worth it. Kids have so little muscle on that area so any protection is key to staying healthy.
I mean I think that's fine but getting hit by a pitch just isn't that serious in 99% of instances. An elbow guard is not "the key to staying healthy." It's extra protection, but the game was played just fine without them for a century, and hit by pitches were not a big deal. Just keep the proper perspective. It's extra.
I should have clarified, we consider it mandatory for our son and his situation. Throws right, bats left and pitches at 12u majors. Protecting that front elbow is key for us. So many kids are throwing 70+ now trying to come inside that he gets hit more than enough to justify $60 for us. As always, different people require different things. If he was R/R or L/L it probably wouldn’t be such a big deal. Thanks for all you do to promote the game and get people thinking and talking. Keep it up!
I see what you're saying about the arm guards being a crutch, but I've seen kids be able to relax and play because of a $20 arm guard when they were just inconsolable and wanted to quit the game after a HBP. As adults we can be reasonable about it, but in the first couple years of kid pitch where there's a HBP an inning (or more), it's not developmentally where they're at. I'd rather those kids keep playing.
The question is, why put so much protection on them when maybe they're better suited for something like tennis? Are we bundling them in armor just to keep them in a sport that isn't right for them, longterm, anyhow? Most kids don't want to quit baseball after getting hit by a pitch. And maybe the ones that do, should be allowed to. Sampling what the sport is actually about - and letting them learn about their own tolerance for different types of risk - is what should be happening as kids try different sports. Every sport has different physical and mental demands, risks, etc. Just something to ponder and I wonder if sometimes we're ignoring the signs that are right in front of us.
Hey Dan, do you wear the Nutty Buddy 3 piece system that the manufacturer requires? I know my son had a huge issue with cups and cup shorts!
I do, and it really makes a huge difference. Putting your cup in the cup pouch of a pair of sliding shorts or a jock does NOT hold it in place well at all - it just bounces around and doesn't protect as well. You can use any pair of compression shorts as your base layer - I like their compression shorts a lot but I also have a million pairs of compression shorts
Thanks Dan. Now I won’t be able too see a kid with a sliding mitt without thinking about Dr.Zoidberg! 😂
Shin guard I'd recommend only if your guy is a hitter who chronically fouls balls off his leg
Elbow guard is fine. I think this is a confidence booster for smaller kids.
Jaw guard/C-Flap is also not invasive and a confidence booster
Oven mitts are a fashion trend like chains or flat brimmed hats. The lone use case exception is if you're coming off a hand injury and you are still tender.
Thumb guard is a must for me. As someone who caught in high school and got the dreaded thumb ligament sprain OVER and OVER and OVER again I can't recommend this enough. It has persisted my whole life and only seems to happen with catchers mitts. Any other glove and I am fine. In my late 40s a guy throwing 50 MPH can trigger it and all it takes is catching that 2-seamer ever so slightly wrong.
The evo shield thumb guard works for me. JUST BE VIGILANT ON CHECKING THE SIZE ON THE PACKAGE. The youth one is packaged the same as the adult one.
I'm a little wary of putting elbow guards on young kids because they may become dependent on it. If they're afraid of getting hit, they need to work through that somehow. thanks for the comment!
I think a lot of the bad wrap for injuries in youth baseball is they play in summer. It seems like every other team has a kid with a cast from being a kid. Not baseball. A kid on our team had a cast on each arm from a hoverboard.
the research shows that baseball is not a high injury rate sport, generally. Injuries to pitchers, longterm, are high, but as far as getting broken bones, hit with balls, stuff like that - the incidences of serious injury are pretty low. Throws from fielders that hit runners, and batted balls, seem to be the worst offenders.
In Little League cups are mandatory at the catcher position and also the throat guard. In our league we had all players wear faceguards on their helmets for 20 years and they hit the ball just fine. They changed it to only 9/10-year-olds and new players, which our league consists of 9 thru 12-year-olds. We had had probably 3 players in the last 3 years get hit in the face and its not a pretty sight. As a Coach i tell my parents about the heart guards which i recommend. If it would prevent a child from dying or going into cardiac arrest an save a life i am all for it. I understand their kids and we can only protect them so much. But 30 lives in a year is 30 to many if a heart guard would save them. As far as the sliding mitt in Little League there is no headfirst sliding permitted only if you're going back into the bag so i feel it is more for show. I tell my players The safer you feel the more comfortable you'll be on the playing field.
Nutty Buddy and helmet is all you need
Why don't pro pitchers wear a face protection?
The danger seem to me maximum on the mount, no?
Like terrifying images of yoshinobu yamamoto in on of his last mlb game
its super rare. I got hit by only 3 line drives in 22 years of pitching. And none in the head. Some risks you have to just accept, or at least choose to and are comfortable with it.
My boys don't want to stop wearing their face masks. The older one doesn't like the C. Him and his brother 11/10u are the only two that wear it. However they are among the top 5 hitters for their age in contact and power. So I'm torn if I even care to change it.
Chest protectors are a great buy for youth
it's their body. I think they'll probably start to feel increasing pressure to not use face masks, but even though I dont think theyre necessary, if I was in your shoes I'd probably let them make the decision. Usually it seems that parents are pushing for these more extreme safety measures, against the players' wishes - but not in your case. Leave it up to them - there's no downside, safety-wise and if they're happy, let them be happy.
@@DanBlewett I agree. It's just the opposite of their buddies who don't even want to wear helmets.
It's really silly and unfortunate that they would feel pressured to stop using facemasks, and I don't see any reason why you as a parent should get them to stop. Even if they were poor hitters, what's the point in getting them to be less safe against their preferences?
I've enjoyed your other videos, but this one really misses the mark for me. This dismisses the dangers of baseball and the likelihood of certain injuries without citing any data or studies. In fact, baseball is one of the most dangerous sports, particularly for young boys, as is supported by data about the rates of injury in sports.
The part about facemasks on helmet particularly bothers me. Facial injuries are especially common in baseball and have the potential to be severe and expensive. Facemasks could drastically reduce those injuries by simply attaching to a piece of equipment players are already required to wear. But they're not common, and never used by major leaguers on TV, so we have a chicken and egg problem where nobody wants to stand out by using one.
I was hoping this video would talk about the rate of facial injuries in baseball and point out that facemasks, while uncommon, can reduce that risk substantially. Instead it just seems to perpetuate the false notion that baseball isn't dangerous and misinforms parents about the risks.
Here are two research studies that back up my experience and observation: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8784371/ and pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15262641/ You're entitled to your opinion, but the research doesn't agree. The research matches what I've observed in 30 years in baseball. Facial injuries in baseball are rare, and the majority of them happen to defensive players (bad hops and throws) NOT hitters. Not my opinion - please read both studies above.
The sliding mitt is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. Thats what you should have said.
lol. I mean, I don't disagree but also, fingers + metal cleats = pain
i can never get over how goofy those oven mitts look