Catcher’s Thumb Consistently Hurting

[Gags]

If you search the site for "thumb guard", you'll find many of the same posters with the same responses. b/c this is an area that can end a catcher's career before it's even started. Thumb injuries tend to be recurring. While somewhat rarer in SB than BB, it's still a concern, and once you've "jammed a thumb", it something that could linger for years and become very susceptible to repeat injuries.

So in a (rather large) nutshell - here's my recommendations (in no particular order, other than #1):
1. Do something about it NOW. Go buy a new glove, or get a guard. But don't put off protecting her thumb. Order something or go buy it tonight, so she'll have it for this weekends games.
2. Evo-Shield thumb guard - Great product. I've used it myself - it's been a lifesaver for me when the rare times I get to play old-man baseball. This will sound ridiculous, but I'd rather go w/o a cup behind the plate than without a thumb guard. However, I don't use it anymore, b/c I've upgraded to...
3. Amazon product ASIN B06XKP79YB - This does the same thing, but with the added benefit of being able to lace it into the glove, so there's no chance of it getting lost.
4a. Glove upgrade - For BB, I switched from a low-end Mizuno to a high-end Vinci in order to get extra thumb protection. However, the new glove didn't take the thumb guard very well (better leather, handstall wasn't as stretched out as with the floppy Mizuno), so that's why I switched to #3 (Endoskel). 0 injuries over ~30-50 games b/w both them.
4b. For SB - I've partially jammed my thumb maybe once in 4(?) years while using a Liberty Advanced catchers mitt. Look for single-hinged (vs. dual-hinged), for the most thumb protection. I think the top of the line All-Star mitt is still selling for $149. I got one for my daughter specifically for the protection. IMO, quality is superior to my LA, as well as a few other similar or higher-priced gloves.

I should clarify - if the thumb pain is just from speed (it stings, she's catching it in the palm kind of feeling), go with a batting glove, padded batting glove, or 4b. If her thumb HURTS, from jamming / hyper-extending it, that's a more serious issue - see #1, and go from there.

 

[Fury_Mike]

May sound like a dumb question, but is she using a SB or BB catchers mit? BB catcher mits have a larger edge padding, and the force from a larger SB hits the larger edge, which directly drives back the thumb.

Technique - a poster stated thumb up. To further expand, the thumb is up on an inside pitch and down on an outside pitch. I often see catchers that are framing using BB techniques (thumb rolls under the ball) which really expose it to trauma. Also, when receiving the ball, the glove hand needs to be soft and absorb the pitch. You can stick it and absorb it at the same time.

 

[Mike Mac]

I second evo shield thumb guard. Read the directions when you get it, you only have one chance to shape it to her thumb.

 

[Youngabunga]

Hello everyone. When our 11 year old catcher catches our fastest pitcher her thumb takes a beating. Is there a piece of gear she can get or a particular mitt that might be helpful. Thank you.

Catcher's thumb is the worst! Sorry your kid is going through that. I have it as well from being a bucket dad. It hurts like heck. One of my catchers also had a tough time with that.

The goal is to keep the thumb from bending backwards. Two suggestions:

1. Get a new mitt with stiffer padding on the thumbs. Baseball mitts tend to work better than softball for some reason.

2. Craft a thumb guard.
I tried a few products. None of them worked. I would advise to you stay away from Evoguard. It's bulky so I'm pretty sure it will not fit into your kids catcher's mitt. It barely fit into my adult mitt and it was not comfortable.

I ended up DIY-ing it... It worked like a charm. Saved my thumb and my catcher loves it. Here is the video.

Thumb this helps.

 

[#10]

A stiffer mitt isn't necessarily going to help, sizing may play a part. My daughter is a senior in college, and she recently developed a thumb issue after switching to exclusively using a team issue 34" Wilson A2000, which is a super stiff mitt. When shopping mitts in high school, she felt the 34" Mizuno caused stress on her hand by spreading it out too far.

She's been catching since she was eight, and has never had a thumb problem when using a 33" Wilson A1000, All Star (best mitt ever) and team issued 33" Louisville mitt. Just food for thought, YMMV.

 

[Gags]

A stiffer mitt isn't necessarily going to help, sizing may play a part. My daughter is a senior in college, and she recently developed a thumb issue after switching to exclusively using a team issue 34" Wilson A2000, which is a super stiff mitt. When shopping mitts in high school, she felt the 34" Mizuno caused stress on her hand by spreading it out too far.

She's been catching since she was eight, and has never had a thumb problem when using a 33" Wilson A1000, All Star (best mitt ever) and team issued 33" Louisville mitt. Just food for thought, YMMV.

The hinge points may be an issue here - the All-Star is a single-hinge, which offers increased thumb protection over a dual-hinge. The Mizuno may have been a dual-hinge, which is why she was feeling it differently on her hand than the All-Star. The Wilson A1000 may also be dual-hinge - the heel seems fairly wide in the pics I'm looking at.

See also: https://www.discussfastpitch.com/th...-hinged-vs-single-hinged-catchers-mitt.32500/

 

[radness]

Never had thumb issues, and caught with a Fielder's glove.

imo technique is critically important!


From observation doing decades of extensive glove work with catchers utilizing their catching gloves,
would comment that some catching gloves do not have a large enough pocket
(or correctly formed pocket)
*because there's too much bulky/ bulbous padding and the ball tends to hit the bulky padding before it gets to the pocket.

Also can add to the weight of the glove which can hinder learning to use the glove quickly and effectively.

* Not saying don't use a glove that has padding.
Rather pay attention to technique and glove configuration.

 

[erniekru]

Ha, might get flamed a bit, but when DD was younger and started to get a sore thumb from velo, I used these.. If you catch the ball in the right spot, it doesn't matter thumb up, thumb down, etc.. you won't get any pain. It is a lot harder than it seems.

Once it is sore, buy a thumb guard and try to let it heal.. It is something that can linger for a long time. It was frustrating for sure.