Catcher's removing her helmet- driving me crazy!

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radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
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I know what it is like to catch with a mask that can get in the way.
That said
A properly fitted helmet and mask in today's comfort and Technology wraps around the head in such a way it is made to stay in place.

Any coach that is saying rip the mask and helmet off should put one on their head and demonstrate it.
They will learn a lesson.

That a properly fitted helmet and mask and today is Comfort Inn technology wraps around the head in such a way it is made to stay in place.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Will add
there are a heck of a lot of coaches/people
Who try to tell catchers what to do about their mask and helmet.
Who have never played the position.
Have no idea what it's like to have a mask on their face, let alone a helmet attached to a mask, nor have to try and track a ball in play that needs to be attacked coming from a crouched position behind a batter who just swung a bat.

* in the kindest way this disclaimer
Before anyone wants to chime in at me for commenting on a coach or a person who has never done something telling somebody else what to do. If you haven't done what I've described...
Then please, you need to try it first before you speak up! Because yes wearing a helmet and a mask during defensive plays can be very cumbersome, heat exhausting and Visually impairing. Is not to say catchers shouldn't wear a helmet and mask all the time it is to say that the catcher might know best how to deal with the situation.
 
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radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Heres a helmet off play.


This catcher does not always take her helmet off but when I see her track this pop-fly there is a reason she took it off.
Going to say this
if we can't see the ball,
probably can't track it
and probably won't catch it.
 
Jan 22, 2011
1,610
113
When I have time I want to review the video to see over the course of the game how much possible playing time was missed due to the catcher having to fix her hair and put her helmet back on.
 

GIMNEPIWO

GIMNEPIWO
Dec 9, 2017
171
43
VA
Helmets should fit well (tight). They sell kits to add a little more padding and make them tighter. Another pet peeve: Baserunner grabbing facemask to steady her helmet as she rounds the bases. Unacceptable! Wouldn't she be a little faster if her arms were free and not wasting time to grab her facemask.
Amazon product ASIN B00DGFBIEI
Worse than that ... Gal on my HS team, good stick but; her parents would not buy her a sports bra (or shoe laces - another story) ... Every time she rounded a base she had to hold onto herself with both arms folded across her chest.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
When I have time I want to review the video to see over the course of the game how much possible playing time was missed due to the catcher having to fix her hair and put her helmet back on.
🏆That is a discussion topic of itself.

Wasted time on the field.
Please start a post DFP can calculate all the places wasted time on the field occurs!
**Wasted time during a game not just on the field.
Cuz wow lots of wasted time in between innings!

@Rolling Hard and I were discussing the cost of Friendly's and how short the games are, think cost of friendlies and time comes to a dollar a minute maybe a little more.
 
Jan 22, 2011
1,610
113
Rad-

No rule is absolute. I'll have to look for the posts, but @Eric F I believe said his DD almost never, if at all, takes her helmet off, and I've seen her catch live in 8-10 games, and will see another at 8AM on Saturday morning.

That being said, as I've noted before, some of the best coaches my DD has had were catchers. One of the worst coaches my DD had was a college pitcher. One of her favorites was a college baseball pitcher, but she admits he has his quirks. The person I have learned the most about life, and softball, from was on an armed forces traveling fastpitch team as a catcher during the '70s. People who were catchers or have studied how to play the position a lot, tend to be very good coaches.

As I've said before, I don't think you could go wrong having your DD only try out for teams coached by catchers.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Worse than that ... Gal on my HS team, good stick but; her parents would not buy her a sports bra (or shoe laces - another story) ... Every time she rounded a base she had to hold onto herself with both arms folded across her chest.
😁 I have a bra story, actually two

Before sports bras, wore Cross Your Heart bra just as it describes has a strong Cross of stitching in front of the breastplate. One of our outfielders at practice through bouncing throw to the plate, I was not wearing my chest protector. it bounced short and came up and hit me right in the Cross Your Heart section of my bra. I picked up the ball. And the coach asked Turbo are you okay? I said yeah coach it hit my bra.😄


Another bra story this was playing women's ball, one of the players on the team was wearing an underwire bra while we are playing softball. (Can you imagine a purpose for that LOL.)
Apparently one of the underwire Popped out of the threading and was poking out her shirt. we all had to stand around her and make a little closet for her to go in and fix her bra. of which there was no fix so she ended up removing the one underwire which created well LOL a lopsided situation...
 
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radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Rad-

No rule is absolute. I'll have to look for the posts, but @Eric F I believe said his DD almost never, if at all, takes her helmet off, and I've seen her catch live in 8-10 games, and will see another at 8AM on Saturday morning.

That being said, as I've noted before, some of the best coaches my DD has had were catchers. One of the worst coaches my DD had was a college pitcher. One of her favorites was a college baseball pitcher, but she admits he has his quirks. The person I have learned the most about life, and softball, from was an on armed forces traveling fastpitch team as a catcher during the '70s. People who were catchers or have studied how to play the position a lot, tend to be very good coaches.

As I've said before, I don't think you could go wrong having your DD only try out for teams coached by catchers.
I like your comments and appreciate your detail. it's good to bring conversations to topics like this!

Okay. Hopefully you read and can acknowledge my comments about catchers individual preference. Not to be snarky LOL. Have also said that helmets are made to be fitted and I have commented about trying to take them off can be a terrible problem.
Certainly I have covered perspectives that ran the gamut on this topic. There is not one perfect helmet and mask combination for everybody because everybody has individual preferences. I've also commented that maybe there should be a rule that nobody can take off any safety equipment that would even mean sliding handguards like you see UCLA using.

I have advocated in this thread that people want to be concerned with the catcher safety. Why shouldn't everybody have to be safe? That is the point if you want catchers to have to be safe shouldn't you want everybody to have to be safe. Why exception of the catcher. Everybody deserves equal safety. But at this point it is personal preference.

Btw my flying helmet could have easily injured anybody I threw it at! Wearing it would have kept other people safer! Except for I knew where I was throwing it.
 
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Jan 22, 2011
1,610
113
I like your comments and appreciate your detail. it's good to bring conversations to topics like this!

Okay. Hopefully you read and can acknowledge my comments about catchers individual preference. Not to be snarky LOL. Have also said that helmets are made to be fitted and I have commented about trying to take them off can be a terrible problem.
My post was me acknowledging your comments about catcher's individual preferences. :)

I just hope the catchers who remove their helmets are removing them because it is their preference, not something old school baseball dads forced them to do until it became habit. Which with the catcher from the OP taking her helmet off every time the ball was hit (fair or foul) in the first two innings, leads me to suspect.

My DD never takes her helmet off while the ball is in play. That is her preference.
 

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