WebBall.com - Safe Equipment Choices

Safe Equipment Choices

Richard Borkowski A sport and recreation safety consultant based in Narberth, PA, Richard P. Borkowski, Ed.D., CMAA, brings a practical perspective to safety in his multi-page article which includes not only the dangers but a how-to guide to on-field safety. Dick served as the Director of Physical Education and Athletics at the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania for 33 years, has been a sports coach, and the chairman of a national Safety & Risk Management Committee. He offers seminars, does evaluations and writes on the subject of sport safety. (Click to close.)

- Richard P. Borkowski

Part of a multi-part article on being safe at home, in the dugout, on the field, everywhere.

The helmet must fit.

The helmet should cover the side (ears and temples) and back of the head. Helmets must be worn on deck, on the bases and in the coaching boxes. All helmets must be NOCSAE approved. Catchers should wear a catcher's helmet plus all the usual equipment, including a protective cup and throat protector. Catchers must wear facemasks while warming up pitchers.

About11% of face injuries occurs while at bat and that 49% of face injuries occur to infielders.

Facemasks on youth helmets are another idea whose time has come. "Baseball seems to be the leading cause of sport related eye injuries in children and the highest incidence occurs in those 5 to 14 years of age," according to the Committee of Sports Medicine and Fitness report.

Breakaway Bases

Use the new breakaway or impact type bases. These flexible bases are excellent, but require additional time to secure and maintain. Players, especially defenders, must be made aware that these bases can move a considerable distance. Impact bases, on the other hand, 'give' but do not disengage. [editor's note: WebBall favors 'breakaway' style over 'impact' but either is much much safer than unyielding anchored bags.]

Consider using the flat rubberized physical education bases for early practice and sliding practices. [Ed. note: also handy for indoor practices.]

Another safety improvement is the double first base. Two regular sized bases are attached. One the color of white and at the normal place. The other one is orange and in foul territory. The runner goes to the orange base. The first baseman uses the white base. [ed note: standard in most softball leagues, seldom used in hardball.]

All home plates should be stationary and have tapered edges.

Use practice screens.

Batting practice pitchers should have an L-shaped screen. A screen should protect the shagger or ball collector. Some call it a 'beanscreen'. A screen should be available for the first baseman during any multiple drill.

Pitching machines

Machines are excellent devices for training and safety. Use a screen for the ball feeder. Use a coach to set up the machine, feed the balls and keep batters ready at all times.

I would also suggest using a soft-toss machine if you plan to use this eye coordination drill. Having one player toss or 'flip' the ball for the batter to smash against a net or fence is popular - it is also unsafe for the tosser. [ed. note: While WebBall has not seen injuries from soft-toss, we do recommend hitter stations with either air-propelled or tethered balls.]

Reduced exit-speed bats.

Aluminum bats can cause a ball to come off the bat 8-12% faster. Does this improve the game or enhance the chance of injury? [Ed. note: WebBall has always recommended wood bats but there are new metal bats that conform to -3 weight drop and reduced exit speeds - merely conforming to weight drop is not enough.]

Plus...

Use rubber molded baseball shoes. [ed. note: no metal cleats]
Don't forget to have baseball sunglasses available. [ed. note: These need to be impact resistant, preferrably with UV protection.]
Don't permit bats, balls and other equipment to become trip hazards. Pick them up.

Note: some items mentioned above are available through the WebBall Product Guide. Most others are available at a large sporting goods store near you.

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