Metal Cleats in High School

[thatsafact]

Metal is the safest way to go.

 

Good, then let your daughter wear them. Insensitive slug.

[terri]

Good, then let your daughter wear them. Insensitive slug.

 

Metal is not the safe way to go. Girls in High School are not taught the proper way to slide like the girls in College are. To the girls in High School its just cool to have them on and thats what gets them hurt. Now because of this there is a girl thats not going to get to complete her senior season......

[softballjunk]

I had avoided this topic on here because I was hoping it would go away. First of all, why would you want your athlete to just show up on a collegiate field and start wearing metal. If you believe the risk is high then give them the opportunity for the minor injury while in high school to prevent it from hurting their collegiate career. Yes, I agree it takes some getting use to, as does many things. But, the teaching begins at home. We are a GOOGLE savy America, look up the proper techniques and correct sliding procedures to teach your kid the proper way to position their body and feet to reduce the risk of injury with metal. These high school coaches do good for the most part to know "some" of the rules of the game, dont leave your daughters safety up to them. You are the parent. You teach them how to stay safe in all other areas so why not on the softball field. Come on people, take charge, stop complaining. Make the choice you feel is right for your athlete and teach them the correct sliding form for your choice. /flower.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":flower:" border="0" alt="flower.gif" />

[terri]

I had avoided this topic on here because I was hoping it would go away. First of all, why would you want your athlete to just show up on a collegiate field and start wearing metal. If you believe the risk is high then give them the opportunity for the minor injury while in high school to prevent it from hurting their collegiate career. Yes, I agree it takes some getting use to, as does many things. But, the teaching begins at home. We are a GOOGLE savy America, look up the proper techniques and correct sliding procedures to teach your kid the proper way to position their body and feet to reduce the risk of injury with metal. These high school coaches do good for the most part to know "some" of the rules of the game, dont leave your daughters safety up to them. You are the parent. You teach them how to stay safe in all other areas so why not on the softball field. Come on people, take charge, stop complaining. Make the choice you feel is right for your athlete and teach them the correct sliding form for your choice. /flower.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":flower:" border="0" alt="flower.gif" />

 

Well said.

[catsbackr]

Good, then let your daughter wear them. Insensitive slug.

 

This is starting to get kind of funny actually.

 

TEACH THE GIRLS HOW TO SLIDE!

 

Pretty simple

.

[thatsafact]

I had avoided this topic on here because I was hoping it would go away. First of all, why would you want your athlete to just show up on a collegiate field and start wearing metal. If you believe the risk is high then give them the opportunity for the minor injury while in high school to prevent it from hurting their collegiate career. Yes, I agree it takes some getting use to, as does many things. But, the teaching begins at home. We are a GOOGLE savy America, look up the proper techniques and correct sliding procedures to teach your kid the proper way to position their body and feet to reduce the risk of injury with metal. These high school coaches do good for the most part to know "some" of the rules of the game, dont leave your daughters safety up to them. You are the parent. You teach them how to stay safe in all other areas so why not on the softball field. Come on people, take charge, stop complaining. Make the choice you feel is right for your athlete and teach them the correct sliding form for your choice. /flower.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":flower:" border="0" alt="flower.gif" />

 

So what makes you think a parent is going to know they NEED to get on line to find out how to do things differently when wearing plastic vs metal?????????????? I mean other than the obvious of how to tag a runner wearing spikes coming into a base how is one to know? How is a parent to know there is a safety issue if you say even the high school coaches dont know? From reading the posts on this board and how CAREFULLY the college coaches are to make the transition I now know. After what happened to that poor girl I now know. Thank god for this board and the information provided because I was clueless. Quite honestly if the coaches were aware and the people who passed the decision were aware of danger these articles from the college coaches concerning transistion SHOULD HAVE COME OUT FIRST! Not after kids are hurt.

[ksgovols]

When your kid turned 16 did you just toss her some car keys and turn her loose? When she started playing back in tee ball did you buy her a glove at Wal Mart the day before practice started and leave it up to the coach to teach her everything? When she wanted to learn how to pitch, did you just do the best that you could on your own or did you find somebody that knew what they were doing to teach her the proper mechanics of pitching?

 

Metal cleats aren't some new fangled invention that nobody knows anything about. They aren't dangerous. Improper technique is what's dangerous. Not knowing how to slide properly and how to cover a bag is what's getting girl's hurt. Lacing up a brand new pair of metal cleats the first day of practice is what's dangerous. When I bought my son his first pair at age 12, we went to the ball park and did some elementary drills. Walking around in the outfield grass to get used to the feel of them. Jogging around the bases, fielding a few balls at half speed, throwing off the mound, even walking to the rest room with them on. It's a 30 minute process a couple of times before practice starts.

 

This is getting funny. It's like those cleats are radioactive or something. Educate, teach and practice, practice, practice. I also can't imagine not researching anything new. I Googled the new batting helmet the team's buying to see how they were rated. I Googled 'pine tar rag' last month because I couldn't find one at Dick's. I thought everybody had pine tar! I researched the 6 cleat versus the 9 cleat last summer. /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" />

[Redhotz]

I agree enough is enough. It does not matter what you do in life there will be danger (riding a bike, motorcycle, driving a car, ect.) This is AMERICA you have choices if your afraid little DD going get hurt , then use your choices and wear plastic cleets or better yet dont let her play softball and find yourself another form to vent your frustration on and leave the real softball player along......My daughter is the only player on her high school team that wears metal cleets and I dont see all the other girls running away from her when she running the bases. Just stop complaining if you dont like the rules do some other sport............Please!!!!!!!!!

[Indian]

Get them some old videos of Pete Rose, head first.

[stlbrd]

I have been reading this topic for a few days now and thought I would put in my two cents. There are many good points posted, both pro and con. I have been coaching competetive travel ball for 8 years now and I really do not see any big difference in either cleat. I have played in both metal and plastic and the only time I felt the metal spikes were advantageous was on a wet field.

 

Having coached in well over 700 games, I honestly can not remember any of my players losing their footing rounding a base. So, I do not think the traction is any different (on a dry field). And yes, I have seen plastic cleats "hang" while sliding. I know a girl in Knoxville who tore her ACL sliding home when her "plastic" cleat hung on the plate.

 

There are pros and cons in everything, but I do not see any big difference in metal or plastic. They are not required so you can choose not to wear them.

 

As far as sliding goes, if you don't know how to slide properly, it does not make any difference what type cleat you are wearing, you can hurt yourself.

 

If we want to prepare our girls for collegiate play, we do not need to be worrying about the cleats........we need to be moving the pitching rubber to 43'.

[jtk]

Good, then let your daughter wear them. Insensitive slug.

 

 

Where is the love?????

[bluesfan]

This is starting to get kind of funny actually.

 

TEACH THE GIRLS HOW TO SLIDE!

 

Pretty simple

.

 

Well, let see, I'll just bet Cat and girls like her have been in lessons which includes sliding, baserunning, pitching and hitting since the ripe old age of 5. Kids and kids like her built Club k. She got hurt. I'll just bet it wasnt because she didnt know how to slide,but I'll just bet my life on the fact that nobody taught her what she had to do differently while wearing metal cleats. Is it the coaches fault? No, Most high school coaches , even the really good ones, probably didnt realize how important it is to cover all the bases concerning differences. Are metal cleats bad? No, but I do agree it is wrong just to throw them out there and let them figure things out by themselves.