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Metal Cleats in High School


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Here we are first of the season and already we have a tragic case of why metal cleats are not needed. Cat the young experianced pitcher has now ended her high school career , and we we are talking about technique? Come on this young lady is just the first of several serious injuries we will see due to metal cleats. Almost had another instance at Soddy when runner slid in at 3rd cleating 3rd baseman and hanging her cleat as well. Scary moment for both, fortunately both ended up returning later.

 

 

Let's go back to wood bats then. The rebound effect of aluminum bats at the high school pitching distances results in less reaction time to balls hit up the middle. MLB allows metal cleats but not metal bats. What does that tell you?

 

The positives out weigh the negatives where metal cleats are concerned. Being 'cleated' is typically an issue with technique. Hanging a spike can happen with rubber cleats as well, though I admit that metal spikes are more susceptible to hanging something. If they were a safety problem, the guys wouldn't be using them at all levels above 12 years old and the girls college game wouldn't promote them.

 

A popup slide is an easy technique to teach. Sweep tags might result in some missed tags, but umpires aren't going to call a missed tag if the ball beats the runner. You'd have to have instant replay to contest that call. Most spike injuries are caused by infielders being in the way or baserunners going in with high spikes. Teach tagging technique and give one warning and then an ejection for teams that slide with spikes high.

 

If I'm making rule changes to make the game safer, I'd either eliminate aluminum bats or move the bases and pitching rubber back 5 ft., I'd make head first slides illegal, make the use of double bags at first base mandatory and use break away bags at 2nd and 3rd.

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Here we are first of the season and already we have a tragic case of why metal cleats are not needed. Cat the young experianced pitcher has now ended her high school career , and we we are talking about technique? Come on this young lady is just the first of several serious injuries we will see due to metal cleats. Almost had another instance at Soddy when runner slid in at 3rd cleating 3rd baseman and hanging her cleat as well. Scary moment for both, fortunately both ended up returning later.

 

The metal cleats are here to stay. Our players will have a better chance not getting injured if we teach them the right way to tag a runner. I do not believe in blocking the base to begin with, collisions cause injuries.

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Let's go back to wood bats then. The rebound effect of aluminum bats at the high school pitching distances results in less reaction time to balls hit up the middle. MLB allows metal cleats but not metal bats. What does that tell you?

 

The positives out weigh the negatives where metal cleats are concerned. Being 'cleated' is typically an issue with technique. Hanging a spike can happen with rubber cleats as well, though I admit that metal spikes are more susceptible to hanging something. If they were a safety problem, the guys wouldn't be using them at all levels above 12 years old and the girls college game wouldn't promote them.

 

A popup slide is an easy technique to teach. Sweep tags might result in some missed tags, but umpires aren't going to call a missed tag if the ball beats the runner. You'd have to have instant replay to contest that call. Most spike injuries are caused by infielders being in the way or baserunners going in with high spikes. Teach tagging technique and give one warning and then an ejection for teams that slide with spikes high.

 

If I'm making rule changes to make the game safer, I'd either eliminate aluminum bats or move the bases and pitching rubber back 5 ft., I'd make head first slides illegal, make the use of double bags at first base mandatory and use break away bags at 2nd and 3rd.

 

 

Why make head first slides illegal? Someone break a neck? Ricky Henderson made a lot on money head first. I have notice TEAM USA has backed off head first slides. Don't make it illegal, just slide past and grab the base head first. You will have no cleating unless your feet come way over your head. /blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blush:" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />

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Why make head first slides illegal? Someone break a neck? Ricky Henderson made a lot on money head first. I have notice TEAM USA has backed off head first slides. Don't make it illegal, just slide past and grab the base head first. You will have no cleating unless your feet come way over your head. /blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blush:" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />

 

The problem is not the cleats themselves it is the lack of instruction on the coaches to transition the girls from molded plastic to metal! Click on the link below and read page after page after page of what great measures NFCA college coaches make with their freshman players BEFORE letting the girls strap on the metal.

 

http://www.nfhs.org/core/contentmanager/up...etal_cleats.pdf

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Let's go back to wood bats then. The rebound effect of aluminum bats at the high school pitching distances results in less reaction time to balls hit up the middle. MLB allows metal cleats but not metal bats. What does that tell you?

 

The positives out weigh the negatives where metal cleats are concerned. Being 'cleated' is typically an issue with technique. Hanging a spike can happen with rubber cleats as well, though I admit that metal spikes are more susceptible to hanging something. If they were a safety problem, the guys wouldn't be using them at all levels above 12 years old and the girls college game wouldn't promote them.

 

A popup slide is an easy technique to teach. Sweep tags might result in some missed tags, but umpires aren't going to call a missed tag if the ball beats the runner. You'd have to have instant replay to contest that call. Most spike injuries are caused by infielders being in the way or baserunners going in with high spikes. Teach tagging technique and give one warning and then an ejection for teams that slide with spikes high.

 

If I'm making rule changes to make the game safer, I'd either eliminate aluminum bats or move the bases and pitching rubber back 5 ft., I'd make head first slides illegal, make the use of double bags at first base mandatory and use break away bags at 2nd and 3rd.

 

Tell that load of horse hockey to the young lady who's high school career is ended. By the way her injury had nothing to do with "technique" or being cleated. I agree with some of your other "rule" changes(exspecially the double first base). Would definately make more sense than going to metal cleats. Oh! by the way there is nothing "positive" that can outweigh a injury like what was sustained by this young lady. And you have to slide with spikes up to keep from "hanging" them. Moving the mound back only creates more hit balls up the middle. I could go on and on , but that doesn't get to the point which is "Why is TSSAA so quick to amend things that are "less" safe for these kids(remember they are still kids), and so quick to amend things that are detrimental to their developement as players(ie the 50/50 rule)? Decision making in the TSSAA seems to against the overall good of our young athletes.

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Bottom line. if you don't like them don't wear them. No one forced this young player to wear them. I don't guess anyone was mad that she picked up a little more speed on her pitches because of the added push. Off the field these people are girls. On the field they are athletes, give them the respect they deserve. Bad things happen all the time. I hope she will be fine. But prove to me this would not have happened with rubber cleats on.

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I can't speak about softball pitching in metal cleats. That's a different technique than what baseball pitchers use, but for fielders and base runners, there's no comparison. The better traction should actually prevent ACL injuries which women are more susceptible to than men. I've watched hundreds of baseball games with all players wearing metal cleats. I can remember a handful of injuries in 30 something years. Most are from fielders blocking the base or runners taking out a fielder on double play balls.

 

I would bet that head first slides result in far more injuries than feet first ones. Broken or jammed fingers are the minor ones. Knocked out teeth on steals are the major ones. I'd rather have my head furthest from where the catcher is trying to throw the ball when I'm stealing a base. If I'm getting spiked, I'd rather it be on the tops of my feet and legs rather than my hands. More tissue and bigger bones to absorb the hit. It's a mixed bag. I got spiked sliding head first into home and the catcher stepped on my hand and I tore my ACL sliding feet first into a poorly embedded plate and hung a spike. I might have been injured with rubber cleats on that dug out batter's box and high plate. Broke my hand twice diving into bags head first. That's 3 to 1 for head first sliding injuries vs metal cleats.

 

Moving the pitcher back 5 feet will definitely result in more hits but there's also more reaction time. Think about it.

Double bags are already used in a lot of places. I don't see a negative to using them in high school softball though a catch and tag technique at first would prevent collisions if first basemen were taught the technique.

 

It's just change. I don't know a soul in my baseball circles where players have opted out of the metal cleats. The traction is so much better than rubber or plastic they wouldn't dream of playing in anything else. When my kid got his first pair I had him wear them around the yard for a few days and get used to the feel. They're better in wet grass and on field mix. You just have to have sound fundamentals in sliding and tagging to make them work.

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I can't speak about softball pitching in metal cleats. That's a different technique than what baseball pitchers use, but for fielders and base runners, there's no comparison. The better traction should actually prevent ACL injuries which women are more susceptible to than men. I've watched hundreds of baseball games with all players wearing metal cleats. I can remember a handful of injuries in 30 something years. Most are from fielders blocking the base or runners taking out a fielder on double play balls.

 

I would bet that head first slides result in far more injuries than feet first ones. Broken or jammed fingers are the minor ones. Knocked out teeth on steals are the major ones. I'd rather have my head furthest from where the catcher is trying to throw the ball when I'm stealing a base. If I'm getting spiked, I'd rather it be on the tops of my feet and legs rather than my hands. More tissue and bigger bones to absorb the hit. It's a mixed bag. I got spiked sliding head first into home and the catcher stepped on my hand and I tore my ACL sliding feet first into a poorly embedded plate and hung a spike. I might have been injured with rubber cleats on that dug out batter's box and high plate. Broke my hand twice diving into bags head first. That's 3 to 1 for head first sliding injuries vs metal cleats.

 

Moving the pitcher back 5 feet will definitely result in more hits but there's also more reaction time. Think about it.

Double bags are already used in a lot of places. I don't see a negative to using them in high school softball though a catch and tag technique at first would prevent collisions if first basemen were taught the technique.

 

It's just change. I don't know a soul in my baseball circles where players have opted out of the metal cleats. The traction is so much better than rubber or plastic they wouldn't dream of playing in anything else. When my kid got his first pair I had him wear them around the yard for a few days and get used to the feel. They're better in wet grass and on field mix. You just have to have sound fundamentals in sliding and tagging to make them work.

 

 

Sports bring injuries! Do you think Ralph and Karen are going to ban metal cleats at UT? The rule is in place to aid students-athletes as they go to college. Boys are stronger athletes therefore; they can wear metal cleats because of their body structure. I do not believe this is the reason accident happen. I am sorry you were hurt so many times playing baseball, but I played high level baseball into college and believed the game should be played like Pete Rose played and none of your problems every happen to me. I did break my hand in college diving for a fly ball in the outfield. Maybe we should do away with hustle and giving 100 plus percent. It is sports and injuries happen. /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" />

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Sports bring injuries! Do you think Ralph and Karen are going to ban metal cleats at UT? The rule is in place to aid students-athletes as they go to college. Boys are stronger athletes therefore; they can wear metal cleats because of their body structure. I do not believe this is the reason accident happen. I am sorry you were hurt so many times playing baseball, but I played high level baseball into college and believed the game should be played like Pete Rose played and none of your problems every happen to me. I did break my hand in college diving for a fly ball in the outfield. Maybe we should do away with hustle and giving 100 plus percent. It is sports and injuries happen. /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" />

 

Ralph and Karen coach adults who get to make decisions for themselves. This forum addresses the needs of children and their safety. I have coached upper level softball for 15 years and never seen an injury due to a player hanging a rubber cleat.

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