Metal Cleats in High School

[Antwan]

It might not be a big deal to you , but it probably is to the girl who broke her ankle.

 

 

I wasn't talking about that incident. I am saying that is the only serious injury I have ever seen due to steel cleats...and I have seen more than a couple of hundred games using them. That was a freak accident that was more due to the condition of the plate than steel cleats. Steel cleats are much better for pitchers in less than ideal conditions.

[ksgovols]

If metal cleats didn't improve performance, would the guys wear them? What about the college softball players? Also, if they didn't work in field mix, wouldn't those infielders wear something different than the outfielders? Infielders spend 90% of the game on dirt whether fielding, batting or running bases.

 

Truthfully, as a baseball parent I didn't know that softball players didn't wear metal spikes. Unless there was a problem from a pitching standpoint, the rest of the game is primarily the same as baseball. The baseball guys wear them because they perform better than plastic or rubber molded cleats. Heck, I wear an old pair when I'm mowing the yard because they provide better footing and aerate the lawn at the same time.

 

In playing in metal spikes for 6 years of baseball and another 4 years of men's slow pitch softball and watching my son's teams play in them for another 4 years so far, I've only seen a handful of spike related injuries. Personally, I got 'cleated' sliding head first and got my hand stepped on by the pitcher running to cover the plate and tore my ACL on a separate occasion when my cleats snagged home plate sliding feet first. That's more of a field maintenance issue these days and rubber cleats would snag one almost as easily. Typically injuries occur when sliding into bases or stepping on the first baseman's foot and the person injured is typically the fielder. I would think that with proper technique, most injuries could be avoided.

[wkc643]

Has anyone talked to the TSSAA office to see if they are going to approve metal cleats?

[JJI]

YES...METAL CLEATS ARE APPROVED.

[big_joe]

YES...METAL CLEATS ARE APPROVED.

 

 

 

From what I am hearing, the college coaches were the ones that were pushing for the high school teams to start using metal cleats. This gives the girls a chance to adjust before going to play college ball. I think that if you need to change something to help college kids adjust, move the pitching rubber back to 43 ft as it is in college game. That makes more sense than switching to metal cleats. As far as I know, metal cleats are still not going to be allowed in travel ball or rec leagues.

[ksgovols]

I think what happens at the high school level will trickle down to the travel and rec leagues as well but there's no rule against wearing rubber cleats if you want to. I just don't know why you'd want to. The high school girls are going to love the metal cleats now that they get the chance to wear them. The only down side I can see is finding women's metal cleats since they haven't been allowed until now.

 

I've never seen a group so against change. It took us 4 years in Little League to get everybody willing to use the hi vis green ball. It wasn't until they used them at the middle school and high school levels that all of the leagues in our area would acknowledge that they existed. Finally, the sporting goods folks carried the green ball and not the white ball and everybody had to adapt.

[softballscout]

I went ahead a bought a pair of metal cleats for my daughter who is a pitcher. both her pitching coach and soon to be college coach recommended metal due to the outstanding traction a pitcher will recieve when she pushes off. but until she gets used to sliding and running in them she will switch out shoes when she is batting. one thing to remember if you decide to go metal get them in the shoes early they are a different beast.

the availability of metal cleats are scarce in the womens world, but ringor has them and you can buy mens just go at least one size down.

[Antwan]

I went ahead a bought a pair of metal cleats for my daughter who is a pitcher. both her pitching coach and soon to be college coach recommended metal due to the outstanding traction a pitcher will recieve when she pushes off. but until she gets used to sliding and running in them she will switch out shoes when she is batting. one thing to remember if you decide to go metal get them in the shoes early they are a different beast.

the availability of metal cleats are scarce in the womens world, but ringor has them and you can buy mens just go at least one size down.

 

 

Like you said...they are great for pitchers. I don't think the adjustment is all that hard. You are right that some still will wear rubber cleats. Some still wear them in college. It's just what's more comfortable to you. Traction is like night and day. Most will love them. You are also right that ringor has them as do just about everyone else. You can bet they knew this was coming.

[softballgirl99]

I have heard that TSSAA is allowing the use of metal cleats in softball this year. Will this cause alot of unnecessary injuries? Does the good outweigh the bad? I believe there will be more injuries as the result of sliding into the bases and getting the cleats caught in the ground and injuring an ankle or knee outweigh the benefits of getting more traction. How do you feel?

 

I feel the same about the unneccesary injuries. Although our high school softball team is wearing them to, and i feel that it gives me better traction, as far as running the bases.

[mwtfan]

From what I am hearing, the college coaches were the ones that were pushing for the high school teams to start using metal cleats. This gives the girls a chance to adjust before going to play college ball. I think that if you need to change something to help college kids adjust, move the pitching rubber back to 43 ft as it is in college game. That makes more sense than switching to metal cleats. As far as I know, metal cleats are still not going to be allowed in travel ball or rec leagues.

 

 

I think the pitching distance for HS will change for 2009. This year will be the 2nd season of experimenting with that in the state of Florida.

[catsbackr]

I feel the same about the unneccesary injuries. Although our high school softball team is wearing them to, and i feel that it gives me better traction, as far as running the bases.

 

Come on guys, boys start wearing steel spikes as soon as they get to Middle School with very little or no adjustment or injuries. I think you're worrying way, way too much about this change.

[Redhotz]

I agree my daughter like her steel cleats and she is the only one on her high school team that wears them. I can already see a differents in her pitching, she likes to stride way out and her left foot will slid , but with the steel cleats she has not had this problem. the only other problem she some time gets her cleat stuck on the pitching rubber, and a little work to the mound will stop this. Jump back in time around 1970-72 i can remember when the aluminum bats came out and everyone was afraid somebody would get hurt with them, should we go back to wood bats?