Metal Cleats in High School

[muffin]

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" />

Great post,if a parent does not want to work with their kids,let them stay home and learn how to sew.

This is starting to get kind of funny actually.TEACH THE GIRLS HOW TO SLIDE! Pretty simple.

Amen.

[muffin]

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

 

Have not got a daughter,but have got a son who has wore metal cleats for 6 years and not near the problems as with plastic,not being insensitve,your just like 98% of the parents,get off your lame butt and work with them.

[Best]

Have not got a daughter,but have got a son who has wore metal cleats for 6 years and not near the problems as with plastic,not being insensitve,your just like 98% of the parents,get off your lame butt and work with them.

 

If you are taught to play wearing metal from a early age there is NO huge transition problem. You are taught the fundamentals while wearing metal. The problem is not knowing there is a transition problem until it is too late.

[catsbackr]

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.

 

First of all, from what I understand, Cat is one heck of a softball player. Period.

 

Next, I bet if you ask her, when she got hurt, she didn't slide correctly or something. I truly bet that is the case.

 

The shoes had NOTHING to do with her injury I would wager. When athletes perform a skill like sliding, badly, they get hurt. Ask some of the men that played baseball. No one taught us how to slide, we learned over time. Perhaps the girls haven't had the time yet to learn.

[ksgovols]

It's gotta be the shoes catsbackr.......

 

This is such a non issue. I'm guessing 100% of the anti steel folks never played the game in metal or don't have a son who played.

[catsbackr]

Agreed.

 

I think this horse is dead, time to find another one!

[trojan35]

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

 

With metal cleats!!!!!!!!

[muffin]

It's gotta be the shoes catsbackr.......

 

This is such a non issue. I'm guessing 100% of the anti steel folks never played the game in metal or don't have a son who played.

 

Great post vols.

[hglifer]

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.

 

 

Thank you so much! i am printing your reply. I bought my daughter metal for pitching based on same reason. Before she has broken them in enough to wear, all these injuries and questions come up. I told her to wear them on defense and change on offense. She thought i was insane. Now I can show her it is not just me that thinks this way!

[Best]

Thank you so much! i am printing your reply. I bought my daughter metal for pitching based on same reason. Before she has broken them in enough to wear, all these injuries and questions come up. I told her to wear them on defense and change on offense. She thought i was insane. Now I can show her it is not just me that thinks this way!

 

Good for for pushing the issue! Dont worry about your daughter feeling that you are INSANE. ALL teenage daughters think their parents are totally insane! /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

[tide84]

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'.

 

 

I looked at all of the teams in my daughters Region and using a simple calculation of 15 players per team and doubling all of the players that I know who are capable, looking to or wanting to play college level softball and the number represents less than 5% of the players in the Region. With that said where has the obsession with making the high school game the same as the college game? Why can the game not be for the enjoyment and a more well rounded high school experience for the players? The VAST majority of the players in any state will end their careers at the high school level and will enjoy the memories! Stop the pandering to try to get signed by showing the college coaches what the players can do at the next level. Leave that to summer ball.

[catsbackr]

Thank you so much! i am printing your reply. I bought my daughter metal for pitching based on same reason. Before she has broken them in enough to wear, all these injuries and questions come up. I told her to wear them on defense and change on offense. She thought i was insane. Now I can show her it is not just me that thinks this way!

 

I agree with your daughter.