Metal Cleats in Softball

[BaldNBeautiful]

Just a few of my opinions (since I do not have any statistical evidence to back it up or spin it):

Just because an injury happened while a girl was wearing metal cleats does not mean the cleats are to blame. There are many other factors to consider such as field conditions, physical exhaustion or mental awareness at the time, over agressiveness, bad form when sliding, etc.

 

Most outfielders believe that metal gives them better traction, and less chance of getting hurt because of slipping. Metal would in this case be a positive.

 

Newer composite bats probably pose more of a threat to a pitcher's health than metal cleats do, yet I hear practically no call for banning them. Yes, I know that some are legislated out, and there is a testing procedure designed to regulate them. Yet none of us (myself included) really want to ban or limit them.

 

The game and the equipment used in it are going to change.

Edited January 10, 2013 by BaldNBeautiful

[JC#1fan]

Brother - you can end your career getting out of your car to walk in the house. My point exposed the myth you seem to want to propagate. Life changing?? RE diculous... hahahaha

Yeah, but you wouldnt get out of your car wearing stilts everyday now would you. Rediculous? tell that to the 17 year old kid who lost her ability to attend college because her family without that scholarship money couldnt afford to send her. i will not use names but saw this situation happen. Bak

ldnbeautiful I completely agree about the bats, but more important may be the balls. 47 core and 525 lb compression. Fastpitch is the only roundball sport with this distinction. Adult ASA mens slowpitch has changed to a 300 lb compression ball due to injury rate. The injuries Ihave mentioned were not due to conditions they were due to grip. I have seen two career ending injuries, one where the athlete planted in a run down the excessive grip of the metal cleat allowed NO traction loss and snapped her knee completely the other a slide at third base where the cleat hung and snapped both bones at the ankle. Note that these are minors and we as the adults/parents should be protecting them from potential injury where possible. Athletics are always going to include injury, that is unavoidable. I am just saying why expose them to the extra risk at that age. Is that extra tenth off the time around the basepath worth it? Any kid/athlete would say yes because they want to be the best, compete at the highest level. thats why we are the adults, not to decrease they're competitiveness but their longevity in the sport they love. Hind site is 20/20. When the aches and pains of competition creep up on you as an adult should it be because every ligament in your knee is missing from a high school softball game? I love this sport but more importantly the young ladies that I have had the good fortune to coach over the last 20 some odd years.

Edited January 22, 2013 by JC#1fan

[JC#1fan]

Yeah, but you wouldnt get out of your car wearing stilts everyday now would you. Rediculous? tell that to the 17 year old kid who lost her ability to attend college because her family without that scholarship money couldnt afford to send her. i will not use names but saw this situation happen. Bak

ldnbeautiful I completely agree about the bats, but more important may be the balls. 47 core and 525 lb compression. Fastpitch is the only roundball sport with this distinction. Adult ASA mens slowpitch has changed to a 300 lb compression ball due to injury rate. The injuries Ihave mentioned were not due to conditions they were due to grip. I have seen two career ending injuries, one where the athlete planted in a run down the excessive grip of the metal cleat allowed NO traction loss and snapped her knee completely the other a slide at third base where the cleat hung and snapped both bones at the ankle. Note that these are minors and we as the adults/parents should be protecting them from potential injury where possible. Athletics are always going to include injury, that is unavoidable. I am just saying why expose them to the extra risk at that age. Is that extra tenth off the time around the basepath worth it? Any kid/athlete would say yes because they want to be the best, compete at the highest level. thats why we are the adults, not to decrease they're competitiveness but their longevity in the sport they love. Hind site is 20/20. When the aches and pains of competition creep up on you as an adult should it be because every ligament in your knee is missing from a high school softball game? I love this sport but more importantly the young ladies that I have had the good fortune to coach over the last 20 some odd years. Catsbakr, have read and been very respectful of your knowledge of the game over the years, but I dont think the instruction is how to wear a pair of shoes. It is however how to properly perform in them. A girl that has worn rubber/plastic cleats until she is in high school, as is required in all sanctioning bodies until high school age, has performed with those cleats for probably 6 years. By that tiime she is used to going into the bag hard 'cleats down' into the bag, you simply cannot slide that way in metal. This a potential risk, not every kid gets injured, I pray not one you know. My point has been and only question is. Is the slight performance gain worth the extra injury 'severity' to high school level athletes?

[catsbackr]

OK, I'll give you props for being such a devoted softball fan. However, I do still find it strange that shoe performance is a consideration. They're shoes! Boys go from plastic to steel too, with no where near the consternation, but like I said before, take steel out of softball and be done with it.

[MCSB17]

I'm a little biased. I was a catcher and my daughter is a catcher now. I never had any issues but she has had more than her share of plays where the metal cleats impact her thighs and arms. Probably a lack of sliding technique. I do know Shelbyville lost there starting catcher last year sliding with metal cleats. She tore the ligaments in her ankle. I believe it was her senior year. I would like to see them gone. I can see the point with outfielders, but I think they just like the way they sound.