About Youth Catcher's Equipment
- The face mask was invented in the late 1800s.catcher's mask on home plate. image by pixelcarpenter from Fotolia.com
Most catcher's masks today are a one-piece helmet and face guard combination. Made from a high-impact plastic that fits over a player's head, the helmet can be easily removed by grabbing the bottom of the mask area and flipping the helmet off. High-end catcher's masks can cost between $70 and $120, but they are lightweight, balanced and will last a long time. The helmet design will fully protect the player's head and the face mask will go low enough to protect the vulnerable neck area.
The lower-end variety of catcher's mask has not evolved much over the past century. It has a strap that fits over a player's head (usually the player wears a ball cap or batting helmet to provide extra protection), but this basic mask may be loose-fitting. The older style masks are front-heavy and they tend to slide around over a catcher's face, causing visibility problems. They are less expensive, however, and can be purchased for around $20 to $30. - If you prefer the older style of mask, you will want to add an accessory called a throat protector. It is a high-impact piece of plastic that is fastened onto the bottom of the face mask and will extend to a 6-inch drop to protect a player's throat. This accessory was invented and popularized in the mid 1970s, when a Major League catcher named Steve Yeager of the Los Angeles Dodgers incurred an injury from a piece of broken bat to the throat. A throat protector costs around $4 to $6.
- An older style of catcher's mitt.old catchers mitt image by Gale Distler from Fotolia.com
The catcher's mitt is a round, unibody piece with a large pocket area and double-stitched webbing between the thumb and the index finger. It's unique design has a thick-walled padding around the circumference of the entire mitt so that the catcher can secure the baseball without any chance of the ball popping out. The price range for a catcher's mitt can range from $40 to $260. Higher-priced mitts are usually bigger in diameter and used for specialty purposes such a catching a pitcher who throws a knuckle ball or a pitcher who is known be a bit on the wild side. - The chest protector is a one-piece pad that protects a player's lower neck and drops down to the groin area. It is made of flexible cloth with thick padding to absorb the impact of a baseball. The protector fastens around the back and neck of the catcher with either interlocking hooks or Velcro. Chest protectors generally are priced from $15 to $30.
- The shins are the most likely area for a catcher to be struck. Today's shin guards offer protection that covers the lower thigh and runs all the way down to a catcher's foot. Shin guards are made of high-impact plastic and easy-flex reinforced joints. They secure behind the catcher's leg with adjustable Velcro for a proper fit. Shin guard protection can cost in the range of $20 to $100.
- The catcher's cup is a hard plastic piece that is worn within the confines of a jock strap with an open pocket that snaps closed to maintain the cup in a secure place. The design of the cup will allow the player comfortable mobility while protecting the groin area. The cup/jock strap combination is relatively inexpensive and can be found for $6 to $25.
