I’m shopping  for some new youth catchers gear, but I can’t help but think that this new catchers equipment is way ahead of some of the kids wearing it . I also worry about the coaches  who think some of this gear is a good idea .

In leagues across America  Some parents are in tune and know that every kid is different, but here’s an idea of today’s kids. Some play this game to have a good time . Some are gifted young men and women  at an early age and others are bullied  to make the team and to excel for the parents.

That being said, I’ve never had a team without some interference from mom and dad and a lot of those problems seem to be with parents of catchers . Not sure why exactly , but I do have my suspicions . For this reason alone, catchers take up a lot of my time and since their position is so dangerous, I spend the majority of my shopping for baseball equipment  on the catchers gear.

I’m coaching my umpteenth  youth baseball team and each year, I am introduced to more expensive and more advanced catchers gear. Expensive might be a key word , but safety is another concern we all share. With pitchers now being raised on exotic vitamins and blessed with baseball qualities  they seem to be throwing harder at an early age. Catchers don’t appear to be keeping up with those exotic supplements the pitchers get and as I stated , I’m always looking out for the kid who wants to be a catcher anyway. I just know they are going to demand a lot of attention. Knowing this and having the ability to understand catchers is the part of baseball that makes it more than a game.

Youth catchers gear has sure come a long ways in a short time  . As a youth sports  coach, my gear   is the largest outlay my team has . Maybe I’m a stickler , but  I don’t want any of my kids to get hurt. So, I’m prudent when it comes to choosing  .

I fit the catchers helmet and look for a catchers mask that is properly fitted to my kids build . This year we are trying to buy the real hockey style helmet and given the drive for raising money we should be able to get one . The problem is that each catcher is built differently. I have had to take chest protectors to have padding cut out or rearranged . I have had pads inserted and sewn in places not normally seen, but I don’t want my kids getting hurt . During the time I am fitting the catchers, I am naturally spending a lot of time getting to know them.

We chat, they are usually timid at first and as we progress they start to speak their mind  . I squeeze on the mask, tighten the shin guards and they may even think twice about their decision to play the position  , finally emerging like a baseball catcher should  . I explain about keeping the shinguards in the right position. They want to protect the legs as much as possible . The kids always listen and I feel good about spending so much time teaching and prepping them-hoping they don’t get hurt.

Catchers are a strange group . It might be the gear . All those pads and the mask. I’ve had kids try out for the catcher position simply because they wanted to spend the entire practice  behind the catchers mask. Behind it, they seem alive. You could almost feel this energy  from behind the plate, but once out from behind the catchers gear, they turned sullen . Quiet. I’d suspect fearful , but perhaps vulnerable would describe some youth catchers.

One of my more troubled  players was like this. He was awkward off the field and even before he put on the gear I wasn’t sure he could play . Once behind the chest protector or even with shin guards and a catchers mask on, he was strangely alert . I’d watch him launch from a crouch as he fired strikes  to second base. He would throw behind a runner at first, even when I instructed him not to. He was daring and he was competitive .

Off the field he was shunned . Few friends, a capable student but in a complex world , he couldn’t mesh . I tried to open dialogue with his parents, but they refused to believe their son was anything but great . To them, their son was a superstar, a fearless competitor who would surely earn a scholarship in Division 1 baseball. Perhaps they are right. He may advance , but I can’t help worry about him and his gear. The same baseball catchers gear he loved to hide behind.

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