Canham's mask

I'm sure I can find out. I didn't see what you meant, though. What exactly are you referring to?Where were they?

Seriously, my husband said "are there springs or something on Mitch's mask?". So we paused the t.v. (gotta love that DVR!), and sure enough, it looks like there are "shocks" at the top and sides of the mask where it connects to the helmet! Very weird. But when I think about it, I guess that would definitely make taking a foul off the face a lot easier.

On a personal level I do not like that mask, I prefer the Rawlings or AllStar mask, that one seemed to small or something

while on the topic of masks,which one do you think is better?Hockey style or the facemask/helmet combo

quote:

Originally posted by emeraldvlly:
The mask Mitch Canham is wearing in the CWS looks like it has some sort of shock absorbers on it. Anyone know anything about it? IS it some Wilson prototype?

These are the new Shock FX masks. They can be seen on the www.wilson.com website.

Went to the website. Wilson has the word "Catcher" misspelled on their website. Someone will be in big trouble when that gets spotted.

Give me old school mask and helmet. Good enough for Berra and Bench, good enough for me.

is it just me or does any one actually think those shock deals actually work that much

cneagles19,
I have a high school freshman, and he has always worn the hockey style. I have heard they are required in h.s. ball. Can you tell me any more about the research your coach has done?
Thanks

Here is a link to some of the research done on the hockey style mask compared to the traditional mask.

http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=552

I think another reason for the goalie-style masks is that they are easier to keep on for plays at the plate and such. Even in HS with the "Avoid Contact" rules, catchers are still vulnerable in the head region from both the ball and from a runner at times.

Yep cneagles, I agree with you. The Goalie-style is easier to keep on for that type of play.

I look forward to seeing more about this new mask and see what kinds of effects it has.

Thanks everyone, for your input. I will check out the research article.

The article concluded that the 2 piece was safer than the hockey mask for a foul tip type hit but then they said they used the professional model 2 piece but the little league model hockey mask. Pretty worthless test.

quote:

Originally posted by cneagles19:
Walawala:
Even though the test may have been done with a youth hockey style mask, I can personally attest to the results they achieved, and I used the professional model hockey mask.

Yea I had never really thought about this before but it does make sense that the 2 piece would be safer for foul tip type collisions. Not only does a catcher wear a skull cap that protects the front of the head but the mask has much more padding in that area than the hockey mask.

It is good that people are doing these test so that the manufacturers can continue to develop safer and better equipment.

quote:

Originally posted by ugcatcher2:
is it just me or does any one actually think those shock deals actually work that much

I have no idea but here is video from Wilson's site showing what it is supposed to do.

Click on the helmet once the helmet,chest protector and shinguards appear.

Shock FX video


Does anyone here own the Shock FX? If so, is it comfortable and is the padding soft?

I too would love to know what people who have direct experience with this mask think of it.

I have no experience with this mask, but I think it is a very good idea. Repetive blows to the head from foul tips has caused lots of concussion problems in catchers.

From what I know of physics, an oject that decellerates immediately exerts a force about 8 times as great as an object that decellerates over a span of 1/2 inch. So even if the shocks on the mask only give 1/16th or 1/8th inch when a ball hits square on the face mask, the reduction in the force of the impact is significant.

what if the foul tip hits directly above the cage? Seems like there is still a lot of flat surface on that part of the helmet which would transmit a lot of force directly to the forhead.

Im really starting to believe that the two piece might be the way to go.

Brian Schneider of the Mets uses that mask, but he uses Nike gear, so I think he chose to use that mask specifically, not just an endorsement...

My son wears the Wilson Shock FX and loves it. He says that the fit is great and the peripheral vision is the best out of all the masks that he has had. He's taken a couple of foul tips square in the cage of the mask and says that it does absorb the force much better than his All Star and Rawlings masks did.

CatcerzDad thanks for the imput. My boy has been a mask and skull cap guy but high school is next year and he needs to adjust to a hockey syle. I know he likes the padding to be realatively soft and I hope the Shock FX fits the bill.

No problem, bkekcs. I would imagine that a hockey style mask will take a little bit of getting used to, but I'm sure that he'll adapt just fine. Good Luck.

My son uses the new Wilson Shock mask this year during his High School season and loves it. He prefers it to any mask he has used before.

Thanks for the input everyone. My son has only used the All-Star and Easton masks, and I think I'm going to get him one of these masks to try. He's had a couple consussions over the years, only one from a foul tip, the other was in footballl, so this mask might be an even more important thing to him than some other catchers.

As far as the Wilson FX Shock is concerened,my son has used it since May of 08 and he loves it. Great vision and it does a great job with foul tips off the mask.He says he has not had his "bell rung" yet while wearing it and he has taken plenty of foul tips off of the mask in the last 5 months. Only problem started just this last weekend when he took a hard shot off of the mask and the springs went flying,I just called Wilson and I waiting for a reply.