Mask - no Mask?

I'm seeing it more and more often as well but not sure if it's a good thing. The hockey style mask is supposed to allow for better vision but I've never used one on a popup (yes I'm that old - I'm also pre-knee savers). I've used one to catch a bullpen before the knees went bad and loved it. I think it does allow for a better range of vision than the old two pieces but not sure if I'm ready to convert all the way to keeping the mask on for a popup. I still teach my guys to pull and throw.

I will agree that some of the hockey style masks have better vision than the traditional masks, but still, why leave it on for a pop fly? There is no doubt that taking it off provides even better vision than either mask. I can't think of one good reason to leave it on as opposed to taking it off.

I vote for taking it off every time.

I agree. There is simply no reason to leave it on for a pop up. It makes no sense to do it.

Something I saw one time that made me scratch my head was a catcher on a pop up leave the mask on and catch the ball with one hand. It was an easy one that went up the chute and then came down the chute. I was honestly speechless when I saw it. I have no idea if the kid was taught that way or just brain farted but I looked right at my catcher and told him if I saw him even consider doing that I would drop kick him.

The pull and throw has worked for years and will continue to work for many more years.

My league age 13 YO son, who has been playing catcher primarily for the past 2+ years, and taken a fair amount of catching lessons has been essentially taught to keep his hockey-style mask on pretty much all of the time, EXCEPT for relatively high pop-ups, which you can generally tell by the sound and initial read.

In All-Stars this past Summer, my son always kept his helment on, and the other catcher seemed to flip his off constantly, as in say 15-20 times a game vs 1-3 times for my son. Seems to be a different approach, yes, you can see better with the helmet off, but getting it off takes some small amount of time and, over time, can be hard on the helment itself. Just my 2 cents.

Might be wrong but I think one of the original ideas of the hockey type mask was that the catcher was able to keep it on for pop-ups because it had better vision than the traditional masks. It would save the catcher time and remove the 'stepping' on the thrown mask.
I hate them personally and would rather have the mask and bump hat.

I almost always kept my mask on. That included most pop ups. Why? Because I didn't know where anybody else was and if a ball is near the backstop, I was known to run into the backstop a time or two chasing after a fly ball. My thing has always been "if it's good enough to catch a pitcher throwing 80+, then it gives me good enough sight to keep on!

Exactly, keep the hockey-style mask on UNLESS it is obviously a high pop-up and for which there is clearly time to take off the helmet and run it down. My son can go an entire game without ever taking his helmet off during an inning.

I had this discussion with my father (CatchingCoach) years ago and I was insistant on taking it off. I told him that I had never seen an MLB catcher leave it on! He kept telling me "son, just go out and try it." I was a two-piece guy for my entire career and would never think of leaving the mask on, hockey-style or not.

One day we got into a heated discussion about this play and we agreed that I would go out to the field the next morning, and field a few pop-ups with the mask on. Before we could ever get to that experiment, I was watching a Phillies Vs. Cardinals game and proceeded to watch Carlos Ruiz and Yadier Molina both field two sky-high pop-ups with their masks on. My father just leaned over and grinned.

While we were at the field the next day he asked me "Jay, you love hockey, right? Well have you ever seen a shot from the blue line deflect straight up into the air? And did the goalie then feel the need to take his mask off?!?!" We laughed, but the point was made.

Guys, IMHO, you do NOT need to take it off. If you've never understood how this might be possible, head out to a field and have someone throw a bunch of balls into the air for you with your mask on. You WILL be able to track and follow the balls path and set yourself up to make a clean play.

But what is the reason to keep it on? Does it advantage you in any way? Is there some safety issue that is solved by keeping the mask on? I can't think of any.

The way I see it, keeping the mask on can only be a hindrance (as long as it is tossed away from the play when taken off) so I don't see any reason to keep it on.

so I guess the advice would be that its OK to leave the mask on if that's your preference, but you'd better know the skill of removing it in case your coach expects you to remove it.

Rob I agree and so does every college coach and hs coach I know. There is absolutely no advantage to leaving the mask on to catch a pop up. None. There is no possible obstruction in view without the mask on. There is possible obstruction of view with the mask on. Any style of mask. So why leave the mask on to catch a pop up? It makes no sense at all.

My son wears the hockey style mask and has never thought or been taught to leave it on for pop ups. I can't see any advantage to leaving it on.

Taking it off does cause some wear and tear, but how many pop ups do you see in a season? Seems to average less than one per game.

I don't doubt that you can see better with the hockey style versus the old style and that it would be easier to see a popup with hockey versus old style. I just don't see the point in keeping it on. I respect your guys point of view and if that's what you teach then I wish you and your players success. I just don't think I can teach that.

I'd like to defer to the "Million Dollar Theory"...If you had to catch one catcher pop fly for $1M would you leave your mask on or take it off? Catch it and you get one million dollars, drop it and you get nothing. I don't know about you, but I would take my mask off!

My older son's catcher was asked to pitch a couple of innings in a scrimmage. He was a Jr in HS at the time and hadnt pitched in a long time. The first high infield pop up, he takes his hat off, gives it a strange look, tosses 15 feet away from him and catches the ball. Both dugouts, the players on the field, and every fan just about died laughing. I'll never forget the look on his face when he saw his hat in his hand. Huh?? Priceless.

Just want to clarify. We don't teach the players to not take it off, we teach them the proper way to do both. We do allow for them to make the decision, however. There are some of our students who feel more comfortable leaving it on.

IMHO, there is no drawback to leaving it on and the time it takes you to find the ball is that much quicker. Not all pop-ups are moon balls, and there are times when leaving the mask on may get you a step or two closer to the ball before it hits the ground.

I agree with that CCJR. The little pop up that is right behind or to the side or maybe out in front where the catcher has no time to do anything but react and make a play. Its a bang bang kind of play. On the one's where there is plenty of time to find the ball, work behind it then learn to properly get rid of the mask.

quote:

Originally posted by danno:
My older son's catcher was asked to pitch a couple of innings in a scrimmage. He was a Jr in HS at the time and hadnt pitched in a long time. The first high infield pop up, he takes his hat off, gives it a strange look, tosses 15 feet away from him and catches the ball. Both dugouts, the players on the field, and every fan just about died laughing. I'll never forget the look on his face when he saw his hat in his hand. Huh?? Priceless.

BTW, this is awesome! Haha...Once a catcher, always a catcher!

quote:

Originally posted by Coach_May:
I agree with that CCJR. The little pop up that is right behind or to the side or maybe out in front where the catcher has no time to do anything but react and make a play. Its a bang bang kind of play. On the one's where there is plenty of time to find the ball, work behind it then learn to properly get rid of the mask.

Exactly...the last thing I want to do there is rip off my mask in a panic trying to get to the ball. You can see just fine in those situations with it on. My argument was never that you should always leave it on, it's that if you are forced to, you can absolutely see just fine with it on.

I would keep it on for a million dollars since it slows me down if the popup is not very high in the air.

Reasons? Which is quicker?  Which might twist your ankle if you step on mask? Which offers safety if runner on base tags and comes home (say a popup away from the plate)?  For pre-HS players it's much safer to leave it on.

The hockey style mask is ment to be kept on. If it wasn't there would be no point of them being mandatory for high school catcher's.

But for HS and up, a well placed "tossed" mask can alter a runners path to the plate, which, if done correctly, can benefit the catcher....just sayin....lol.

 

And I am for taking it off, but don't have a problem if a kid wants to keep it on.  Taking it off and discarding it is no problem when taught correctly

Catcher wear masks to protect them from foul tips/balls. Take it off when that danger has past.

Football players wear helmets to protect from being hit. Take off helmet when contact not to take place like on a fair catch or fly pattern if wide open in end zone.

As far as players I've coached I've never said do it either way. If they took it off I taught them how to do it properly and if they didn't I just left them alone.

With that said I caught thru 10th grade then moved to center where I stayed. I never took my mask off and that was the old school mask over the backward helmet type. I don't know if it's because I was a receiver in football and you can't remove you mask to catch a football or not. But I don't ever remember the mask obstructing my view. Recently I put on one of those hockey masks and holy crap you can't even see the mask part. It actually made me a little uncomfortable because I didn't feel like my face was protected lol. I'm not arguing one way or another I just personally never thought the mask impeded my ability to catch a ball.

Maybe this will help you:

Nobody but catchers wear helmets in baseball.  Why?  Foulballs/tips that no one else on the field can experience.

Every one on the football field wear helmits.  Why?  Countless reasons..

 

I wonder if the kid who played in front of me in high school had wished he had kept his mask on. Play at the plate he discarded the mask. Ball took a short hop and got him in the eye. Dropped like he'd been shot.from that day forward, we didn't take our masks off...

Should third baseman and second baseman wear masks for the same reason??

I can see taking the mask off for a pop fly but taking the mask off for a plate at the plate is crazy.   Especially is there is a collision with the runner. 

Good point.  Hopefully this won't catch on in high school and beyond.