Shin Guards

Adam,
I have the All-Star LG22WPRO leg guards and I love them. They are a little more than you want, $115 but All-Star makes great stuff. The All-Star leg guards you are talking about fit the description exactly to what you want. They are nice. I would definitely go with All-Star.

-Kevin

BTW, I had a pair of Easton Stealth Leg guards last year, by far the worst investment I have ever made. They cracked down the middle one day when I dropped down to block a ball. They also gave me black and blue marks all up and down my legs because the padding sucks. Stay away from Easton. I hear Louisville makes some good ones too.

We have had problems with the Easton Stealth shinguards as well. They crack along the rivets. My son is on his 3rd set, only because they let us return them for replacement - of course we have to pay to ship, so this will be the last set.

Look at the mizunos or tpx bionic leg guards

I have Nikes but Im probably going to get all star or mizuno gear soon.

Anything without the toe guards. Most annoying thing i've had to play with. I like the rawlings ones myself.

Ok,... this is a 2006 thread. What about Easton's 2010 Steal shin guards and chest protectors? I know a lot has to have happened in 4 years,... question is has 4 years of changes and tweaks fixed the problems I'm hearing here? Cracks around the rivets sounds scary. I looked at Mizuno, but their G2 and G3 lines change quite a bit from adult and intermediate sizes down to youth. All three Easton sizes appear to be identical. The G2 and G3 Youth leg guards have those plastic snaps whereas the Intermediate and adult sizes have the steel hooks. I've dealth with broken plastic before,... neither myself or my 11 year old is interested in more of that. No thank you! The Youth G2's also appear to sport 4 straps where as the two larger sizes sport 5. Not sure how much of a difference this makes,... but it's a difference that begs the question how much more is different or worse, missing from their youth versions. Those plastic snaps also make securely mounting knee savers almost impossible. I'm waiting on UPS now with Easton Youth Stealth Legs and Chest.

which version of the knee savers do you have? because I know that the 2nd gen have bigger loop holes and is licensed by easton, wouldn't make much sense if it didn't fit with their shin guards.

quote:

Originally posted by fullertonowlz:
which version of the knee savers do you have? because I know that the 2nd gen have bigger loop holes and is licensed by easton, wouldn't make much sense if it didn't fit with their shin guards.

I bought them "Knee S'ports" by All-Star. The problem they had was that the plastic snaps were too long and caused the savers to be tilted inwards. Never could get them positioned properly. When one or two of the snaps broke early in the season, my son had to use the league gear,... cheap Pro Marks guards. Very uncomfortable for him, but the savers were able to fit flush directly behind and below his calf because they used the standard steel hooks. This is prolly the main reason I didn't go with Mizuno,... they use the plastic snaps on their youth sizes, no matter what the model.

Why do you need Knee Savers? You are a kid.

quote:

Originally posted by redbird5:
Why do you need Knee Savers? You are a kid.

I'm the Dad. I wouldn't necessarily say my son needs knee savers, but he does have a better game and longer stamina while using them. He's able to go a full game (6 innings in-house, 7 innings travel) with less sweat with them rather than without them. He also transitions smoother between his signal and receiving stances, especially with runners on. Are you suggesting the savers are hurting his development in some way? Uhmm,... I've heard many opinions on this both ways and still not sure what to think or encourage him to do. But like I say, at them moment he's doing great with them.

quote:

Originally posted by ericpd:

quote:

Originally posted by redbird5:
Why do you need Knee Savers? You are a kid.

I'm the Dad. I wouldn't necessarily say my son needs knee savers, but he does have a better game and longer stamina while using them. He's able to go a full game (6 innings in-house, 7 innings travel) with less sweat with them rather than without them. He also transitions smoother between his signal and receiving stances, especially with runners on. Are you suggesting the savers are hurting his development in some way? Uhmm,... I've heard many opinions on this both ways and still not sure what to think or encourage him to do. But like I say, at them moment he's doing great with them.

If you can, skip the knee savers. IMO, they create "lazy" catchers that like to sit on them. I want my catcher in an athletic position when receiving and not sitting.

Plus, I don't want any extra weight on my catchers. They have enough to carry around with a helmet, chest protector, chins, glove, etc. I don't want anything else on them that needs to be on them.

First thing I do when when start our first practice is tell my guys to take off the toe extenders on the chins and take off the knee savers (unless they need them for some medical condition, which I have not had one yet).

quote:

Originally posted by CatchingCoach05:

quote:

Originally posted by ericpd:

quote:

Originally posted by redbird5:
Why do you need Knee Savers? You are a kid.

I'm the Dad. I wouldn't necessarily say my son needs knee savers, but he does have a better game and longer stamina while using them. He's able to go a full game (6 innings in-house, 7 innings travel) with less sweat with them rather than without them. He also transitions smoother between his signal and receiving stances, especially with runners on. Are you suggesting the savers are hurting his development in some way? Uhmm,... I've heard many opinions on this both ways and still not sure what to think or encourage him to do. But like I say, at them moment he's doing great with them.

If you can, skip the knee savers. IMO, they create "lazy" catchers that like to sit on them. I want my catcher in an athletic position when receiving and not sitting.

Plus, I don't want any extra weight on my catchers. They have enough to carry around with a helmet, chest protector, chins, glove, etc. I don't want anything else on them that needs to be on them.

First thing I do when when start our first practice is tell my guys to take off the toe extenders on the chins and take off the knee savers (unless they need them for some medical condition, which I have not had one yet).

Ok Coach,... makes sense to me. I've this argument many times and each time it makes more and more sense. My question is, how do I get him in shape to go 6-7 innings without them? It's not necessarily his game suffers without them, he just gets a little fatiqued after about 4 innings and you can notice it,... his butt starts to rise, and his transitions slow down and poorly timed, sometimes even causing the pitcher to balk. When you catch him starting to rest his elbows on his knees a lot, it's generally a signal he's had it. I've noticed that when he get exhausted, this is when he really plays lazy. Now this is the first year using savers, but it's also his first year playing travel and really getting into the position, and being relied upon to do the catching.

So after a little more than 5 weeks with them,... how do I properly get them off of him? And how do I increase his stamina so that he thinks and agrees he longer needs them? I got a feeling strength training is what I'm gonna hear you come back with, and guess what,... I've heard to horror stories about 11 year olds and strength training. LOL! Every time you get one question answered, two new ones pop up,... never fails to happen.

BTW, his Easton Stealth gear came in. I am pleasantly surprised to see how well it's made and the level of padding they're building into these things today. Way beyond the stuff the league issues. When I was coming up, these things were made like tanks,... problem was they were just as hard on the inside as they were on the outside. Maybe a strap or two to suspend you shin bone slightly above the plastic shell. And as for knees,... well I remember guys taping those small bean throw bags into the knee cups. Remember those bean bags we used to play indoor horse shoes with at school recess and gym? LOL!

quote:

And how do I increase his stamina so that he thinks and agrees he longer needs them? I got a feeling strength training is what I'm gonna hear you come back with, and guess what,... I've heard to horror stories about 11 year olds and strength training. LOL!

Yep the horror stories. Strength training has been researched over and over again and the data does not go along with the stories. Strength training is like anything else; done correctly it can be done with ANY person at ANY age.


As for the knee savers=laziness... catchers are lazy because they are lazy. It has nothing to do with the equipment.

Absolutely nothing wrong with Kneesavers. If the catcher gets lazy with them, he was lazy already and shouldn't have been behind the plate.

KneeSavers do not prevent proper mechanics or other issues themselves. Any problems that arise from using them lies with the player and/or lack of proper teaching.

That being said, catchers need to get into shape so that they don't depend on them. If a kid is getting tired after 4-5 innings, he's simply needs to get into shape.

quote:

Originally posted by S. Abrams:
That being said, catchers need to get into shape so that they don't depend on them. If a kid is getting tired after 4-5 innings, he's simply needs to get into shape.

Exactly,... so how do I do this? Where do I go to get the right information? I bought two instructional DVD's for him over the past holidays, but they main concentrate on technique with little time on drills, and no mention of strength training. One is by some guy name Joe Wilkins and I forget who the other guy is. Any DVD recommendations for increasing stamina and strength training? Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Bulldog 19:
As for the knee savers=laziness... catchers are lazy because they are lazy. It has nothing to do with the equipment.

Bulldog19,

So well said. No piece of equipment changes a players character.

The question that has always bothered me was what amount of research was done in the development of the knee savers regarding catchers, prolonged squatting, and eventual knee damage.

What needs to be remembered is that knee savers were not designed for catchers at all, let alone healthy youth catchers (8-18yr old). All of the research that was done, and conclusions drawn, came from work done with coal miners. You know, 6 ft tall miners in a 4ft high cave, lotsa squatting going on there.

I spoke at length a few years back with the doctor that designed them in 1991, patented them, and sold the rights to Easton. Dr Farrago is a doctor in Maine and he shared with me that the application for catchers was a spinoff from his research on the knee damage common in the mining industry. When it was applied to catchers it was initially applied to older MLB catchers with existing bad knees.

He confirmed that there never had been any long term studies on the preventative value of knee savers on young healthy athletes. Dr Farrago made it very clear that they MUST be worn on the lowest strap settings to avoid putting pressure on the back side of the knee joint.

At my camp I see close to 50% of the kids, boys and girls, wearing them.

I believe if proper stances are used the only time a catcher will really come in contact with them is ih his sign giving stance.

quote:

Originally posted by Catching Coach:

quote:

Originally posted by Bulldog 19:
As for the knee savers=laziness... catchers are lazy because they are lazy. It has nothing to do with the equipment.

Bulldog19,

So well said. No piece of equipment changes a players character.

The question that has always bothered me was what amount of research was done in the development of the knee savers regarding catchers, prolonged squatting, and eventual knee damage.

What needs to be remembered is that knee savers were not designed for catchers at all, let alone healthy youth catchers (8-18yr old). All of the research that was done, and conclusions drawn, came from work done with coal miners. You know, 6 ft tall miners in a 4ft high cave, lotsa squatting going on there.

I spoke at length a few years back with the doctor that designed them in 1991, patented them, and sold the rights to Easton. Dr Farrago is a doctor in Maine and he shared with me that the application for catchers was a spinoff from his research on the knee damage common in the mining industry. When it was applied to catchers it was initially applied to older MLB catchers with existing bad knees.

He confirmed that there never had been any long term studies on the preventative value of knee savers on young healthy athletes. Dr Farrago made it very clear that they MUST be worn on the lowest strap settings to avoid putting pressure on the back side of the knee joint.

At my camp I see close to 50% of the kids, boys and girls, wearing them.

I believe if proper stances are used the only time a catcher will really come in contact with them is ih his sign giving stance.

So if I'm gathering all the stuff being said, knee savers are basically a wash. I still I might need focus on strengh training. Just want to certain I do it right. DVD recommendations please!

Ericpd,

If I read correctly that your son is 11 then mostly I suggest to just let him be an active 11 yr old. If he can play other sports I'd encourage it. Running sports are great, basketball, s o c c e r, all are great for the legs.

Another thing we encourage the kids to do is to train a little every day on leg strength. We tell them that in the evening, after homework is done and it may be time to watch a bit of TV, it's also time to start their catching conditioning. All TV shows have built in CTM's as we tell the kids, Catcher Training Moments.....aka commercials.

During the first commercial we instruct them to work on their sign giving stance and their no-runners on stance. The goal is to hold the stance mechanically sound for the entire commercial time. Then back up on the couch till the next break.

2nd commercial is for runners-on stance. Again hold as long as the stance stays sound. If it gets shakey and the commercial is not over, take a 15 second break, then back at it till the show comes back on.

3rd Commercial can be for blocking and the last one for throwing drills. Lots of drills that can be done in the family room with no ball involved.

We have many kids following this regiment and many have worked up to doing it for an evening of TV watching.

Coach Weaver

quote:

Originally posted by Catching Coach:
Ericpd,

If I read correctly that your son is 11 then mostly I suggest to just let him be an active 11 yr old. If he can play other sports I'd encourage it. Running sports are great, basketball, s****r, all are great for the legs.

Another thing we encourage the kids to do is to train a little every day on leg strength. We tell them that in the evening, after homework is done and it may be time to watch a bit of TV, it's also time to start their catching conditioning. All TV shows have built in CTM's as we tell the kids, Catcher Training Moments.....aka commercials.

During the first commercial we instruct them to work on their sign giving stance and their no-runners on stance. The goal is to hold the stance mechanically sound for the entire commercial time. Then back up on the couch till the next break.

2nd commercial is for runners-on stance. Again hold as long as the stance stays sound. If it gets shakey and the commercial is not over, take a 15 second break, then back at it till the show comes back on.

3rd Commercial can be for blocking and the last one for throwing drills. Lots of drills that can be done in the family room with no ball involved.

We have many kids following this regiment and many have worked up to doing it for an evening of TV watching.

Coach Weaver

Better than going out and buying DVDs. Great advice.

quote:

Originally posted by S. Abrams:

quote:

Originally posted by Catching Coach:
Ericpd,

If I read correctly that your son is 11 then mostly I suggest to just let him be an active 11 yr old. If he can play other sports I'd encourage it. Running sports are great, basketball, s****r, all are great for the legs.

Another thing we encourage the kids to do is to train a little every day on leg strength. We tell them that in the evening, after homework is done and it may be time to watch a bit of TV, it's also time to start their catching conditioning. All TV shows have built in CTM's as we tell the kids, Catcher Training Moments.....aka commercials.

During the first commercial we instruct them to work on their sign giving stance and their no-runners on stance. The goal is to hold the stance mechanically sound for the entire commercial time. Then back up on the couch till the next break.

2nd commercial is for runners-on stance. Again hold as long as the stance stays sound. If it gets shakey and the commercial is not over, take a 15 second break, then back at it till the show comes back on.

3rd Commercial can be for blocking and the last one for throwing drills. Lots of drills that can be done in the family room with no ball involved.

We have many kids following this regiment and many have worked up to doing it for an evening of TV watching.

Coach Weaver

Better than going out and buying DVDs. Great advice.

Great Advice! Great indoor regiment! It's working!

Ericpd... at his age, anything to improve his overall conditioning is more approprite than sport specific workouts.

Alot can be accomplished over the next 2-3 years before he's really ready to "work out". Look for activities an 11 year old likes that will naturally increase leg strength and core strength. Plus, a good throwing routine is always a good start. Just be smart and make it fun. Keep track of his throwing so you know where he started and where he has progressed to. But don't involve him in tracking the results, or charting his progress, unless he really shows an interest. If he doesn't, just quietly keep track of reps and distance, etc. and adjust as you go. And.. the time you spend together, throwing and other stuff, will be a great time to "talk" about the game.

The number one weapon a great catcher has, his understanding and mental approach to the game itself. He'll always be ahead of everyone else if he knows the game, not just the skill.

BTW-Easton is all GUN wears. His comp shin guards are very light, but extremely well made. And, at the end of this season, just tell junior it's time to move away from the KSavers.

GED10DaD

quote:

Originally posted by GunEmDown10:
Ericpd... at his age, anything to improve his overall conditioning is more approprite than sport specific workouts.

Alot can be accomplished over the next 2-3 years before he's really ready to "work out". Look for activities an 11 year old likes that will naturally increase leg strength and core strength. Plus, a good throwing routine is always a good start. Just be smart and make it fun. Keep track of his throwing so you know where he started and where he has progressed to. But don't involve him in tracking the results, or charting his progress, unless he really shows an interest. If he doesn't, just quietly keep track of reps and distance, etc. and adjust as you go. And.. the time you spend together, throwing and other stuff, will be a great time to "talk" about the game.

The number one weapon a great catcher has, his understanding and mental approach to the game itself. He'll always be ahead of everyone else if he knows the game, not just the skill.

BTW-Easton is all GUN wears. His comp shin guards are very light, but extremely well made. And, at the end of this season, just tell junior it's time to move away from the KSavers.

GED10DaD

You guys never cease to amaze me,... great advice after more great advice. It's easy for a Dad like me to forget about some of the stuff you mention. My son is sooo far out in front of his peer in-house Catchers and I'd say, high average when it comes to the Travel Catchers I've watch him play against so, it just easy to fall into the trap of focusing in on what he's doing right, instead of what he can improve.

BTW, I just got an RA# on the Easton Chest Protector we received from HRS,... it's just too big for him. Though I could adjust the fullness out of it. When he goes into his stance, his legs push it up almost into his face. LOL! I noticed after buying the Eastons, their Youth Stealth (ages 9-12) measures 15", while most of the other measure their Youth lines (ages 9-12) anywhere between 13" to 14". The Shin Guards were a perfect fit and worked well for him. Think I'll go with the Youth Mizuno G2s,... they measure 14 inches,... I'm a little afraid the Schutt Scorpion BB chest might be a little too small weighing in at 13 inches. Man, that Schutt chest looks good!

Anyway GunEmDown,... thanks for the advice and response. I will use it!

The Mizuno Samurai or Pro series are hard to beat. Solid padding but they fit close and allow for greater mobility. My son's blocking improved noticeably when we changed to this set. He says it feels like he isn't even wearing anything.