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When playing baseball or softball, it’s imperative that you have the best and most protective gear. Whether you are in center field or the batter’s box, you need to make sure that you have everything you need to perform your best while keeping your body safe and protected.
One position in particular requires the most amount of equipment for optimal protection, and that is the catcher. Catchers are one of the most likely and most often to be injured on the softball or baseball diamond. They can be injured from a fast pitch or throw, a bat during or after a swing, a foul ball, or a sliding opponent with cleats. Therefore, it’s key for these players to utilize the right gear in order to safely enjoy and perform in every game.
At HbSports, we carry high quality gear for all softball and baseball players. Amongst our offerings, we have catcher’s equipment and gear to satisfy all catchers’ needs and preferences. We are passionate about providing all of our customers with the best items to both improve your game and safety.
It can be difficult to know, however, what positions flourish with which products. What are the best and most important pieces of catcher’s equipment? Let’s take a deep dive into the top five pieces of gear that every catcher should have in his or her sports bag.
1. Catcher’s Gear Box Set
Getting a catcher’s gear box set is the most obvious yet vital of the equipment needed for a catcher to do his or her job right. In each set comes a catcher’s helmet, a chest guard, and leg guards. The helmets use a very similar design to hockey helmets, which is vital for protection and comfort for catcher’s faces, heads, jaws, and necks. They’re strong as well, allowing them to properly provide protection from fast pitches and fast swings. The chest guards protect the catcher’s torso, while the leg guards protect their knees, shins, ankles, and the tops of their feet.
Without any one of these three pieces of catcher's equipment, no catcher would be able to play his or her position efficiently enough and the team would perish. These are undoubtedly some of the most important pieces of gear for a catcher.
2. Knee Savers
While the aforementioned pieces of equipment are important for mostly shock protection, catchers need to wear particular pieces just for long-term health. Their knees are constantly bent, which could lead to knee pain and even severe knee issues. However, if they wear knee savers, these problems and stresses are typically averted.
Knee savers are attached at the back of the leg guards using their elastic straps. When the catcher is in the crouched position, his or her knees are supported from the back. The cushions are wedged between the back of the thighs and back of the calves. These are necessary for any catcher, making every crouch more doable so he or she can focus more on the game and less on their knees.
3. Throat Guard
There are a lot of instances where, upon swinging at a pitch, a batter hits a foul ball. However, some of these foul balls can come off the bat in such a way that the ball can somehow find its way under the catcher’s helmet and above the chest protector, striking the catcher in the throat. That kind of hit can be extremely dangerous for a catcher, so protecting the throat is vital. That is where the throat guard comes in. A throat guard is attached to the catcher’s helmet, allowing it to dangle in front of the throat for efficient protection.
4. Catcher’s Mitt
If a catcher uses any other type of baseball or softball glove, their hand will not be provided the right amount of protection from pitches and bats. Fortunately, there are mitts specifically tailored for catchers. These mitts have a lot more padding and offer widespread protection of the hand in a similar fashion as a winter “mitt”en, as there aren’t stitched finger pockets for every individual finger.
Not only does the catchers mitt keep the player’s fingers and hands safe, but they’re also extremely effective during gameplay. They provide a bigger target for the pitcher to hit and let the catcher catch and scoop any ball that comes his or her way much easier. Utility and safety are goals that this piece of gear greatly accomplishes.
5. Catcher's Thumb Guard
Some catchers still feel the sting and sometimes suffer injuries in their catching hand’s thumb, even with the mitt on. Therefore, many catchers prefer to wear a thumb guard beneath their mitts for further protection so they can stay focused on catching every pitch instead of worrying about getting hurt by it.
These top five pieces of catcher’s equipment are vital for all catchers, whether they play baseball or softball, or if their youths or adults. Safety paired with high performance is key in any position and sport, but especially for catchers in baseball and softball. Be sure to browse through our equipment for catchers, along with our many other exciting and high-quality offerings for baseball and softball players.
