| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
 Posted - 08/25/2014 : 10:06:54
|
There seem to be two schools of thought:
1. Knee savers will do just that, protect young knees and "save" them for future play when the child is older.
2. Knee savers make lazy catchers and interfere with plays.
What are your thoughts???
|
|
|
DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2014 : 13:03:05
|
| My opinion: if a catcher is trained to be correctly positioned to receive the ball, the knee savers are a good thing. My son has used them since he was 9. At 15, he still uses them. He has caught for his high school team along with many travel teams. He has been trained by Coach Weaver from the New England Catching camp. I have never seen these effect his plays or his training. Catching is diifecult. If this gives the kids a chance to rest for a few seconds between plays, it will keep them fresher when they need it. |
 |
|
|
JDP12
89 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2014 : 13:39:36
|
| I don't believe in them as they will allow the younger catcher to be lazy. However, it depends on the situation. We have 3-4 catchers each year so we don't have any catcher back there for more than 30-40% of the innings played. If my son was one of two catchers and catching 80% of the innings I would probably make him use them to protect his knees. |
|
|
|
tuffmavrick
47 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2014 : 14:51:10
|
| I personal don't like them and I see a lot of young catchers that sit on them all the time and can't move to the ball. My son is 11 and knows how to use them but he hates them. He doesn't feel that he can move as freely with them. This is probably a personal preference. |
|
|
|
PowerOfDixieland
16 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2014 : 08:53:08
|
| I do not have personal experience with them so I am obviously biased. I caught in the SEC, but in those days the Knee Savers weren't around. My son is now a 17U catcher and I've actually thrown away a pair that came free with a set of shin guards. As a sometimes coach I discredit a kid who wears them. The saying around my house is "he's not a real catcher". The MLB guys that wear them are getting paid to do so. I guess I was fortunate in that I caught for over a dozen years, had arthroscopic knee surgery as the result of a pick-up basketball game, and my knees are probably the strongest part of my body. I will still catch bullpen sessions every chance I get and I've run three marathons after age 40. Just say no. |
|
|
|
DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2014 : 11:46:18
|
quote:
Originally posted by PowerOfDixieland
......... As a sometimes coach I discredit a kid who wears them. The saying around my house is "he's not a real catcher"......
Interesting. My son hopes to play collage ball in a few years. I never thought that having knee savers could influence what a coach thought about him. |
|
|
|
ToddH10
28 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2014 : 18:05:01
|
| I have to disagree on the whole "He's not a real catcher if he uses knee savers". Personally, I think that is ridiculous. My son has caught for the past 3 years on major USSSA travel teams and uses knee savers. He does a great job blocking and has very few passed balls so I disagree that they make a catcher lazy. He has caught with and without knee savers and prefers the knee savers. On his current team, he is the primary catcher and catches probably 85% of the games. I want him to use them if they help him stay a little fresh. To each their own, I guess. |
|
|
|
ItsGodGiven
70 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2014 : 21:16:44
|
| Dixieland....did they have elbow guards and shin guards for hitters back in the day? I guess guys that wear those aren't real hitters either? Some of the best catchers I've seen wear knee savers. It's a pad to reduce the stress on a catchers knees....really is this even a thread??? |
Edited by - ItsGodGiven on 08/28/2014 21:33:29 |
|
|
|
CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2014 : 14:06:31
|
Well after I posted this thread I looked on the internet. Now I know the internet is not always a reliable source...but there are two divided camps about this. Several doctors are saying the knee saver can actually hurt the knee, others say it is helpful only if the knee is injured, like after a surgery. There is even an article out there that says knee savers have never been evaluated on catcher's, they were developed for cole miners *shrug*
The only conclusion I have been able to come to is.....if the player likes them and the coach doesn't object I guess just carry on! However, pertaining to my son...he will never wear them again. My reasoning is you never know if the next coach likes them. I will not hinder my son at his high school/college/whatever tryout by putting him in something that a coach MIGHT find objectionable, or lessen his chances of making the team and or starting.
Whether they are helpful or not at this point would seem irrelevant because there are people that have strong feelings on the matter, and it's POSSIBLE the next coach will be one of them. |
|
|
|
hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2014 : 16:48:25
|
CaCO3Girl - I would have to agree with the last two posts prior to yours. A good catcher is a good catcher, with or w/o knee savers. A not so good catcher is the same with or w/o them as well. A lazy catcher was probably lazy before knee savers.
Regarding future opportunities, if your kid can play there isn't a coach at the high school or college level who would pass on him because he wears knee savers. |
|
|
|
Ross
60 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2014 : 22:15:17
|
| Watching the Braves game and both Gattis and Salty are using knee savers. How is either one of them "not a real catcher"? |
|
|
|
Zcoach
151 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2014 : 17:58:47
|
| Gattis & Salty are NOT the two examples of great defensive catchers you would want to use. They both came up through the Braves system. Just curious, who was the last great defensive catcher for the Braves...Bruce Benedict? Not Javi, not McCann. |
|
|
|
bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2014 : 22:16:50
|
| I would say that anyone catching in the MLB is a great catcher. Maybe not the best catchers in the majors, but better than 99.99% of the catchers out there. You wouldn't do bad following their example. |
|
|
|
whits23
596 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2014 : 20:58:15
|
The problem with knee savers is you do not create strong legs resting on them, and kids do not use them the right way. The other problem is they flop all over the place on kids when they try to move around.
The reason some pro players use them is they play 162 games a year i doubt may youth players play that amount. Having said that with or without them framing and blocking is your skill set next in line is throwing. After that comes hitting.
I always tell kids and parents it is their call on knee savers as i do not want blamed for some injury they may say i caused. if you can frame, block and throw you can wear a skirt for all i care. But i see no use in them at the youth level . Like football players wearing those stupid gloves then they cant even catch the ball..oh well thats another topic |
|
|
|
toddmann
9 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2014 : 11:26:22
|
| I agree with whits23. If your child is a really good fielding at the catcher position, he hits over .400, can steal bases and hits homeruns rather consistently he can wear knee savers on his shin guards, on his head, on his elbows, over his shoes and even as ear rings and the coach want give a crap!!!! If your son is mediocre at catching, running bases and hitting the coach will surely get rid of him and the knee savers make a nice excuse to do such. Knee savers don't make a kid lazy. For the most part, lazy kids are a by product of parenting and coaching that allowed them to be lazy. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Knee-Savers or NO to Knee-Savers, thoughts?
