Little League is notorious for obscure and specific player safety rules. Rules often confuse players, coaches as well as umpires since they're often unique to the league. We can easily spend days arguing the value and necessity of these rules and we'd never come to a resolution that everyone could agree with.
However, it's a well known fact the Little League Baseball releases these rules and that Umpires should be the enforcers of these types of rules. One rule that has stood out a lot lately is actually Little League Rule 1.17 - playing safety rules for the league.
This section identifies a safety rule that requires catchers to have a dangling throat protector. The dangling throat protector is just as it may sound. It's a piece of plastic about 4-6 inches in size that dangles from the catchers mask and is meant to shield the throat of the person.
The concept is that ball that would normally bounce from the ground and hit a player in the throat will glance off this extra layer of defenses. Around various Leagues you'll find players that do not comply with this regulation. They will remove the protector or even often tighten the straps to a point where the throat protector no longer dangles.
For that equipment to be properly attached, the dangling throat protector should be safely attached from one-fourth of an inch to three-fourths of an inch under the bottom frame of the catcher's protective mask. The throat protector, when worn properly, will swing freely from the mask. You don't want the protector to get stuck in a position where it cannot safeguard the gamer and it is made useless.
It IS crucial to understand why the dangling throat protector rule is within place. A regular baseball and also softball catcher injury takes place when a person is struck within the throat by a foul tip or wild pitch.
An injury to the throat can be hugely damaging to anybody, especially young kids. For this reason, Little League Baseball has come down with this particular rigid rule. They tremendously value kid safety and always aim to be a leader in safety.
As an umpire, you need to be prepared to impose this guideline, together with numerous others. Knowing that it is important too to know that others might not know or understand this rule plus your job is always to help them understand.
However, it's a well known fact the Little League Baseball releases these rules and that Umpires should be the enforcers of these types of rules. One rule that has stood out a lot lately is actually Little League Rule 1.17 - playing safety rules for the league.
This section identifies a safety rule that requires catchers to have a dangling throat protector. The dangling throat protector is just as it may sound. It's a piece of plastic about 4-6 inches in size that dangles from the catchers mask and is meant to shield the throat of the person.
The concept is that ball that would normally bounce from the ground and hit a player in the throat will glance off this extra layer of defenses. Around various Leagues you'll find players that do not comply with this regulation. They will remove the protector or even often tighten the straps to a point where the throat protector no longer dangles.
For that equipment to be properly attached, the dangling throat protector should be safely attached from one-fourth of an inch to three-fourths of an inch under the bottom frame of the catcher's protective mask. The throat protector, when worn properly, will swing freely from the mask. You don't want the protector to get stuck in a position where it cannot safeguard the gamer and it is made useless.
It IS crucial to understand why the dangling throat protector rule is within place. A regular baseball and also softball catcher injury takes place when a person is struck within the throat by a foul tip or wild pitch.
An injury to the throat can be hugely damaging to anybody, especially young kids. For this reason, Little League Baseball has come down with this particular rigid rule. They tremendously value kid safety and always aim to be a leader in safety.
As an umpire, you need to be prepared to impose this guideline, together with numerous others. Knowing that it is important too to know that others might not know or understand this rule plus your job is always to help them understand.
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