My son, a '09 grad, has now taken two foul tips off the side of his neck. Both times he fell to the ground and the game was stopped. He wears a Rawlings hockey style mask.
I'm worried that if he takes one straight to the adam's apple, then he could be in big trouble. It does seem like the side of the neck is exposed a bit, but it looks like that with most helmets.

Any advice or comments on why this may be happening? I don't have it on video, so I can't take a look to see if he is turning or lifting his head. I don't think he is, but I'm not sure.

It sure is scary for a minute..

That must be scary. Is your son's mask the right size? Most goalie styles come in both youth and adult sizes, and if he's wearing one that's too small it might not be extending far enough to protect his throat.

Hope he stays safe.

Attach a "throat protector" to his mask. Some players tend to pull their head up or turn to avoid being hit in the face --- natural reflex. Their reflexes are not aware they have a mask on. They can also "jab" at the ball which can take the mitt out of the path of the ball. It's virtually impossible to get hit in the neck with a proper fitting mask and receiving the ball the correct way. My son has had multiple concussions and broken fingers -- bruises on his legs -- feet --crotch -- arms -- shoulders but never has he been hit in the throat. That could be a very serious injury. Video him and watch his head..
Fungo

You say he is getting hit on the side of the neck

Is he "flinching" or turning his head on pitches?

The throat extension Fungo showed will prevent an injury to the front of the neck but if he is turning his head, that needs to be corrected. Shots to the neck are a serious matter.

Saw a catcher from Southern Miss get hit flush in the throat (foul tip) in the days before masks had built on extensions or flaps. Scariest thing I ever saw on a baseball field; won't go into details but I never want to see/hear that again on a field. He ended up spending two nights at the hospital in Opelika before getting released to head back home.

Alot of good advice has been given. It's something to take seriously.Ever done the "ball to the facemask" drill so he gets back to to trusting his equipment totally? Pretty sure you have if he has caught for length of time. Can't control foul tips but he can control staying square and not turning with practice (it isn't natural to just stare at a pitch as it hits your facemask without wanting to turn).

Fungo mentioned "jabbing" and he's right...catchers don't jab, they recieve the pitch; sometimes catchers jab in an effort to "Beat the ball to the spot" that they hear from coaches. It starts with how they track the ball...jabbers tend to track with the glove which is actually slower and jerky. Work with your son in tracking with his eyes and taking the glove from a relaxed position up to the point where he thinks the ball will be ( he'll be smoother and find it easier to make adjustments).

The very first thing I always told catchers Rule#1 was "Protect yourselves...trust your equipment...always".

09 Grad...probably been catching awhile and knows everything I've mentioned and the two shots were probably flukes. Problem is that one fluke can mess him up badly. Good luck to your son getting a handle on this...I'm sure he was just as scared as you were.

By the way, if the shock of foul tips to the facemask are making him gun shy for some reason, you might check out the new Wilson Shock FX helmet with the shock absorbers. Don't know if they work real well or not but the concept sure makes sense.

I can't think of a single instance where I've ever heard of a catcher who keeps his head straight getting hit in the side of the neck. Like Fungo suggests, video him to see what he's doing, and show him. Hockey style masks today are designed specifically to protect the throat/neck area, so something unusual is happening. That throat protector will work well, as long as his head is straight.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 06catcherdad:
I can't think of a single instance where I've ever heard of a catcher who keeps his head straight getting hit in the side of the neck.[QUOTE]

I had it happen at least once last year. I wouldn't say it was a full blow, but more of a deflection. The ball either hit my neck or the side of the mask and went down to hit me in the back of the shoulder. I don't remember exactly but I think it might have caught a piece of my helmet underneath it directing it downward.

That's pretty strange because you can't react so fast (turning your head) from the actual foul tip...He must be turning his head when the swing comes around. Which side of the neck did he get hit and lefty or righty batter?

thanks for the replies, guys!

I do have some video of him catching, but I don't think I've got anything of how he reacts to a foul tip.

In both instances, it was a righty hitter and he was hit in the left side of the neck (closest to the batter). Both time it looked like an inside pitch that deflected off the bat to his neck. He stayed in the game both times, but seeing him on all fours for a minute in obvious pain was more than a bit scary..

As much as I can tell, he does keep "still" while catching.

These hockey-style masks (yes, his is an adult size) extend straight down to protect the adam's apple. They don't do much around the sides, though.

On those two occasions where did he set up and where were the pitches?

My son's HS had a senior catcher who flinched every time a batter swung. It was very quick, and most people, including his coach, never noticed it. He'd snap his head to the right every time a right handed batter swung, and to the left every time a left handed batter swung.

The only way the coach finally realized or believed that the kid was flinching was to see some video from behind the plate, then he realized the problem and was able to work with the kid to try to correct the problem.

This is a dangerous problem, so at least video your son to see if this is happening with him. That throat guard that Fungo recommended is very good, so it might help with your problem.

well, I was able to view some video of him from the PG NJ Showcase he went to a couple of weeks ago.

TR - he actually caught one of the CS pitchers, (JJ, I believe - a small, thin, but hard throwing righty).

He didn't flinch once, on swings and misses, foul balls, fair balls, etc. I viewed it frame by frame, and I didn't see anything that would indicate that he was moving. Frame by frame, and his head didn't move.

We are looking at getting the new Wilson anti-shock catchers helmet, but I'm not sure it offers any addition protection on the side, and it is a little pricey (over $100).

thx!