Chinstraps.......

...ok, we all have seen the flexible elastic gig on helmets right? Why are they not geared for REALLY securing the helmet to a batter/runners head?

Case in point, my dd had a collision at 1B some years back, she reached 1st at the same time that the 2nd baseman did,and BANG! It sounded like a linebacker tackling a running back. Anyway, the chinstrap did not keep her helmet on properly so the facemask which there to protect her face was actually driven into her mouth.
The result was a fair amount of blood and her braces jammed into her lips.
Novicane at the ER and then off to the Orthodontist for him to cut the braces off her teeth and then actually pull those railroad tracks out of her lips!

Question, Chinstraps are intended to keep your protective helmet in place, why aren't they made to work?

 

You already know my take on this.

If the chin strap is worn properly it will keep the cage from hitting your face--normally. With an impact such as the one your DD had the strap might not have prevented an injury but it may not have been as serious.

The chin strap should be adjusted so that it is taut enough to allow some give but not so loose that it let's the cage contact the face during impact.

The strap should be worn across the chin, just under the bottom lip in the little crease between your lower lip and chin. Not under the chin! That's why it's called a chin strap instead of a neck strap.

 

I would have do disagree with how you claim a chin strap is to be worn.

The chin strap goes directly under the chin to keep the helmet from coming off while running, not inbetween the bottom lip and the chin.

If your DD was wearing it in the manner you claim in a game where chin straps are mandatory, then she should have been directed by the umpire to pull it down under the chin so that it is worn properly.

This is only a problem in softball because of the amount of hair some players have and the manner in which it is worn.

 

I actually did have an ump tell a player in a game to put the strap under her chin. After I explained and demonstrated why it helped cushion the impact and keep the cage from hitting the player's face he understood and let them wear it like I told them.

Put a helmet on and try it like I explained it and you will feel the difference. The point being that you don't want the ball to force the cage into your face. The helmet would also stay on while running.

On a side note, it is good to see more and more college players wearing the batting cage. Didn't see any chin straps but that's ok; at least their faces are better protected than without a cage.

 

Interesting thing I happened to read on the card that came with the face guard my daughter put on her new helmet last week.

It said that one should not slide head first while wearing a helmet with a face mask.

WTF?

 

Softball helmets in their current design will never work well enough to prevent damage to a kid's face. The chinstrap may help but they are so flimsy that I doubt they help much.

Remember - a football helmet has custom fitted jaw pads, forehead pads and others (or are an air cell design) that allows for a snug fit for each individual player. That is part of the reason the chinstrap works so well.

The 1/2 inch chin strap alone is not going to prevent an ill - fitted helmet from moving upon contact, regardless of where it is worn - in my opinion.

 

The reason for chin straps...

is to keep the helmet from falling off the runner's melon, while running the bases, so s/he doesn't get hit in the skull by a thrown ball.

Think about it, a motorcycle helmet chin strap goes under the chin to keep the helmet from coming off during a crash.

The chin strap on a batting helmet has absolutely no designed effect to protect the face from a impact to the helmet.

That is why it is not a football style chin strap.

If there are no rules that mandate a chin strap then the players may wear them how they see fit.

If the rules mandate a chin strap, then it must be worn properly.

Call the manufacturerer of the chin strap and ask them if the way you are saying to wear the chin strap is the correct way it is to be worn.
I guarantee you they say it is designed to be worn under the chin.

 

If you try it you will understand it. My purpose is to protect the face of the batter. The elasticity of the strap helps cushion the impact of the ball and helps keep the cage off of the face.

I doubt that chin straps come with instructions on how to "properly" wear it.

 

2 points have been made as to how the best use of the chinstrap can be derived.

What I don't understand is why not just make a cotten picken gig similar to a football helmet chinstrap and kill two birds with one stone.
The helmet will stay snug on the kids coconut while running and will keep the helmet properly fitted in the event of a collision or sliding head first, etc.

Yes, if a new chinstrap is implemented, then the cost of a helmet goes up double atleast.....so what?!

Protect the kids to the best that modern day technology allows.

The first TBR post that can show me that an elastic band similar to what holds your dog gone tighty whities up , is modern day technology gets to be first in line at the courthouse when, God forbid, some kid gets hurt enough to have a bigtime class action lawsuit.


You wouldn't wait to get caught out in the rain but a couple of times before you get smart and buy an umbrella, then why let the worthless rubber band chinstraps rain havoc on our kids?

Fish

 

I'm watching UT vs. Ariz. on ESPN2, UT runner scores from 1B and her helmet was doggone near coming off her head and her facemask was slap covering her eyes, ....no chinstrap, c'mon now folks, you wouldn't wear shoes without shoelaces would you? Why do shoes have shoelaces? Because they tighten your shoes onto your feet.

We're not living in Bedrock and stopping our sleds with our feet like the Flintstones. Somewhere along the line of evolution, humans actually smarted up and made a change that was practical and worth while.

When is the "evolution" of the chinstrap gonna take place?

Fishman