Metal vs Plastic Cleats (Pro's and Con's)

I play with metal cleats and love them! I played with them my whole high school season and its going to suck to have to switch back to rubber for travel ball. I had no problems with metal this year. Yes i was cleated once by a girl trying to steal third. But it just bruised and i had a knot for about a week. It hurt for about 10 seconds thats all def nothing you cant deal with!

 

Personally I think we should go back to rubber and stay there. No real NEED for metal. There will be more injuries with metal than rubber. most will be minor scratches but still would be nothing with rubber. If the metal were a big help I would say the reward would out weigh the risk. Whether we will admit it or not most of th use of metal is an ego thing. I know when I was young when we got to an age where we could use metal the main reason we all got them was because they sounded cool when you walked around. Really didn't care about how they were to play in. Some coaches still have this way of thinking. I watched some of the college games yeaterday and watched 2 Arizona girls INTENTIONALLY cleat the second baseman for the other team on double play attempts cutting her both times. The announcers even tried to make it out that it was accidental but couldn't pull it off saying they hoped the girls weren't taught to do this but it was obvious they were. Rubber worked for years and would still work today. I agree with another post when it was stated about them not moving the rubber back but will allow metal cleats. One better, They require the girls to wear face mask whic should be a personal choice but not mandatory because if you get hit it hurts only you. They allow metal cleats which if you can use to hurt someone else Accidently or on purpose. Sounds backwards to me

 

So far this thread has revealed only one season ending injury that blamed metal cleats. That was "sliding into the bag". It's very likely that poor technique was the real reason for that injury as one should not slide directly into a bag feet first. That increases the risk of hyperextension injury to the ankle regardless of the type of cleats. It amazes me the number of kids who are allowed by their coaches (TB and HS) to slide feet first directly into a bag.

Metal cleats grip much better than rubber, especially rubber that's beginning to wear. Our athletes today are playing the game much more aggressively than in the past. Outfielders need metal cleats on wet grass, and infielders and base runners need metal cleats on hard infields. Slipping can cause injury to tendons and muscles that take weeks to heal.

If the game is played aggressively, injury is always a risk regardless of type of cleats. Metal is not mandatory. If you don't want DD to wear metal, don't buy them for her.

 

The question isn't whether or not I want my dd wearing them. It is wheather or not I want someone elses sliding into her with them on

 

Metal vs rubber

This problem has two definite sides to it. Although rubber cleats are safer for the defense when a runner is sliding into bases, they are more problematic for the defense when it relates to traction on the hard infields, especially in the south where most are harden clay, with a touch of sand or loose dirt. The other problem with rubber is that without having consistant traction, you run a higher risk of ankle and knee injuries when you come to and abrubt stop. My opinion is for metal cleats, but if they are to be used, coaches need to teach players the proper method for using them and sliding with them on, as to avoid injuries to themselves and to others.

 

Since no one this year kept stats on injuries related to metal cleats, to say this thread is conclusive proof of few injuries is slightly exaggerated. It is a shame that with the dramatic change to metal cleats for HS softball that it was not mandatory to report all injuries to NCHSAA from metal cleats to evaluate the impact of the rule change.

I dont care for them so that is my bias.... but if metal cleats are so important for performance than someone explain to me why ASA Gold does not even allow metal cleats. ASA Gold has more ladies advancing to college play than any other program where HS Softball has the least number advancing. The argument "They will have to wear them in college..." just doesnt hold water. No one under 18 is wearing metal cleats so why only wear them in HS Softball and then switch back to rubber when the season is over? Why do I not hear the hard lobbying to change NSA & ASA over to metal cleats?

 

Your right.... makes no sense...
So we have HS pitchers wearing metal, pitching at 40'
and Gold pitchers wearing molded at 43'.....

makes me dizzy.....

 

Rubber vs. metal....

In one game this year, I saw my centerfielder and my rightfielder go down on damp grass trying to cut for a fly ball...they were both wearing rubber cleats. One of them suffered a sprained ankle and the other almost pulled her hamstring. None of the other girls on our team that were wearing metal ever had a problem with traction nor did they hurt themselves or anyone on opposing teams.

There are advantages to wearing metal cleats, especially in the outfield where you might encounter less than favorable conditions at some of the fields that we play on. My dd loves the metal (after she got used to them) and wouldn't go back if she had a choice.

 

the most injuries i have seen with metal cleats are due to actual players cleating themselves... not others cleating them.

i cant see why pitchers would want to wear them... but everyone else in my opinion is safe (and quicker) thanks to metal cleats.

but word of advise if your child has a shin splints be very careful allowing them to wear the metal spikes. at the end of all my seasons in D1 there were always 3 or 4 people in the starting lineup with this injury... most likely due to the cleats.

 

metal cleats should b allowed 4 girls 2 use in softball... yea u can get injured but that could happen either way... metal cleats have better grip and if ppl r worried about injury then they should also know that there is protective gear 2 buy 4 legs 2 avoid getting cleated and if boys can use them, y cant girls???