How To Figure Out What Size Of Catcher’s Gear Fits You The Best?

Choose The Best Catchers’ Gear

 

Discovering the right pair of catcher protectors for a catcher is not an easy job, right? Yes, that’s true! A catcher’s job is the most valuable and challenging at the same time. The task includes taking different positions in the field, running for a particular catch, etc. However, a perfect piece of gear must be bought with an appropriate size, age, quality, and more for better performance. So, do you keep in mind all these things before purchasing your best catcher’s gear?

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However, an expensive catcher’s gear youth is proved to be the best in providing the Avant-garde quality, and lightweight which offers an easy movement. But, where you fall short is the size! Isn’t it? Absolutely! If you got an oversized protector for your catcher, it will be loose and can easily move around this, and it may cause inconvenience or injury while playing. Have you ever experienced anything like that? If yes, then what shall you do to avoid this situation? Sometimes, you need to mix and match the different sizes to get a perfect fit to overcome these circumstances.

Read More: Nike Catchers Gear

Check out the given below points for in-depth information about how you should analyze an ideal fit for your catcher’s gear.

1) Catcher’s Mitts

 

Choosing the right catcher’s mitt for yourself is a bit complex task. There are many that you must consider before:

• sizing
• web style
• leather quality
• Break-in time

Finding the right size gets complicated even if you find the apt catcher’s mitt fulfilling the desired requirements and high-quality standards. In order to know your correct size, you must first understand what exactly do you want- a perfect glove or a catcher’s mitt.

Since a fielder is more concerned about the length based on transition, fielding ground-balls, and catching fly-balls, a glove is measured by length. In contrast, a catcher is more concerned about how big the glove is to catch the ball from the pitcher and dig wild pitches out of the dirt, so the circumference of the glove measures the catching mitts. Once you are sure of what you want, you can then go on the measurement process.

It includes three easy steps:

1.  Spread the catcher’s mitt open using your hands as wide as you could.
2. Then, flatten it out press the mitt downward with its palm side down firmly on a flat surface.
3. Now, you can measure the perimeter of the mitt using a flexible measuring tape. The measurement number will be the mitt’s size.

Now that you know the size of the mitt, you can figure out what age group you belong to and choose the best for you. The standard size range of the mitt for baseball is from 29.5 to 34.5 inches and from 29.5 to 35 inches for softball. The detailed classification is as follows:

• Size of Baseball Catcher’s Mitt

         

                                               Age                                              (Inches)

Under 7                                      29.5 – 30 ”                                                                                                                                                                       8 – 10                   30- 31″

11 – 13                                         30 – 34.5″

14 +                                            32 – 34.5″

 

• Size of Fastpitch Catcher’s Mitt

 

                                            Age                                         (Inches)

Under 7                                 29.5 – 30″

8 – 10                                     30 – 32″

11 – 13                                    31 – 32.5″

14 +                                       33 – 35″

Read More: Best Youth Baseball Bats

2) Chest Protectors

 

The Size of Chest protectors is extremely important as the wrong size won’t perform the role it was purchased for in the first place, that is protection. The wrong size will not affect the safety that it offers but would also cause bruises on your body.

The size chart varies depending upon the type of play and types of catchers:

• chest protector for softball players
• chest protector for baseball players

Also, apart from the age factor, the Chest protector size and type would vary for men and women. Chest protectors for women don’t come with removable groin protectors to better fit a woman’s shape. Even for men, the groin protector is not a required piece of the chest protector and can remove it.

Now, after knowing your type of chest guard, further action is the measurement process.

• Carefully Measure from the top of the breastplate to the waist.
• The chest protectors should fit high over the throat protector.
• This will tell you the length and chest size (measure in inches) required for a proper fit.

After the measurement process, Look into the size chart and make a wise choice.

• Size For Baseball Chest Protector

                                             

                                                       AGE                            LENGTH(inches)

5-7                                        9.5

7-9                                      13.5

9-12                                    14.5

12-16                                  15.5

Adult                                 16.5

 

• Size For Softball Chest Protector

 

                                                 AGE                            LENGTH(inches)

7-9                                  12.5

9-12                                 13

12+                                14.5

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3) Leg Guards

 

Finding the right size of leg guards is comparably easy than finding a suitable chest protector. The leg guard also comes for two different plays:

• baseball
• fastpitch softball [Best Softball Bats Fastpitch]

However, the fastpitch leg guards are designed to give a better-fit shape to a woman’s leg.

After selecting what leg guard you want, you need to be careful with the measurement process to get the right fit.

The steps would be the following:

• Stand up barefoot on the ground
• Then, Bend down and measure from the middle of your kneecap down to the bottom of your shin (the bend of your ankle).
• Match this length to what is given in the product description.

Afterward, check out your measurements in inches with the size guide.

• Baseball Leg Guards Size

 

                                                     AGE RANGE     LENGTH(inches)

5-7                          10

7-9                        11.5

9-12                        13

12-16                     14.5

Adult                  15.5, 16.5, 17.5

 

• Softball Leg Guards Size

 

AGE             LENGTH(inches)

7-9                     11.5

9-12                    13

12+                     14.5

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4) Catcher’s Helmets

 

Catcher’s masks provide advanced protection and easy removal. It not only keeps your face safe from foul tips and wild pitches, but it’s also quick to shed when pursuing a fly ball.

The catcher’s helmets are of two types-

• piece style mask(traditional mask)
• hockey-style mask

However, when it comes to the sizing catcher’s gear of the catcher’s helmets, most manufacturers develop masks in two sizes: youth and adult, irrespective of the type of mask. The reason for this is that catcher’s masks are very easy to fit your head. It only takes a few pulls of the straps to find the correct helmet size.

Thus, you do not have many choices available to opt from. Instead, you can jump directly to the measurement process:

• Carefully measure the circumference of your head using a soft tape
• Keep the tape level from front to back and an inch above the eyebrows.
• Now match the circumference with the chart below to find your fit.

                         YOUTH CATCHERS                                       CENTIMETRES MASK SIZE

50.2                                                                                  6.1/4

51                                                                                     6.3/8

52                                                                                     6.1/2

53                                                                                     6.5/8

53.9                                                                                  6.3/4

54.9                                                                                   6.7/8

55.9                                                                                       7

 

                ADULT CATCHERS SIZE                                    CENTIMETRES MASK SIZE

55.9                                                                                       7

56.8                                                                                  7.1/8

57.8                                                                                   7.1/4

58.7                                                                                  7.3/8

59.7                                                                                   7.1/2

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Conclusion

 

Summing it up, now you know how important it is to get the correct size for your catcher’s gear or catcher’s gear adult. So do not buy any catcher protector before trial, and in case you are ordering it online, all the measurements are available in the size chart. Hence, pick out appropriate measures to avert any complications in the future. Finally, rest there are detailed techniques known in the article that you must follow to fix the perfect size that fits you.

Hopefully, the article was of great help. So, what are you waiting for? Hurry up! Go and get your ideal size.

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