What is the difference between umpire equipment and catchers equipment?
Posted by
epicmind in
Uncategorized on
Mar 13th, 2010 |
6 responses
I am VERY small and I am finding that the smallest sized umpire gear will not fit me. Is there a difference in catchers equipment compared to what an umpire would wear.
I am 5’4…95 lbs….and female- most of this stuff is made for men, so its VERY difficult!
Yes there is a difference,
Cathers equipment can be different because the chest plate is more of a clothing then a protector like the umps wear.
im sure they will allow you to wear a cathers helmit though because they are the same.
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yes and no the shin guards are the same. the chest protector for a catcher is softer and cloth-like the umpires is a hard plastic. The reason for this is when a catcher goes to block a ball he doesnt want the ball to fly off his chest protector and let teh runner advance he wants it to die so he can just pick it up and throw it. the helmets are also usally the same although some catcher use a newer style helmet that protects teh side of the neck better.
I don’t think there much of a diffrence there about the same thing. the only thing that could be diffrent.
is shoes. you guys where baseball cleats we we are required to where protect shoe gaurd steal toe shoe with extra padding on the top.
Mask maybe.
yes they are different. I am and umpire my self and the gear is different. first of all, catchers shin guards have toe protectors that extend town past shinguard. As umpires, we wear steel toed plate shoes that means we dont need that extra protection.
Second: the chest protector is different. We use a hard chest protector made out of plastic, The reason for this is when we get hit by the ball, it bounces right off and doesnt just stop. The catches have a chest protector mad eof cloth that causes the ball to loose velocity and die down when blocked.
Third: The helmit is the only thing that can be used as catchers. I use the mask that goes infront of my hat. You can find a catchers mask anywhere because that is what I use. Now if you ise the hockey mask like ctachers use, i dont recomend that.
How very small? I started umpiring at 5 ft 5 in at age 16.
You can use catchers gear but you will not be as protected in the chest or shoulder regions. Plus a catcher’s chest protector extends tot he top of the pant. Umpires want the Chest guard to stop just above the navel for comfort.
Umpire leg guards are generally more streamlined to fit under your plate pants.
Use any mask you wish. I recommend a hockey style because it protects the back of your head against a wild back swing.
I umpired for 18 years (3 in the minors) and you can find great gear by looking around a little bit.