Facemask Awareness Month is a great way to remind softball players of the importance behind protecting their faces from detrimental speeds that are unavoidable in softball.

Whether you believe wearing a facemask is responsible or the sign of a weak player, the facts are undeniable. Being hit by a ball was the most common mechanism of injury (52.4%) and accounted for most of face (89.6%) and head (75.7%) injuries (source). That means that 68% of injuries come from ball- related impacts. With that being said, we can't control our fate on the field no matter how skilled of a player we are.

The main issue with softball is not the players reaction time or players not being trained well enough to react, but the speed at which the ball comes back to us is extraordinarily fast for even the world's greatest softball player to react to.

Speed

The Effect

So many players and coaches believable they are untouchable to the harms of receiving an injury to the face but you never know when you will get caught off guard, and when you do you will wish there was mask in between you and the ball.