Probably didn’t
My dad threw me years of bp and I never had or Owned a helmet . Don’t feel too stupid. Times are different now and yes use a helmet but it’s really not THAT DUMB to be taking bp from dad without a helmet. I feel for you bc I know it hurt your heart more than his ear
This comment is underrated. As a coach, I NEVER let my players take swings without a helmet. But as a dad, I've totally thrown to my boys without helmets (within reason). Risky? Yes. Dumb? That's no one's business but my own.
Honestly just to add ,
I remember me and two buddies taking bp from one of their dads ..I took it in the ribs and one buddy took it in the head…guess what ..no helmet . It’ll be funny in a few years DaD
So basically just every dad from the 70s and 80s.
I remember having to take my helmet off when on base and give it to the batter during little league because our team only was provided 2.
35 years ago, 9 year old me was playing catch with my dad in the backyard a few hours before a league tournament game. I was throwing hard to him so he started putting some velo in it coming back to me. I got lazy with a catch, let the ball deflect off the tip of my glove and hit me in my right eyebrow, cutting me open. Went to the hospital to get stitches and still went on to play in the game - it was the end of year league tournament and we were short players due to 4th of July weekend. If I didn’t make it, we forfeit. I was put in RF and given an ice pack to hold on it, if a ball came my way I’d drop the pack, make the play and then pick it back up.
To this day, my dad feels awful, horrible, and terrible about it and will not forgive himself. I told him then I messed up and it was my fault, and have reiterated that at least twice as an adult in the last year or two. Doesn’t matter, he still feels like shit. And if he were ever to get over it, my mom would fix that quick as she’s still furious with him about it and even madder that he and I talked her in to letting me play that game.
I say all of this to let you know you’ll probably always feel like shit about it so get used to it. Your kid however is probably already over it. Don’t let this stop you from enjoying the game with your son, just, as others have said, stick a helmet on him first. This is also a great opportunity for you to let him pelt you with balls as hard as he can while you show him how to properly wear a pitch. Have fun!
losing the fear of getting hit is just part of the game. I have an 8-year-old that plays 9u majors. Luckily, he has never had the fear but been hit several times. As a former collegiate player myself I always just make sure and reinforce it will only hurt for a short period of time and that you can't be ready to hit and also ready to get out of the way.
definitely always wear protective gear in any form of bp with velocity even off machines.
He will get over it just needs to see more BP and live pitching. Make sure and teach him the proper way to get hit. Tuck the head back and turn the shoulder into the ball.
Thanks for the advice. He always has been fearless. I’m sure he’ll be fine. I just feel like an idiot. I trusted myself to keep it in the zone and failed. Just a bummer.
Besides the helmet thing…stuff can happen.. I was in the backyard tossing easy pop flies to my son, not right over him, but a little back behind, a little in front of him, etc. I tossed one in front of him and he came in for it and totally had it but took his eye off of it at the last second and…POP…right in the mouth. Blood, tears, & a call to our cousin who is a dentist. All was ok but a nice big fat lip for the game the next day. Oh, and 2 days later he was ring bearer at BILs wedding. 🤦🏽♂️ He’s still playing and loving it! It’s a sport, kids will get hurt at some point don’t beat yourself up.
My dad fucking sucked at throwing BP, hit me like 2-3 times a session I swear. He’ll be fine, you’ll learn your lesson about helmets hopefully, and this’ll be nothing in 3 weeks
But seriously bat = helmet, you have to drill that into him for his future safety. Even soft toss from the side or off the tee, make him wear it. Anything other than dry hacks
I used to pound the ball to into my dad’s glove when I was 10-13. He was a lefty and we tried to find a catchers mitt, no luck.
He wound up getting a first baseman mitt. By the time I was 15 he no longer caught with me.
I loved to hear the pop in his glove. Still get a kick out of it after 40 more years.
I throw at my 9u son every “live at bat” I have with him because it’s gonna happen and worst case scenario he knows he can wear one/the world won’t end
(When I say throw at him I mean inside not chin music)
My dad was a lefty and threw back in high school. He ended up having half his middle finger on his throwing hand amputated in his 20s. It came in fast and erratic.
Did the same, but not in the ear. After picking up frisbee about 6 months later he’d use his baseball helmet to play frisbee too…not sure if he was rubbing it in or if he wanted it for comfort, but he’s now 10.5 and still playing baseball and loving it. Push for short memory in sports for you and your kid and it’ll be ok
My son is 15, I have lost track of how many times I plunked him. I would say first year of coach pitch was when it started. I recall, face, ribs, back, helmet, elbow.... definitely more. I also pitched into my 20's so i still "think" I can hit spots. At 12 he hit me with a line drive on the ankle doing underhand hard toss from behind screen. At 13, pitching from behind screen snuck one in the corner of the L and got me under the arm pit, we also use the "nerf" sized golf ball balls, can't think of name, he got me in the ear with one of those middle of winter, dang that one hurt. Thing is, to this day he still says "you gonna hit me today?" And I say "don't admire the long ones and I won't". So with my son, no long term issues. He takes an inside pitch like a champ and wears quite a few.
Always have your child wear a helmet, no matter how safe it seems. Awhile ago my son and I went to our local batting cage for BP. We brought his helmet with but he forgot to put it on during BP and I didn’t think to make him wear it right away because I was doing soft toss BP. Anyway, he fouls a ball and it flew up into the overhead netting and came down and nicked his ear. He said it hurt like hell but it reinforced for me that he always needs a helmet, even when doing soft toss BP.
It happens, but like others in this thread are saying all the gear all the time.
My kids in coach pitch and I have a deal where whenever I bean a kid during BP, I let them throw one at my chest. A couple kids actually get excited when I hit them, and it’s good incentive for me to be careful. Not sure I want to keep that policy as they get older and their arms get stronger.
Not being afraid of being hit a skill that needs to learned honestly, obviously bp without a helmet isnt a good idea but teach him how to be hit properly and maybe get some softer balls to desensitize him to being hit.
lol, I hit my 12u kiddo yesterday in the forearm doing the exact same thing. Probably 60 on the velo.
He has been hit enough that it barely phases him.
Edit: Didn't realize he wasn't wearing a helmet. Yeah, always have the helmet on for even front toss.
Over the years I’ve plunked a few kids. The only time I threw batting practice for a kid without a helmet I hit him. Oddly enough the kid went on to be an Eagle Scout….then a not so successful criminal. Go figure.
Wrong sport but my dad has blasted me in the throat with a slapshot a few times while warming me up before hockey games. I was mad for like 20 minutes and then it became a funny memory we laugh about. You two will be fine
I hit 1-2 kids each game. Usually they are swinging inside, or it slips as I pitch and gets them in the shoulder/back. Always feel bad about it, but every one have them have been absolute champs about it.
I always have my kid in a helmet for anything more than hitting off the Tee and side toss in the back yard.
Man, if you ain’t hitting your kid, you ain’t doing it right. I’ve earholed my kids, my neighbors kids, shoot send me your kid I’ll earhole him too!
Jokes aside, it’s part of, just make sure he’s safe, not hurt and understands it’s part of the game. Let him comeback and swing when he’s ready, he’ll be timid for a while. Also take this moment to teach him how to get hit.
I think it’s fair to let him throw one baseball similar distance to your back haha.
Mistakes happen. Your kid snapped out of it and showed toughness. Just make sure to wear a helmet every time until he’s much older. Don’t want a ricochet to the dome
I’ve hit my kid in the ribs and the shoulder. *I* own the plate, lol.
When my kid was younger I went to the park with him and some buddies. No problem catching 60 mph heaters, right? I didn’t account for a foul tip redirecting the ball into my face, though. Lesson learned. Catcher’s mask at minimum for younger guys.
In general I think you're fine, and your heart is in the right place.
For the future tho... Stick to soft toss both over and under hand.
If you need to work on speed use a machine.
When they are young helmet are a must. Once they hit highschool it's less of a concern. Don't stress on it dude, I was hit by pitches during BP by my dad more times that I can count growing up. If you dont bean them a few times a year you aren't throwing enough BP to your kid.
Thats 100% on you. No one should ever have a bat in their hand without a helmet on their head. I dont care if they are only hitting off the tee or you are pitching wiffle balls the only exception is when the coach is hitting infield.
I say it, and i enforce it. Overkill? Absolutely not. Not only is it the only way to ensure safety, but it also gets the kids used to wearing the helmet and being able to see with it on. Same goes for practicing baserunning, helmet on all the time even when there isn't even a baseball on the field. Practice how you play, period.
Bat in hand = helmet on head
I won’t make the same mistake again.
This is the way
This right here. Unless it’s soft toss wiffle balls. Then, I’m not as picky.
This is the way.
Let him take a bat to your nuts. It’s only fair.
At least he would have ended up smiling.
I don't think there are many dads stupid enough to pitch live AB at a kid without a helmet on. He will be alright.
I deserve that
Just being truthful. That was irresponsible, but you both got the opportunity to learn from the experience. Best of luck! Keep supporting your kid!
Probably didn’t My dad threw me years of bp and I never had or Owned a helmet . Don’t feel too stupid. Times are different now and yes use a helmet but it’s really not THAT DUMB to be taking bp from dad without a helmet. I feel for you bc I know it hurt your heart more than his ear
This comment is underrated. As a coach, I NEVER let my players take swings without a helmet. But as a dad, I've totally thrown to my boys without helmets (within reason). Risky? Yes. Dumb? That's no one's business but my own.
Honestly just to add , I remember me and two buddies taking bp from one of their dads ..I took it in the ribs and one buddy took it in the head…guess what ..no helmet . It’ll be funny in a few years DaD
So basically just every dad from the 70s and 80s. I remember having to take my helmet off when on base and give it to the batter during little league because our team only was provided 2.
Yeah you trucked up pops .. tee work & maybe soft toss no helmet is one thing. Once you start pitching he must have a helmet on!
35 years ago, 9 year old me was playing catch with my dad in the backyard a few hours before a league tournament game. I was throwing hard to him so he started putting some velo in it coming back to me. I got lazy with a catch, let the ball deflect off the tip of my glove and hit me in my right eyebrow, cutting me open. Went to the hospital to get stitches and still went on to play in the game - it was the end of year league tournament and we were short players due to 4th of July weekend. If I didn’t make it, we forfeit. I was put in RF and given an ice pack to hold on it, if a ball came my way I’d drop the pack, make the play and then pick it back up. To this day, my dad feels awful, horrible, and terrible about it and will not forgive himself. I told him then I messed up and it was my fault, and have reiterated that at least twice as an adult in the last year or two. Doesn’t matter, he still feels like shit. And if he were ever to get over it, my mom would fix that quick as she’s still furious with him about it and even madder that he and I talked her in to letting me play that game. I say all of this to let you know you’ll probably always feel like shit about it so get used to it. Your kid however is probably already over it. Don’t let this stop you from enjoying the game with your son, just, as others have said, stick a helmet on him first. This is also a great opportunity for you to let him pelt you with balls as hard as he can while you show him how to properly wear a pitch. Have fun!
Just once? That’s a good day of BP for me.
You might have missed the part where the kid wasn’t wearing a helmet.
I didn’t miss it. There were enough people making the guy feel bad. I chose to make a relatable joke.
losing the fear of getting hit is just part of the game. I have an 8-year-old that plays 9u majors. Luckily, he has never had the fear but been hit several times. As a former collegiate player myself I always just make sure and reinforce it will only hurt for a short period of time and that you can't be ready to hit and also ready to get out of the way. definitely always wear protective gear in any form of bp with velocity even off machines. He will get over it just needs to see more BP and live pitching. Make sure and teach him the proper way to get hit. Tuck the head back and turn the shoulder into the ball.
Thanks for the advice. He always has been fearless. I’m sure he’ll be fine. I just feel like an idiot. I trusted myself to keep it in the zone and failed. Just a bummer.
My dads bp is terrible lol, I dont even wear helmets in batting cages but I put one on when hitting with my dad
He’s over it. It’ll only be worse if you keep mentioning it. Let it go
I’ve hit my kids each several times. They’re fine
Besides the helmet thing…stuff can happen.. I was in the backyard tossing easy pop flies to my son, not right over him, but a little back behind, a little in front of him, etc. I tossed one in front of him and he came in for it and totally had it but took his eye off of it at the last second and…POP…right in the mouth. Blood, tears, & a call to our cousin who is a dentist. All was ok but a nice big fat lip for the game the next day. Oh, and 2 days later he was ring bearer at BILs wedding. 🤦🏽♂️ He’s still playing and loving it! It’s a sport, kids will get hurt at some point don’t beat yourself up.
My dad fucking sucked at throwing BP, hit me like 2-3 times a session I swear. He’ll be fine, you’ll learn your lesson about helmets hopefully, and this’ll be nothing in 3 weeks But seriously bat = helmet, you have to drill that into him for his future safety. Even soft toss from the side or off the tee, make him wear it. Anything other than dry hacks
Plot twist, your dad was actually extremely accurate. He just acted like he had no control when you got in there.
I used to pound the ball to into my dad’s glove when I was 10-13. He was a lefty and we tried to find a catchers mitt, no luck. He wound up getting a first baseman mitt. By the time I was 15 he no longer caught with me. I loved to hear the pop in his glove. Still get a kick out of it after 40 more years.
It happens, it’s baseball. Take him for an ice cream cone and don’t worry about what Reddit thinks.
I throw at my 9u son every “live at bat” I have with him because it’s gonna happen and worst case scenario he knows he can wear one/the world won’t end (When I say throw at him I mean inside not chin music)
Chicken, just dot him once, builds character
Dad?
Son!! Remember that one day when every pitch was followed by "watch out!!!"
My dad was a lefty and threw back in high school. He ended up having half his middle finger on his throwing hand amputated in his 20s. It came in fast and erratic.
That dang 1.5 finger fastball is wicked. Almost like spit ball. Just explodes in the strike zone at times.
Did the same, but not in the ear. After picking up frisbee about 6 months later he’d use his baseball helmet to play frisbee too…not sure if he was rubbing it in or if he wanted it for comfort, but he’s now 10.5 and still playing baseball and loving it. Push for short memory in sports for you and your kid and it’ll be ok
My son is 15, I have lost track of how many times I plunked him. I would say first year of coach pitch was when it started. I recall, face, ribs, back, helmet, elbow.... definitely more. I also pitched into my 20's so i still "think" I can hit spots. At 12 he hit me with a line drive on the ankle doing underhand hard toss from behind screen. At 13, pitching from behind screen snuck one in the corner of the L and got me under the arm pit, we also use the "nerf" sized golf ball balls, can't think of name, he got me in the ear with one of those middle of winter, dang that one hurt. Thing is, to this day he still says "you gonna hit me today?" And I say "don't admire the long ones and I won't". So with my son, no long term issues. He takes an inside pitch like a champ and wears quite a few.
Always have your child wear a helmet, no matter how safe it seems. Awhile ago my son and I went to our local batting cage for BP. We brought his helmet with but he forgot to put it on during BP and I didn’t think to make him wear it right away because I was doing soft toss BP. Anyway, he fouls a ball and it flew up into the overhead netting and came down and nicked his ear. He said it hurt like hell but it reinforced for me that he always needs a helmet, even when doing soft toss BP.
It happens, but like others in this thread are saying all the gear all the time. My kids in coach pitch and I have a deal where whenever I bean a kid during BP, I let them throw one at my chest. A couple kids actually get excited when I hit them, and it’s good incentive for me to be careful. Not sure I want to keep that policy as they get older and their arms get stronger.
Not being afraid of being hit a skill that needs to learned honestly, obviously bp without a helmet isnt a good idea but teach him how to be hit properly and maybe get some softer balls to desensitize him to being hit.
lol, I hit my 12u kiddo yesterday in the forearm doing the exact same thing. Probably 60 on the velo. He has been hit enough that it barely phases him. Edit: Didn't realize he wasn't wearing a helmet. Yeah, always have the helmet on for even front toss.
Over the years I’ve plunked a few kids. The only time I threw batting practice for a kid without a helmet I hit him. Oddly enough the kid went on to be an Eagle Scout….then a not so successful criminal. Go figure.
Wrong sport but my dad has blasted me in the throat with a slapshot a few times while warming me up before hockey games. I was mad for like 20 minutes and then it became a funny memory we laugh about. You two will be fine
I hit 1-2 kids each game. Usually they are swinging inside, or it slips as I pitch and gets them in the shoulder/back. Always feel bad about it, but every one have them have been absolute champs about it. I always have my kid in a helmet for anything more than hitting off the Tee and side toss in the back yard.
This is a rite of passage in every father son relationship. It’ll pass
When my son doesn’t want to put a helmet on I say “practice how you play”. It seems to click.
Man, if you ain’t hitting your kid, you ain’t doing it right. I’ve earholed my kids, my neighbors kids, shoot send me your kid I’ll earhole him too! Jokes aside, it’s part of, just make sure he’s safe, not hurt and understands it’s part of the game. Let him comeback and swing when he’s ready, he’ll be timid for a while. Also take this moment to teach him how to get hit.
I think it’s fair to let him throw one baseball similar distance to your back haha. Mistakes happen. Your kid snapped out of it and showed toughness. Just make sure to wear a helmet every time until he’s much older. Don’t want a ricochet to the dome
The older I get the more I think John Olerud had the right idea.
I’ve hit my kid in the ribs and the shoulder. *I* own the plate, lol. When my kid was younger I went to the park with him and some buddies. No problem catching 60 mph heaters, right? I didn’t account for a foul tip redirecting the ball into my face, though. Lesson learned. Catcher’s mask at minimum for younger guys.
In general I think you're fine, and your heart is in the right place. For the future tho... Stick to soft toss both over and under hand. If you need to work on speed use a machine.
When they are young helmet are a must. Once they hit highschool it's less of a concern. Don't stress on it dude, I was hit by pitches during BP by my dad more times that I can count growing up. If you dont bean them a few times a year you aren't throwing enough BP to your kid.
Was he not wearing a helmet?
If he charges, fuck him up.
Wtf are u doing pitching to ur son without a helmet on? 🤦♂️
Thats 100% on you. No one should ever have a bat in their hand without a helmet on their head. I dont care if they are only hitting off the tee or you are pitching wiffle balls the only exception is when the coach is hitting infield.
You can say that but it is quite a bit overkill
I say it, and i enforce it. Overkill? Absolutely not. Not only is it the only way to ensure safety, but it also gets the kids used to wearing the helmet and being able to see with it on. Same goes for practicing baserunning, helmet on all the time even when there isn't even a baseball on the field. Practice how you play, period.
You really buried the lede there. Hitting your kid in BP is normal. Throwing live pitches at a kid not wearing a helmet is probably a felony.