Protective Gear Really Needed?

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by just another ref

Not necessarily true. Some have either short memories, or are just stubborn. Try telling blue #13 that he's not allowed to wear that white t-shirt under his jersey. He'll go and take it off if he has to, but chances are good that he'll have it on again next week.

Let's all say it together:

"Everybody else lets me wear it."

He'll have it on next week because too many of the everyone else does let him wear it. If no one ever let him, he'd quit trying.

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by Bad Zebra

Boys middle school championship tonight (they play MS before the HS season due to shortage of officials ) Fed Rules. Home team is in white. They are wearing black leg sleeves, blue leg sleeves (a school color), one kid with black knee pads (old school style mentioned above) black arm sleeves and one player with a grey (gray?) undershirt.

Visitors were in red. They are wearing black leg sleeves, red leg sleeves and no arm sleeves that we noticed.

We told both coaches to pick a color sleeve for arms and legs and go with it. Of course both coaches claimed they were wearing these combinations all year..."and what about them? they are wearing both". Yes coach, we are telling them the same thing. Of course the home team goes with the blue leg sleeves and the kid with the knee pads (black) keeps them on. We have to explain to the visiting coach the difference. Additionally, the kid with the grey undershirt starts to strip his shirt off at the bench...whoa junior...take it to the locker room.

This drill took up pretty much the entire warm up period. It would have been a great example for the case book. What a cluster ****.

All this...and it's only middle school. I couldn't make up a more ridiculous scenario if I tried. In the end...home team gets to a running clock and we get out of Dodge in about an hour and a half. I hope this isn't a preview of the season.

Bravo. That's all I can say. Bravo. My head hurt just reading all of this.

If I was a coach I think I'd make a chart and hang it in the locker room so players would know what accessories they can wear based on their uniform of the day.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

If I was a coach I think I'd make a chart and hang it in the locker room so players would know what accessories they can wear based on their uniform of the day.

Source: Freddy

[Sharpshooternes]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Source: Freddy

Can someone give me the rules reference for the protective padding and such? I missed it somewhere. I thought the only one who could wear padding was the backboard.

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by Sharpshooternes

Can someone give me the rules reference for the protective padding and such? I missed it somewhere. I thought the only one who could wear padding was the backboard.

NFHS 3-5-2 probably deals with it best:

Guards, casts and braces must meet the following guidelines:

a. A guard, cast or brace made of a hard and unyielding substance, such as, but not limited to, leather, plaster, plastic or metal shall not be worn on the elbow, hand, finger/thumb, wrist or forearm; even though covered with soft padding.

b. Hard and unyielding items (guards, casts, braces, etc.) on the upper arm or shoulder must be padded with a closed-cell, slow-recovery foam padding no less than ½" thick.

c. Knee and ankle braces which are unaltered from the manufacturer's original design/production are permitted and do not require any additional padding/covering.

d. A protective face mask may be worn and made of hard material, but must be worn molded to the face with no protrusions.

e. Must be worn for medical reasons.

There really isn’t anything specific to elbow or knee pads. The generic concern is whatever a player wears can’t be a danger to anyone or provide an unfair advantage to the person wearing the padding. Basically if the rules don’t specifically say a player can’t wear something – or that a player has to wear something a specific way – then they can.

[Sharpshooternes]

Originally Posted by JetMetFan

NFHS 3-5-2 probably deals with it best:



There really isn’t anything specific to elbow or knee pads. The generic concern is whatever a player wears can’t be a danger to anyone or provide an unfair advantage to the person wearing the padding.

So I guess the general consensus is that knee pads, elbow pads, and other preventative padding are all legal. In my mind I guess I was reading the rule as : All of the listed equipment are for protection of an existing healing injury and/or prevention of re-injury to said "Medical reason." I was reading it as prevention of a first time injury (ie kneepads) as one thing and protection of an existing injury (ie healing strained ACL with knee brace) as another.

How can knee pads be "worn for medical reasons" if no injury exists? Thoughts?

[Bad Zebra]

Originally Posted by Sharpshooternes

How can knee pads be "worn for medical reasons" if no injury exists? Thoughts?

Why are you associating knee/elbow pads with "medical reasons"? There is no rule dictating how or why they are worn or what color is worn (which seems pretty odd now that I think about it).

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Bad Zebra

Why are you associating knee/elbow pads with "medical reasons"? There is no rule dictating how or why they are worn or what color is worn (which seems pretty odd now that I think about it).

From the quoted rule:

e. Must be worn for medical reasons.

[Sharpshooternes]

Originally Posted by Bad Zebra

Why are you associating knee/elbow pads with "medical reasons"? There is no rule dictating how or why they are worn or what color is worn (which seems pretty odd now that I think about it).

That is kind of my point. I don't see where they are allowed for non medical reasons. They aren't part of the uniform and there is no clause to allow equipment for prevention of a non existant injury. And what bob said.

[johnny d]

Knee pads and elbow pads are not guards, casts, or braces and therefore are not covered by that rule.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by Sharpshooternes

Can someone give me the rules reference for the protective padding and such? I missed it somewhere. I thought the only one who could wear padding was the backboard.

I'm thinking that, since it doesn't say knee and elbow pads can't be worn, they are permissable.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by johnny d

Knee pads and elbow pads are not guards, casts, or braces and therefore are not covered by that rule.

I agree with that -- I was only answering the "why do you associate it with medical devices" question.

I think it's covered under 3-5-1 and 3-5-5. Also comment 3.5A (from last year's book, at least)

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BadNewsRef

I'm thinking that, since it doesn't say knee and elbow pads can't be worn, they are permissable.

Just like compression sleeves were never mentioned in the rules and now only are mentioned for color purposes mostly now. What is not said to be illegal, is legal.

Peace

[Sharpshooternes]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Just like compression sleeves were never mentioned in the rules and now only are mentioned for color purposes mostly now. What is not said to be illegal, is legal.

Peace

What about gloves?

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Sharpshooternes

What about gloves?

Specifically indicated as illegal in the case book (iirc)