When people think of using an armband for any sport, the top sport that come into mind that normally uses the bands for plays is football.
I first noticed the armbands for softball coming into play at SCF in spring 2015. There were a few teams I watched play my junior college in softball with the bands and I hear the opposing coaches from the dugout call out three to four numbers from 0-5, sometimes repeating them to the players just in case they missed the numbers the first time and then the players look at the bands for the numbers that are called out and the pitcher pitches the ball. Then they wait again for the next set of numbers to be called. The process keeps over and over again until the batter is out of the batters box, which takes a rigorous amount of time depending on the batter, pitcher and coach calling out the numbers.
According to a discussion on scout.com on the armbands in softball, there are numerous mixed reactions.
One example a person wrote on a pro of using the armbands was this:
"I use them offensively. Started doing so years ago. The team I was coaching at the time missed a lot of signs in the previous season, so I switched over to this system. We almost never missed signs using it, and it sped up the game for us. It was much quicker to give a number and have the kids look at the wrist band than to stand there giving a bunch of signs. If you set the card up correctly, it can be very quick and easy to find."
It seems reasonable. On the other hand, people can disagree about it. Here's another example of someone writing that are against using the armbands:
"I personally hate them. Wastes too much time and usually adds more confusion to the pitcher/catcher combo. If someone is good enough at picking signals and has players good enough to react to a coach relaying them as the pitcher is in her windup, then they are way above anyone I have played against or with. Once your catcher gets the signal (if she is not calling the game) the pitcher needs only a glance to begin the pitch. I like finger signs with a key for pitches and locations but that's just me. The key can be changed for either as the game progresses, has worked forever and a day and will work today!"
As someone who watches a lot of college softball and baseball games at a junior college and university level, I'm very old school with baseball, let alone softball, so personally I am 100% against using them. They do waste a lot of time and slow the game and the inning(s) down. It adds more confusion and so much communication is lost between the pitcher and catcher.
Since I'm very old school, I feel like the armbands break and ruin the traditional ways of playing the game and I'm so use to seeing the coaches use hand and arm gestures because it's actually more accurate than just looking briefly at the bands and then doing the play(s).
Just recently, I watched on UNF play JU in the first round of the A-SUN Conference Softball Tournament on ESPN 3, and UNF was using the armbands while they were on the field and for base running. When they were batting, the coach at third base had a laminated paper in her hand with plays and every time the runners get on base, she yells out three numbers and the base-runners looks at the armband as well as the batter in the batter's box and just seeing it, I don't like it.
Everyone has an opinion on the bands, including me, but the question to my readers is this: What do you think?
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