Diamond Shield Youth Baseball Sternum Guard Shirt - Protective Chest Gear for Kids Baseball | Perfect for Practice, Games & Training

I'll get to what an excellent product this is, but first I want to strongly urge all baseball parents, coaches and league officials to understand that by simply purchasing this shirt (and yes, getting your ballplayer to wear it, which wasn't a problem for ours) you can prevent everything from a minor injury to an unspeakable tragedy from happening.As a baseball coach who for forty years has coached every level from semi-pro, wood bat and scout teams, to high school and all the way down to t-ball, I can tell you that our sport still has done little to protect players sufficiently, so it falls upon parents and coaches to take steps to prevent not just everyday injuries but most importantly the rare fatality from occurring.So if you're wondering if you should buy this very inexpensive, very well-made product, just search the internet for something like "baseball deaths in youth leagues". I can tell you from having witnessed more baseball games than probably any parent or grandparent or coach alive, while taking a really hard hit or pitch to the chest isn't an everyday event, every time it DOES HAPPEN, the outcome is beyond "not good". So please, act now so you won't regret it later.As to the quality of this product: simply stated, it's perfect, especially when you consider the price. And that's an assessment that comes from both an experienced coach and from his sometimes picky-about-what-he-wears grandson. From the moment he first tried it on we have never once had to remind him to wear it for every game and practice. And while I'm not a doctor, I can say that it sure appears to me that this protection would in fact, do something I would think to prevent the heart damage that occurs when a player gets hit in the chest - and for sure it will reduce the likelihood of a badly bruised sternum. I held the pad up to my chest and hit it really really hard and it seemed to absorb most all of the impact.Otherwise my grandson and his teammates love the look and the fit and the comfort, and I respect the workmanship and the price. At this very, very reasonable price it makes it easy to buy several so that there's always a clean one available for him to wear. And as far as sizing, my grandson is 8-1/2 and weighs around 60 pounds and the Small fits perfectly. There's no question that I'll continue to buy this product in larger and larger sizes as my ballplayer grows.All things considered, I can say that this is the best money I've ever spent for a piece of baseball equipment.