I took a pelota to the face once at North Miami amateur. The ball hit just below the helmet, basically square on my eyebrow. Ended up in the ER getting lots of stitches. I was lucky it was just that. A couple inches lower and my nose would have been broken or several teeth knocked out. But just one inch higher and it would have hit the helmet and no damage. I would never play without a helmet, especially after that hit. You never know what can happen. In my case it was a left side that I threw, and there were only 2 of us on the court. The other amateur tried to catch it as it bounced at his feet, but tipped it and it came straight at me. No time to get out of the way. Anything can happen, even in practice. Helmets are a must. The players are getting so strong that facemasks might be needed soon. I wish I had one that day!
