I agree with the active ankle theory. My daughter played VB and also did BB in high school. She has worn AA since she was 15 in VB but never used them in BB and never needed them. I think it helped keep her ankles stronger but the AA served the purpose with all the feet under the net.

Both of my girls ended up injured, during college but both were freak things. I do see too many ACL injuries at all levels and it doesn't seem to really diminish at the college level. The unbalance of the quads and hams seems to be a significant factor as well as them learning to jump and land correctly. Girls especially don't like to do some of the lifts that are needed to keep everything balanced. The other thing is shoulders. They do sooooo many reps that I wonder the arms don't just fall off. Once there is an ache, pain, or injury, mechanics change naturally to alleviate the pain and this can cause more serious injury to the body part.

And to comment on the junior circuit.... I really believe we are doing a disservice to our little ones, They are learning skills at a young age, pounding the ball at a young age, and really haven't developed the strength to do some of the things we expect of them. This is along the same lines as the young pitchers that throw too hard too young and are injured before they really ever get started. I understand they want to play the game the same way and it is hard to hold them back, and some of them are amazing in what they are able to do but I think we will continue to see a rise in injuries because of it.