Catching

I have an 18 y.o. son who has been catching for 10 years (about 25 seasons, counting L.L., H.S. and Summer ball). I have coached at the 17/18 year old level for about 12 years. I have always worked hard on making sure that our catchers know the difference between the "runner on" stance, and the "bases empty" stance. With runners on, the legs should be flexed and "pre-loaded", with the back close to parallel with the thighs, shoulders even with the toes and the throwing hand behind the mitt but clinched into a fist to protect the fingers. With no one on base the catcher can "sit back" in a more upright position with the back more perpendicular to the ground and the throwing hand behind the back or thigh. The most important thing that will help your catchers be more at ease in their stance and be a better reciever for your pitchers is to learn to squat in a "toes out" position. While this will seem uncomfortable at first it will allow your catchers to catch the low strike in a "fingers up" position, it will allow them to rest their weight on the calves, but most importantly it allows them to react quicker to the ball in the dirt. If you are on the balls of your feet you MUST raise your weight UP in order to get the weight off your feet before you drop to the ground but if you are in a "toes out, heels down" position you can drop straight to the ground to the blocking position. This is only possible if your catchers work on their flexibility every day. Watch the College and Pro catchers and their foot positions to see my point.

Just a side note::::

Please don't E-Mail me with your orthopedic bill if you decide to try this yourself and are 40+ as I am. I used to do this routinely but now it takes a while to recover if my ego makes me demonstrate it for a player. Have fun and good luck with your coaching.