Catcher Drills Part Three of Three

Catching Part Two

Blocking Drills

Catching Video Part One of Three

I recently found some great drills for a catcher that I am going to implement into my routines.

When Making Decisions About Tryouts

When a coach is making a decision about players at tryouts it is important to speak to your staff about the philosophy behind your decisions. First, is your decision on players based on building a team for your local high school? Is it to be the best team that you can be each year or are you going to take on kids that project well down the road? Answering these three questions are going to make your life as a coach alot easier down the road when it comes to parent expectations and playing time. Remember, be upfront with your parent group about playing time and your expectations of each player. In my opinion, it is better to carry less players and have them play more than carry more and play less.

Best of luck!

Catching Throwing

Catcher's Throwing

Some people say to a catcher that they should " throw from the ear." This can be somewhat misleading because if a catcher cocks his arm directly back to his ear then they will lose power thus causing distress on the elbow joint.

Many coaches teach that the arm motion is similar to a circle "thumb to thigh." The same is true for a catcher however, a catcher's circle should be done above the waist. The shorten motion allows for maximum power, quickness and accuracy.

Back in Action

After a long season, I am back at posting helpful tips. My team of eleven year olds at one point won 13 in row after a slow start. I really think the success is due to having a teaching philosophy and practice organization.

A Catching Tip

Coaches when you are helping your catchers, you want to make sure that their receiving arm is located outside their left leg and not inside the leg. This enables them to have greater range trying to catch the ball to their left without having it obstructed by their left leg. The key is the elbow. The elbow should be outside the left leg or on top of it when giving a target. Furthermore, their target should be in the middle of their body and at the height of their knees/shin guards. Often times, a catcher will give a target that is too high and it becomes difficult for them to frame a pitch that is down in the strike zone. In addition, most catchers will drag the pitch out of the zone when they have to reach down to get it and it looks bad to the umpire.

Front Shoulder Flying Out Too Early in Your Swing

When your should flies out too early, a hitter needs to adjust quickly to fix the problem. A coach can tell when a hitters shoulder is flying out too early when the following occurs:

• The hitter's head and eyes move with the front shoulder and pull away from the ball
• A hitter's hands trail their shoulders, causing the barrel to be too late
• Swing gets too long
• Swing path will move towards and the ball and then away from the ball instead to and through the ball
• Because your front shoulder pulls up and out, your front shoulder on your approach to ball will tilt upward instead of downward

If you are not great at analyzing a swing the following will occur:

• The hitter will swing through a lot of pitches
• Weak fly balls and pop ups, most often to the opposite field as the hitter is spinning off the ball
• The sweet spot will rarely find the ball
• The hitter will have trouble hitting the outside pitch

A good tip to correct this is to have the hitter drive the rear shoulder forward and downward to the ball. This will keep the front shoulder from tilting upward. Sometimes you have to over emphasize a technique to get a desired result. This can be done by hitting off a tee emphasizing keeping your chest over the ball. If your hitter is still struggling, set up an L-screen approximately 25 feet in front of the hitter. As a coach, toss the ball on the outer half of the plate while having them practice hitting the outside pitch to the opposite field.