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CATCHER'S TIP #1: | |
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Question: How can I decrease my pop-time when throwing to a base? Throwing is a skill that can be broken down into the separate components of the catch, exchange, grip, arm action and footwork. Each component has its own drill. This month’s “TIP” will focus on the exchange. |
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The exchanging of the baseball from the mitt to the throwing hand, and getting your throwing arm and mitt arm into proper throwing position as quickly as possible, is crucial to the success of throwing out base runners. The exchange is broken down into the steps of “Catch,” “Turn,” “Grab,” and “Pull.” The list below details the important components of the exchange. |
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FUNDAMENTALS OF THE EXCHANGE | ||
| 1 | CATCH - Let the baseball come to you (The ball moves faster than the hands can so let the ball come to you instead of reaching out to the ball). Notice the catcher (to the right) has his receiving arm bent at the elbow. The elbow should remain bent while receiving the pitch. |
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| 2 | TURN - After receiving the ball, turn the mitt so the ball so the ball is facing you. This is done in preparation to “grab” the baseball (Do not bring the glove back to your ear to “grab” the baseball – you should be pulling the ball out of the mitt in front of your body). |
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| 3 | GRAB - Grab the baseball as close to a “four seam grip” as possible. You don’t want to waste time by trying to find the perfect four seam grip. |
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| 4 | PULL - Pull the baseball out of the top of your mitt and bring you hand straight back in a way that the back of your hand moves directly past your face mask. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line – move the hands into throwing position in as straight of a line as possible. Pulling the ball out of the bottom of the glove creates a “loop” in the arm action which makes it take longer to get the hands and arms into throwing position. Finally, make sure you mitt arm elbow is as high as your throwing arm elbow once you are in throwing position. |
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“The Bottom Line” - A proper exchange along with
quick and correct footwork will greatly improve (decrease) a catcher’s
pop-time. |
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For more information and a list of drills on proper throwing technique check out Chapter 6 in
“The View From Behind the Mask.”
**Purchase your copy at www.theviewfrombehindthemask.com**
www.gamerbaseball.com |
Email: gamersgetdirty@yahoo.com |
