Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers - Catcher Skills & Drills

art of catching

TIP #5

Brent Mayne's The Art of Catching Newsletter

Tip of the Week: " Keeping a Blocked Ball Close"

tip 2 image fingers

Blocking the ball effectively means keeping a bounced pitch in front of your body and making sure the resulting ricochet stays close enough to stop base runners from advancing.

Let's focus on the second part of the equation - keeping the ricochet close to your body. To consistently accomplish this, a few things must happen. First, the receiver's body must be square to the incoming bounce. Secondly, the catcher must stop moving by the time he and the ball collide.

The resulting impact when two moving objects (ball and catcher) bounce off each other is explosive. Conversely, if the catcher is quick enough to be waiting for a wild pitch, the ricochet will be muted.

Now for the cherry on top. To take your blocking to the next level, EXHALE when you and the ball meet. This will soften your body and further deaden the impact. Is a ball going to bounce farther off a wall or a pillow?

Till next week, good luck, have fun, and keep your eye on the ball.

The Art of Catching book

Finally, the long awaited book is here and available for purchase through my website www.brentmayne.com. Whether you're a coach, player, curious fan, this book is garaunteed to enhance your baseball experience. Catching is one of the most important defensive positions on the field, yet little if any instruction on the subject has ever been available - until now. In The Art of Catching, I distill fifteen years of Major League experience to provide cutting-edge overviews of all the crucial technical aspects of the position, including:

- Athletic posture and stances
- Glove mechanics and throwing to bases
- Pitchouts, backpicks, and handling pop flies
- Calling games and working with pitchers
- Making plays at the plate without getting hurt
- Getting the most out of drills and bullpen time
- What it takes to play in the big leagues

The information in this book is applicable to players at all levels, from Little League to the major leagues, and everyone in between. With many photos and illustrations, summaries of key points, and thought-provoking quotations, The Art of Catching is destined to be a baseball classic and essential for coaches, fans, and aspiring players. Order your copy today!

Thank you taking the time to read this newsletter, if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions you can contact me at artofcatching@gmail.com or through the website at www.brentmayne.com. Until next week, keep your eye on the ball...

Sincerely,

Brent Mayne