| |
- Trust the Tools of Ignorance
Catchers learn to trust their equipment and concentrate on the ball by doing a trust
drill. Two players stand in front of the catcher. One player flicks a ball at the catcher's mask while the other player throws a pop fly. The catcher ignores the ball flicked at his head in order to find and catch the popup.
- Popup Physics
Catchers should turn their backs to the playing field when catching pop flies. The ball naturally comes back to the playing field, so turning the back to the field makes catching these pop flies a lot easier.
- Bad Pitches - Body Positions
- Not too far away - Keep the feet planted and move the body toward the ball
- Clearly away - Take one step toward the ball
- High Pitches - Glove is angled DOWN above the pitch
- Low Pitches near the body - Drop to the knees, body square to the pitch, hand in middle of body, the chest
square to the pitch, the chin tucked into the chest, the shoulders forward
- Low Pitches Away from the body - Step to the side of the ball, drop the opposite knee to the ground, hands to the space between the knees and the foot.
- Accurate & Hard Throwing
Accuracy comes from alignment. Throwing hard requires the large muscles of the body, not just the arm. Players stepping forward and to the side often generate sideways momentum, making their throws curl and come in less accurately. Be sure the catcher is aligned and moving straight at the target.
|
