I never really read through this thread before, but since I do a LOT of catching for our pitchers, I've started to wonder about some of what's commonly taught.
I'm not a catcher. At all. I never played the position. When I catch our pitchers, I wear shin guards but no other gear. I'm obviously not blocking, so I pick everything. And it's not hard, and since I'm not wearing other gear, I'm usually picking the ball while looking in the opposite direction -- you don't even need to see the ball to pick it 95% of the time.
There are probably some pitches where blocking is necessary, but I'm with RAD here. Field the ball (most of the time).
I'm not a catcher. At all. I never played the position. When I catch our pitchers, I wear shin guards but no other gear. I'm obviously not blocking, so I pick everything. And it's not hard, and since I'm not wearing other gear, I'm usually picking the ball while looking in the opposite direction -- you don't even need to see the ball to pick it 95% of the time.
There are probably some pitches where blocking is necessary, but I'm with RAD here. Field the ball (most of the time).