DD got beat up last night

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Jun 18, 2013
322
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As most of you know, Cricket is moving into travel ball and moving up to 12U at the same time. Last night we had our second practice with the new team plus we had some new faces that were there to be evaluated to fill in the roster. So she was trying to catch for girls that she has never caught before, that throw harder than she has ever really dealt with, that throw more pitches than she has seen before, and were trying to prove something. She is still struggling to pick the ball up out of the pitcher's hand but we are working on that. We had a practice session on Monday and she did much better with me. I have a few concerns that I want to ask how you would address.

First, she is seeing the other catchers do well using an incorrect stance and it is aggravating her because she is trying to use proper mechanics but having difficulty moving as well. They are setting up like this to receive.

incorrect.jpg

So essentially they are just staying in the sign giving stance and never getting down in the proper no runners stance so when the pitchers are a little wild they have better mobility to jump up or move around. It makes her look less reliable to the untrained eye because she is down in the proper position. It is doubly aggravating because the girl that coached our first practice didn't know the proper mechanics and tried to put her up into the sign giving stance to receive. She sets up like this.

no-stolen-bases.jpg

Only, she gets a little deeper in her stance. She actually gets low enough that the ball can't get through the 5 hole. I am not sure how to address the mobility issue from this position though. The whole point of getting down this far is to be stable and to present a very steady target when there is no threat of a runner. I don't want her to be constantly popping into runners on during pitching sessions and wearing out her knees and legs just because the pitchers are struggling to hit their spots.

The other issue that she had is that she hasn't dealt with multiple pitches before. At 10U everything was essentially a fastball of various speeds. Last night one of the girls was throwing to me at first and I asked her what she threw and she rattled off 6 pitches. I shook my head and told her to stick with fastballs and change ups for me for right now so I can see what those can do. Then Cricket stepped in to catch for her. She did fine when the pitcher was throwing fastballs. Caught some and had some go by but nothing unusual. Then I told her that she was going to throw a change up. The pitcher threw it up high so Cricket popped up to catch it and it didn't get there and she freaked because it wasn't where she expected it to be. It confused her so bad that she almost had a complete meltdown on me. I calmed her down and explained what a change up was supposed to do and told her to expect it to come in spinning backwards and to drop when it got to the plate so to be prepared to block it. Then I told the pitcher to throw it again. She pulled back and threw a hard fastball that drilled Cricket right in the side of the helmet. Almost in the throat. We called it a night on the catching after that. I can throw consistent fastballs to her to teach her how to position herself and what to look for from those, but I don't have other pitches in my arm. How do I teach her what to expect from other pitches short of getting her up there with other kids once a week and letting them throw to her?
 
Jun 18, 2013
322
18
I'll see if I can get some. She is really struggling at the team practices. She does pretty well when we workout. I am going to keep working with her, but we may end up running with her as the third catcher this year and have her play 3rd or SS. She is honestly more natural out there anyway.

What is the general opinion of using a pitching machine to "throw" to a catcher for reps?
 

JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
5,436
38
safe in an undisclosed location
I'm glad you mentioned where she is more natural. From your post my first impression was that at this age you should be able to look at a catcher and kind of see if she has "it". it being a natural ability to catch the ball even in situations where she should miss it. Technique aside, the natural ability to get the ball in the mit and keep it there, catch foul tip third strikes, block balls, throw hard....catchers are just a different breed and even if their technique is not great, you can see if the natural fit is there or not. I think it is very hard to train a catcher that does not have the natural inclination to the position. In rec a lot of girls wind up behind the plate because they can catch a ball, but they are not catchers. If your DD shows a greater affinity for another position there is not harm in letting her concentrate elsewhere. I'm not trying to be a downer, just honestly giving you my read on your post. If you had posted that she was able to catch the ball and keep it in front, but the other girls just looked smoother then it would be a different story, but the fact that she is having trouble catching a fastball and CU from a 12u pitcher is not a good sign. That doesn't mean you give up, if she really wants it then she can get it, but you have to make a decision if she really likes catching or maybe is just doing it because she has always done it or liked the action in rec (where only the P and C see significant action). 3rd and SS are positions that will see lots of action in 12U TB.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Working with the pitchers she will actually be catching is a good idea, especially if they have movement pitches. If there's any way for your DD to catch for them during a pitching lesson or workout, away from the team, it can be very helpful.

I love that low and wide stance for a NR situation. Its give the catcher a wide base for lateral movement to get the body behind the ball. That's one thing I wish my DD would do a little better.

As for popping up for high and wide pitches in a NR situation, I understand your frustration. Many coaches don't recognize that passed balls in a NR situation isn't costing anything but a walk to the backstop. All they look at is that the ball didn't get caught. Your choices are to try to educate the team coaches, or work with your DD on catching more of them.
 
Dec 23, 2009
791
0
San Diego
Then I told the pitcher to throw it again. She pulled back and threw a hard fastball that drilled Cricket right in the side of the helmet. Almost in the throat. We called it a night on the catching after that.

I take it the pitcher misunderstood what you wanted? Not trying to read too much between the lines...but this happened on DD's HS team, where one pitcher in warm-ups would purposely throw something other than what she said she throwing in order to hit the catcher and hurt her...
 
Jun 18, 2013
322
18
I'm glad you mentioned where she is more natural. From your post my first impression was that at this age you should be able to look at a catcher and kind of see if she has "it". it being a natural ability to catch the ball even in situations where she should miss it. Technique aside, the natural ability to get the ball in the mit and keep it there, catch foul tip third strikes, block balls, throw hard....catchers are just a different breed and even if their technique is not great, you can see if the natural fit is there or not. I think it is very hard to train a catcher that does not have the natural inclination to the position. In rec a lot of girls wind up behind the plate because they can catch a ball, but they are not catchers. If your DD shows a greater affinity for another position there is not harm in letting her concentrate elsewhere. I'm not trying to be a downer, just honestly giving you my read on your post. If you had posted that she was able to catch the ball and keep it in front, but the other girls just looked smoother then it would be a different story, but the fact that she is having trouble catching a fastball and CU from a 12u pitcher is not a good sign. That doesn't mean you give up, if she really wants it then she can get it, but you have to make a decision if she really likes catching or maybe is just doing it because she has always done it or liked the action in rec (where only the P and C see significant action). 3rd and SS are positions that will see lots of action in 12U TB.

She honestly hasn't gotten to catch as much as other kids because she is so much smoother at the other infield positions. She loves catching and that is what she wants to do though. That's the only reason why we are even working on it. If she didn't love it and truly want to do it, I would be focusing on 3rd and SS and not think twice. That said, I know my DD and I know how stubborn she can be when she decides that she wants to do something. My best bet is to figure out how to learn to teach her the right way because she is going to figure it out one way or the other. I may as well make it easier on both of us. :)

I take it the pitcher misunderstood what you wanted? Not trying to read too much between the lines...but this happened on DD's HS team, where one pitcher in warm-ups would purposely throw something other than what she said she throwing in order to hit the catcher and hurt her...

Yeah, the other girl just screwed up. There was no malice.
 
Oct 3, 2011
3,478
113
Right Here For Now
What is the general opinion of using a pitching machine to "throw" to a catcher for reps?

While it's a great tool, their are several problems with a one wheel pitching machine. 1) They're pretty much good for speed only. In other words, fastballs and maybe drop-balls if you take the time to set it up properly which could take an hour or more of tweaking. If you try and use it for a change up, the spin will be opposite of what a catcher will see from a flip change which seems to be the most prevalent style of change up in my area. 2) You can't get an East-West spin on a one wheel machine which means your DD will not be able to pick up the spin off the ball for a curve or screwball. 3) You also can't get a variance of speed between the various pitches like an actual pitcher throws. 4) If you can find a 2 wheel machine at a facility you have access to, then all bets are off. However, I would still highly recommend finding at least a few pitchers in your area from various TB teams or even the local HS JV team and ask if your DD can catch for them during their practice sessions or even during their lessons. There's nothing better than seeing the real thing and having to deal with it. You might be surprised at how quickly she progresses.
 
Nov 23, 2014
84
0
Lessons. If she really wants to do it, find a reputable catching coach who will do lessons. Catchers just like pitchers need to do the side work if they want to stay sharp. My daughter takes catcher lessons and it has done wonders for her.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Remember that properly trained catchers at 10U will often demonstrate skill that is way beyond that of their pitchers. I train both pitchers and catchers and will work with catchers at most any age, but won't work with a pitcher until late 14U or early 16U. At 10U thru 14U the life of a catcher is very difficult and at times very frustrating. You have to find that balance of what will be effective without compromising the overall catching mechanics. It is typical for the art of proper receiving to be negated because you have a pitcher that could not hit the broadside of a barn. On the upside this is a great time to work on blocking skills as opportunities will be frequent. Your young catcher needs to keep throwing down regardless of the outcome. Eventually the SS will get there and some day they will catch the ball and apply the tag. Until then hopefully the CF is on her toes. :)

ETA - I love to use the JUG's for receiving reps. If they can catch a JUGS ball they can catch any spin from a pitcher.
 

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