Thread: #3 Catcher Playtime

Msdinosaur, yep that's me. I was going to purchase the DVD at the camp but would love to take a look at it before then. Sounds like its the resource to use.

SoftSocDad, she is in her first year of travel ball and had never even put on catchers equipment before our first practice this fall. She was asked if she would like to try it and said yes, and found out she liked it, but is not quite ready for game catching just yet. Luckily the coach just doesn't sit her on the bench she gets time in the field as well.

Originally Posted by MsDinosaur

I bought a copy of Coach Weaver's DVD awhile back (I've watched it several times and learned a lot. I try to teach mine from it, when she'll listen to me.).

The trick is to get DD to buy into the notion that Coach Weaver is "her catching coach" and that DOD (dumb old dad) is just letter her know what he sees her doing relative to what Coach W is teaching on the DVD. Video her catching and she can make the comparison for herself.

Originally Posted by Greenmonsters

The trick is to get DD to buy into the notion that Coach Weaver is "her catching coach" and that DOD (dumb old dad) is just letter her know what he sees her doing relative to what Coach W is teaching on the DVD. Video her catching and she can make the comparison for herself.

That sounds like a great idea. I'm going to try to get some video of her catching so she can make that comparison.

Sadly, DD hates it when I pull out that dvd to make her watch something on it. Her gripe is that there's a lot of talking and not much action. Which is true; it's not a dvd for 10 year olds. It's geared toward adults who want to coach catchers and he spends a lot of time explaining the philosophy of why he's teaching the students to do certain things. I think it's great and am really impressed by the way all the small details add up, but DD doesn't have the patience for that yet. She just wants to see what she needs to do as quickly as possible and then practice doing it. (I'm actually dumb old Mom and I am clearly the weakest link here. If I was better at translating what I see on the dvd, then I wouldn't have to try to get her to watch it!) When I CAN manage to teach her something from the dvd, it goes great. I saw her successfully taking the banana path to balls during her regular practice and afterward we stayed late and worked on sliding to passed balls. (A real scraped-up, tumbling disaster at first and then it clicked.)

I wonder if Coach Weaver has ever thought about making a catcher's dvd for the youngsters, something shorter and fast-paced, maybe showing the kids from various angles, moving from one skill to the next, that would hook the short attention span of one like mine. If I had a 15-minute video lesson, I could probably get her to watch that. Hmm, I wonder if there's a way for me to take snippets from the dvd and create such a thing for her...

Originally Posted by MsDinosaur

That sounds like a great idea. I'm going to try to get some video of her catching so she can make that comparison.

Sadly, DD hates it when I pull out that dvd to make her watch something on it. Her gripe is that there's a lot of talking and not much action. Which is true; it's not a dvd for 10 year olds. It's geared toward adults who want to coach catchers and he spends a lot of time explaining the philosophy of why he's teaching the students to do certain things. I think it's great and am really impressed by the way all the small details add up, but DD doesn't have the patience for that yet. She just wants to see what she needs to do as quickly as possible and then practice doing it. (I'm actually dumb old Mom and I am clearly the weakest link here. If I was better at translating what I see on the dvd, then I wouldn't have to try to get her to watch it!) When I CAN manage to teach her something from the dvd, it goes great. I saw her successfully taking the banana path to balls during her regular practice and afterward we stayed late and worked on sliding to passed balls. (A real scraped-up, tumbling disaster at first and then it clicked.)

I wonder if Coach Weaver has ever thought about making a catcher's dvd for the youngsters, something shorter and fast-paced, maybe showing the kids from various angles, moving from one skill to the next, that would hook the short attention span of one like mine. If I had a 15-minute video lesson, I could probably get her to watch that. Hmm, I wonder if there's a way for me to take snippets from the dvd and create such a thing for her...

There is a way to take parts you want and make your own video for her to watch. I'd see how Coach Weaver feels about ripping the dvd and editting it for your DD though.

Originally Posted by CPSBDad

There is a way to take parts you want and make your own video for her to watch. I'd see how Coach Weaver feels about ripping the dvd and editting it for your DD though.

I don't think there's any potential issue if it was done strictly for personal use (i.e., not intended for re-sale or posted for public viewing).

I don't think it's a good idea to edit parts of the dvd. Alot of really good stuff on it, and honestly for $40 you'd be ripping yourself off if you only got a few little moments of video clips. From my memory, it was like 3-3 1/2 hrs in length. Think about all the work that went into making that, it had to be alot. Coach Weaver really should change the name of it to the Catchers Bible. I'd consider it an essential piece of equipment in the catcher's arsenal, just like their shin guards or helmet.

I know that Coach Weaver does have some video clips on his photobucket site, and there are some that he has posted on Youtube. I'm sure that he has links from his website. The New England Catching Camp

I agree on the name change. It is unfortunate when you meet a parent who thinks it is just another dvd and that their girl already knows how to play the position at 12u.

Originally Posted by absdad

I don't think it's a good idea to edit parts of the dvd. Alot of really good stuff on it, and honestly for $40 you'd be ripping yourself off if you only got a few little moments of video clips. From my memory, it was like 3-3 1/2 hrs in length. Think about all the work that went into making that, it had to be alot. Coach Weaver really should change the name of it to the Catchers Bible. I'd consider it an essential piece of equipment in the catcher's arsenal, just like their shin guards or helmet.

I know that Coach Weaver does have some video clips on his photobucket site, and there are some that he has posted on Youtube. I'm sure that he has links from his website. The New England Catching Camp

I agree that the DVD essentially is the definitive catching reference, but as the title indicates, it was geared toward coaches, not players. I've seen Coach Weaver's live one day or multiple day clinics and am always impressed that he never has any problem keeping the students' focus; however, the 2.75 hr DVD is tough to sit through multiple times in its entirety even for me! For younger players who've already seen the video, condensed highlights consisting of maybe 5-10 minute clips of each skill area (i.e., receiving, blocking, throwing, fielding) could be a very practical and usefull training tool. If you did one or two 30-60 minute practice sessions a week focussing on a different skill clip each time it can be something that DD looks forward to and doesn't get bored with (or worse, dread). Whenever DD has a question or an issue, you can go right back to the full-length 'bible'. If you keep it short, you keep their focus!

GM

DD got her first action behind the plate this weekend. She caught 1 full game and part of another and looked pretty good. She walked off the field that night and said "I love catching it's awesome". Can't wait until NECC camp next month!!

Originally Posted by rydog73

DD got her first action behind the plate this weekend. She caught 1 full game and part of another and looked pretty good. She walked off the field that night and said "I love catching it's awesome". Can't wait until NECC camp next month!!

We'll see you there. If we're in the same session, introduce yourself.