"Go Warm Up The Catcher"

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Sep 3, 2009
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It is easily the most misunderstood position, and I'm glad people are slowly being educated on it. We always try to arrive early, and get warmed up before the team arrives.
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
It is hard to fit in catching practice. My older DD is a catcher, my younger isn't but I help coach her team. I know how important catching is and we still can't fit it i as much as we'd like. This is a good idea.
 
Jul 26, 2010
3,567
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I always have my catcher work with infield practice. We spend at least 15 minutes doing the following:

- I drop a ball in front of the catcher (or to the side) from behind them, this simulates a dropped 3rd strike. A runner (outfielder) runs to first, the catcher has to throw to 1.
- Pick play at 1. Pitcher pitches, catcher throws to 1. Runner must dive to 1.
- Steal 2b (self explanatory)
- Steal 3b
- Passed ball. Pitcher throws a bad pitch in the dirt or over the catchers head on purpose, runner tries for home, pitcher crashes, catcher has to get ball/flip, ect.

It's not only good catcher practice, but it's good practice for all of your infielders knowing how to make those place, how to back up, ect. Then we do normal infield/bunt rotation, plays at X that we're all familiar with.

-W
 

Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
I always have my catcher work with infield practice. We spend at least 15 minutes doing the following:

- I drop a ball in front of the catcher (or to the side) from behind them, this simulates a dropped 3rd strike. A runner (outfielder) runs to first, the catcher has to throw to 1.
- Pick play at 1. Pitcher pitches, catcher throws to 1. Runner must dive to 1.
- Steal 2b (self explanatory)
- Steal 3b
- Passed ball. Pitcher throws a bad pitch in the dirt or over the catchers head on purpose, runner tries for home, pitcher crashes, catcher has to get ball/flip, ect.

It's not only good catcher practice, but it's good practice for all of your infielders knowing how to make those place, how to back up, ect. Then we do normal infield/bunt rotation, plays at X that we're all familiar with.

-W

That's a good start, but check out the linked website and I think you'll understand what's missing. A catcher should be given at least 5 minutes to go through a pre-game prep every game - it can be done w/ a coach or another catcher or even alone. IMHO practicing blocking probably provides the biggest ROI and I can count the teams that I've seen make time for it pre game on less than 1 finger.

One of my favorite quotes was overheard from two U12 coaches shaking their heads after another ball hit the backstop and the runners advanced again. One complained to the other about how their catcher needed to do a better job blocking. The other responded "Yea, but I guess we haven't really taught her how to do that, huh?"
 
Jul 28, 2008
1,088
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One of my favorite quotes was overheard from two U12 coaches shaking their heads after another ball hit the backstop and the runners advanced again. One complained to the other about how their catcher needed to do a better job blocking. The other responded "Yea, but I guess we haven't really taught her how to do that, huh?"

If you hadn't listed 12U, I could swear you were behind my dugout last year when I made that same comment. Things are changing this year, as catchers are a main priority.
 
Jul 26, 2010
3,567
0
That's a good start, but check out the linked website and I think you'll understand what's missing. A catcher should be given at least 5 minutes to go through a pre-game prep every game - it can be done w/ a coach or another catcher or even alone. IMHO practicing blocking probably provides the biggest ROI and I can count the teams that I've seen make time for it pre game on less than 1 finger.

One of my favorite quotes was overheard from two U12 coaches shaking their heads after another ball hit the backstop and the runners advanced again. One complained to the other about how their catcher needed to do a better job blocking. The other responded "Yea, but I guess we haven't really taught her how to do that, huh?"

Good point. I'd like to say that if you've ever seen our catchers warming up our pitchers before a game, they're getting tons of practice blocking and catching really bad pitches (especially in an open field when someone has to chase the missed balls), but it's not really catchers practice, is it.

We dont' do it every practice, but once a week or sometimes every other week we get the catchers early in the batting cage, set the machines to pitch in the dirt, and make the catchers set up in different locations to block the ball. Another drill you can do at the field is to have your catchers line up facing a fence or wall about 5 feet from it. From behind them, throw balls at the fence so they bounce back at the catcher where they can practice blocking.

I'm not sure blocking is something that needs to be "warmed up" though. It's like saying a shortstop should warm up making diving saves in the infield or that your batters should warm up by taking bad pitches to the helmet. Blocking is a skill that needs to be practiced. It involves all the muscles which need to be warmed up prior to exercise.

-W
 

Greenmonsters

Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
Feb 21, 2009
6,168
38
New England
I'm not sure blocking is something that needs to be "warmed up" though. It's like saying a shortstop should warm up making diving saves in the infield or that your batters should warm up by taking bad pitches to the helmet. -W

I humbly disagree! Since you've demonstrated that you're at least open to consideration, here's some more food for thought. Do you have you IF take grounders before a game? What about OFs practicing fly balls or hitters doing tee work, soft toss, bunting etc before a game? Do you have your pitchers pitch before a game? Why do you do this? Because, these are all game- or position-specific warm up techniques to help your players prepare for game situations. How are these warm ups any different than having a catcher do their own position-specific warm up? Catcher specific warm up, with the exception of throwing (which can be done during regular team throwing warm up) can be done independently in as few as 5 minutes. It might be as simple as 3 reps each for middle, right, and left blocks, 3 reps each for fielding bunts left, right, and middle, and 3 reps receiving pitches low, high, in and out, testing the backstop to see how the ball comes off it and checking the ground between the plate and backstop. These important 5 minutes can freed up and made available during the portions of pre-game IF and OF practice not requiring the catcher or during initial pitcher warm ups by having flips, spins, and short throws done between 2 pitchers while the catchers do their thing. The difference you'll see in games is that your catcher is sharp and on top of their game from the first pitch. Trust me, it makes a huge difference in your catchers' play. It can sometimes even cause the other team to revise or re-think their short game/running strategy.

IJS - GM
 
Jul 26, 2010
3,567
0
Makes sense, GM. I'm gonna try it before our games this weekend, like you said, it doesn't take much time.

-W
 

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