Karen

Hello, my 12 year old is new to catching, she seemed to be thrown into a fast pitch travel team position, but she loves her job. After two weekend 5 game turnaments she was complaining to us that her palm and thumb were sore, she caught all 10 games, we thought she was sore from not catching before. But now three days later, she catches live in pratice and a wild ball hit her mit and doubbled over in pain because of her thumb.
She wears a padded glove with her mit, but she feels that the padding isn't there for her thumb. Is her glove the wrong size, is this common,
wrong catching, or what. She is know to play through pain,when she gets around to telling us we know she has had it.
(she is goalie on boys team plays regulary with injured fingers ( jams etc), never a thumb problem though)
Just what to keep her safe and loving the game.
Thanks for any tips you may have.

Catching Coach

Karen,

Couple questions for you,

1. Is she using an actual catchers mitt?

2. Does she throw right handed or left handed?

3. When she presents the glove to the pitcher as a target tell me where her thumb is pointed. (3 o-clock?, 6 o-clock? etc )

4. Is she the only catcher on the team?

5. How much catching did she do between the 2 tournements? (practices)

I would never want a 12 yr old to be catching 10 games over a 2 weekend span. Real easy way to burn out a young catcher.

Coach W

Karen

Thanks for responding:
1. Yes the team provided the mitt
2. Right handed and she has a great arm: thats how she got the position
3. To the best I can tell from memory she places thumb between 9 and six mostly at 9 I believe. Will have to have her set up for me tonight to see for sure.
4. There are 3 other catcher that play and coach works with them but at the last two turnaments he would only play my daughter. The others have more experience that she. Her uncle worked with her several days just to show her the basics, he played baseball in collage that was our only help. The first time she has ever been behind the plate was at an end of June turn.
5. Praticed 4 days before 1st turn. she caught, and between those two turnaments they praticed 4 dayswhere she caught . Not normal for them but that is what they played this past week. This week they are preparing for next turn. this weekend and have simialar schedule. They pratice all week but she pulled herself out Tuesday because of her hand. But my daughter knows she hurts an doesn't want to catch until she can with out so much discomfort. She is beginning to learn her limits, we just want to make sure she is safe and haveing a good time.
Thank you for your time and help! Have a great day

Catching Coach

So we are on the same page, if she has the glove on her left hand, her thumb should point to 3 o-clock, with her fingers pointed to the sky. This will make her index finger point to about 12 o-clock.

Check this and get back to me.

Many thumb injuries fior catchers are caused by the hand being out of position when the ball hits the glove. I always start all "sore thumb" investigation by gettign an understanding of starting glove postion.

Coach W

Amy in AZ.

Could it perhaps be a bone bruise? Or is she playing with a fracture?

That was way too much catching for anyone at any age. (M.O.O.)