Catching stance
I was reading the threads where people posted photos of their daughters. I noticed some girls changed their catching stances after watching a catching video. Is this stance the one that should be taught? More flat footed with feet splayed out more?
What is the video?
The coach is Dave Weaver. He is the best. He will probably be on to answer your questions.
>>Weaver's New England Catching Camp dvd's. If you have a developing catcher, it really is the best money you can spend.Originally Posted by NVfishing
I was reading the threads where people posted photos of their daughters. I noticed some girls changed their catching stances after watching a catching video. Is this stance the one that should be taught? More flat footed with feet splayed out more?
>>Depends if you are playing my team or not
What is the video?
Below is a clip of a 12U catcher using the stance we teach. The toes are pointed up the baselines, and the heels are touching the ground. I avoid the term "flat-footed" as it has a very nonathletic sound. The heels are on the ground but the weight is more on the balls of the feet. This clip also shows the actual receiving technique we teach depending on the location of the pitch. (PS...thanks for the kind words Amy and vdubya)
Last edited by Catching Coach; 01-21-2011 at 11:28 AM.
Just to clarify, Dave teaches 2 stances - the video above is for "no-runners on" (or less than 2 strikes), which, hopefully, is applicable the majority of the time; the other stance is used for "runners on" and 2-strike situations and has the catcher's thigh's parallel to the ground in order to be better positioned to block a dirt ball. The video is 2.75 hrs long and explains/shows everything you need to know in detail - it's the best $40 I've spent on SB!
It’s a great video; it teaches so many things that catchers should be working on. I watched it and started having my daughter follow his instructions. The stance was where I met the most resistance.
My daughter really did not want to change her stance—she says the wider stance with the heels touching hurts. Then the father of her favorite pitcher worked with her and told her that’s how she should do it also. And when she went to a Megan Willis clinic, she showed the girls how they could subtly shift left and right to receive pitches rather than lunging at them sideways—*IF* they had the right stance. (It reminded me a lot of the NE catching dvd.) Now DD is using the stance you see in Coach Weaver’s video almost all the time. (I’ve seen her go up on her toes a few times when she’s tired out during recent pre-season practice sessions, but then she widens her feet and drops her heels back down once she’s had a little break.) I'm optimistic that she'll have the switch down by the time the season starts.
I wish I had known about his video when DD first started catching. It’s well worth the money.
These stances work! Catchers typically are a little uncomfortable at first making full-foot contact to the ground if they are used to being up on their toes or the balls of their feet. They soon get used to the stance and become comfortable with it. The runner-on stance takes a little longer to get comfortable with and requires specific conditioning. The results are well worth the effort!
There is one stance however that the catcher is allowed on her toes.... When giving signs. Other wise the feet make full contact and the stance is balanced.
Thoroughly agree. This is an excellent stance, and the same one I teach with no runners on. The "toe squat" may feel comfortable but it limits mobility. You should be able to push on the catcher's head and not have her move or fall backwards. You can do that in this stance. You can't with a toe squat.
Ken Krause
IOMT Castaways 18U
Contributing editor, Softball Magazine
Life in the Fastpitch Lane
NFCA Three Star Master Coach
For help with technical problems with the Forum, email me at support@discussfastpitch.com
Just curious if this stance changes as girls get older. We went to a college game and had great access to the field. This was a game between University of Washington and Central Washington. The catcher for UW was on her toes most of the game when I was watching her.
I teach the same stance to all players at all levels. I believe this is the most balanced and the most athletic stance. I too see lots of college catchers up on their toes. I believe there is a better way.
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote