Thread: How do you rotate your catchers?

How many catchers does your team carry and how do you rotate them?

Do you pair up pitchers and catchers so they develop a rapport?

Do you rotate your catchers as much as your pitchers?

Are you concerned about overuse injuries for your catchers?

1) 2 + 1, rotate as needed
2) yes, as best we can
3) no
4) not really

We've got 2 regular catchers, plus 1. We don't have a set rotation. My preference is to pair pitchers and catchers, but this isn't set in stone. If we make a pitching change, we may or may not make a change at catcher. Rotations depend on the game situations.

Overheating is the primary concern for us in the summertime, so we might play them 2-3 innings at a time. The potential for overuse is always there, but probably not long-term, as we aren't a 175-game/year travel team. That is more of an issue for the girls playing at higher levels on teams that play tons of games and prefer to ride starters until they are worn out.

Originally Posted by knightsb

How many catchers does your team carry and how do you rotate them?

Do you pair up pitchers and catchers so they develop a rapport?

Do you rotate your catchers as much as your pitchers?

Are you concerned about overuse injuries for your catchers?

We have 2, well dd and a back up. Dd catches until she says she needs a break. That is about 1/2 game every tournament, a full game if we make her stay out.

Concerned about overuse injury? No. Overuse of what? Knees/legs? We make she stays in good shape and warms up/streatches. I am more concerned with over heating.

You need 3.
Yes you pair with a primary pitcher.
Perhaps if they are of equal production or help the pitcher be better.
Absolutely, it is an epidemic at older ages and cause many catchers to quit catching and play other positions. Catchers must start a conditioning and strength program at 12u for both arms and legs (protect knees). By sophomore in HS if stopped growing, they must lift weights. You have to watch for arm problems just like overhand pitchers in baseball.

Originally Posted by amanda_cake

Why wait until then to start lifting?

First, I have seen some bad stuff with growth plates in gymnastics from overbuilding quads at the expense of hamstrings.

As an adult coach, I am liable for injuries, such as to growth plates or dropping weights on body parts or tearing muscles. Any athlete in HS is not supposed to go more than 10% in any effort from the previous week, and this is a long process with HS kids that has to be supervised. HS kids also have to maintain this program, use a spotter and lift to maintain the balance across the muscles.

So the kid has to lift correctly and some kids may not be ready for that both physically and mentally. The parents can sue me if it goes awry.

Sorry but that's the truth.

Lastly, I am cautious as kids today are full of aches and pains that I don't ever remember having.

Originally Posted by Screwball

First, I have seen some bad stuff with growth plates in gymnastics from overbuilding quads at the expense of hamstrings.

As an adult coach, I am liable for injuries, such as to growth plates or dropping weights on body parts or tearing muscles. Any athlete in HS is not supposed to go more than 10% in any effort from the previous week, and this is a long process with HS kids that has to be supervised. HS kids also have to maintain this program, use a spotter and lift to maintain the balance across the muscles.

So the kid has to lift correctly and some kids may not be ready for that both physically and mentally. The parents can sue me if it goes awry.

Sorry but that's the truth.

Lastly, I am cautious as kids today are full of aches and pains that I don't ever remember having.

Dd was in gymnastics until 10 when we decided that a 10 year old shouldn't be losing sleep because her back aches, or limping every morning because her ankle hurts. She was (as all of them were) unbelievably strong. They did things like hand stand walk to one end o the gym, do 5 hand stand push ups, hand stand walk back, and repeat. Or the lunge walks with a partner on your shoulders. Gymanastics coaches use their eastern european and chinese methods of training to build mini super athletes with no care of what happens after they are past 16 or so. If you think the gyms are there to give a good experience to all girls, try bringing two 4 year olds to a gym, one tall for her age with tall parents and one small for her age with small parents, just see if they get the same treatment. My younger dd was small (took a huge growth spurt since), when she was 6 she was "selected" for a new group, she cried that she didn't want to go after trying it out, so after 2 times dw spied on the class, she called me and said, "well first there are 5 girls in the group, dd is the only one without boobs (dw words), the rest are teenagers, the coach is having no compassion at all for dd's nervousness and tears."
I truly believe in strength conditioning, but hope sball teams never take it to where gymnastics is at. I see a few girls from the gym around town now that I hear are just kind of lost. They spend 6 days a week 4 or more hours a day (at some level they force you to home school to allow more time in the gym), now they are late teens and were thrown to the side because the new model superstar walked in the door.

Originally Posted by knightsb

How many catchers does your team carry and how do you rotate them?

Do you pair up pitchers and catchers so they develop a rapport?

Do you rotate your catchers as much as your pitchers?

Are you concerned about overuse injuries for your catchers?

I have 2 proficient catchers.
I split games with them. First catcher gets 3 innings, 2nd one gets 3-4 innings. I try to swap the rotation each game unless we play back-to-back.
I do not pair up a battery. I like the flexibility.
I am concerned of overuse, that's why I split games. When not catching they both play other positions.

This is my opinion & how I do it.