- Jun 9, 2014
- 31
- 0
Curious if bucket-catchers catch the ball behind the plate (so your glove is in a realistic spot such as behind a batter) or catch the ball in the strike zone (to better observe the locations)?
Catcher mitt for bucket dad?
- Thread starter stickpile39
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Where do you stand on kneeling?
Never really thought about that.... I squat in the catcher's normal position. DDs favorite pitch is her drop, and I have found that I have some difficulty catching it when sitting on a bucket. I don't have the same problem when I am squatting. I have a cheap catcher's mitt but typically wear a batting glove on that hand as well.
Do you also play a recording of "1000 Great Softball Cheers, as performed by the 10U Bush League Brats"?
All practice is artificial--which is why it is called practice. It is never going to be like a game, no matter what the catcher wears. The important thing is reps--more reps equals better pitching.
Also, there most drills are not done "behind the plate"--long toss, quick throw, frames, the stork.
Anything that stops the pitcher from getting reps is a problem. I would get home from work at 6PM, we would eat as a family, and then she would have homework. It was best for her to pitch for 60 minutes a day...about 8:30 or 9 PM, we would take off to some batting cages and she would pitch for about an hour.
You are missing the point. The pitcher is not working on "throwing strikes". The pitcher is working on placing the ball in a specific location. (I.e., the pitcher is trying to put the ball into the mitt without the catcher moving the mitt.) You move the mitt around the strike zone, and the pitcher tries to put the ball in the mitt.
The "realism" doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what the catcher wears.
Last edited:
Greenmonsters
Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
My initial post probably would've benefited from the tongue in cheek font. Of course, the bold is the bottom line. If my manliness is questioned while I am catching while wearing a pony tail wig and pink padded bra, so be it.
FWIW - I still advocate that a pitcher transition to a "real" catcher as soon as possible/practicable. I think there are real SB benefits for both the P and C, but IMO its another step in the process of providing teens/young adults with progressively increasing individual responsibility and accountability in preparation for a healthy and productive independent future life.
Bought the Louisville Zephyr on clearance for $35 last year. After years of catching two pitchers with my old fielder's glove, it's the best $35 I ever spent It offers decent protection and doesn't take a ton of breaking in. It is kind of tight fitting for a guy's hand though.
Damnit... my daughter will throw harder to me with no gear than her fully geared up catcher..... I kinda think she wants to hurt me sometime.
And those buckets wear out eventually. I was sitting on one and a pitch in the dirt made a perfect 11 inch hole in the side of the bucket. I think it was left outside too long. But I need a stool or something lower to sit on I think.
My days of squatting deep ended with a football helmet to the knee almost 25 years ago, so I'm neither a catcher nor a real man
I like the height of a 5gal paint bucket ($3 at the local hardware store). Its a few inches lower than the typical 7gal ball bucket. I added a padded lid from a broken ball bucket to complete the package.
