I can't catch for her

riseball said:

You are better off with your new purchase than catching for he on a bucket. Unfortunately sitting on a bucket is not only bad for the parent, it hinders the development of the pitcher. Lose the bucket and never look back.

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Why is this?

I always feel like I'm too high up on the bucket. I try to keep the glove low but still.

YOCOACH said:

A full set of catching gear, a better bucket with a thickly padded lid and a Vinci Mitt...

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This ^^^^^^^

riseball said:

You are better off with your new purchase than catching for he on a bucket. Unfortunately sitting on a bucket is not only bad for the parent, it hinders the development of the pitcher. Lose the bucket and never look back.

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Terror Coach said:

Why is this?

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There are many reasons but consider these:

1) If you are sitting on a bucket, chances are your target is too high and you are training her to throw a fat pitch. If you must catch and sit, try a milk crate and get the glove where it belongs.

2) Unless you are specifically working on throwing to location, you do not need to throw to a catcher. Working mechanics is best accomplished at short distances into a tarp. This gets the pitcher focusing on the process and not the results. As a rule pitchers spend far too much time throwing to a catcher while not really working on anything specific.

3) You cannot see and correct mechanics from 43ft away sitting on a bucket.

A bit off topic, but all work done at pitching distance and beyond should be done with a striped ball.

#3 is a big one. I can't watch her AT ALL if I'm catching. My husband used to be able to when she was more 35-38 mph. Now he can't even do it anymore, at least not very well.

same here. DD throws in low to mid 50's. i can barely catch any mechanical issues at 43' so i use a camera. it's not instant, but at least i can review later.

stare too long at her mechanics and the ball hits me. i don't use a bucket, but wear a mask and shin guards.

grcsftbll said:

I always feel like I'm too high up on the bucket. I try to keep the glove low but still.

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I use a 10" tall bucket. Keeps my mitt lower for her strike zone while protecting me. Being lower is also easier to protect my shins as well.

But, if you think she is holding back, it is a good time to move to a net. My kid LIKES the thought of scaring me, beating me off the bucket or really pounding the mitt to sting my hand, at this point I am more of an incentive than a limiter - lol.

I do totally agree it is hard to see details with the motion that are easier to see up close, and from the side, as compared to trying to do it while also tracking a ball coming with various humps in it. But, there are few things I enjoy more than catching her so I hope to do it as long as I can. I get to see her motion a lot at lessons and at team practice with catchers. So I still get to see it with an up close critical eye but now at 10 I have to pick my spots with what I say to her. Not like when she was 9...

If I was not going to catch her the net you show would be good. DD also likes, in lessons, knocking balls off cones or mitts off cones to still get that sense of accuracy and power.

We sometimes put a soccer ball on a tee and she tries to knock it off. She loves that game.

Exactly. We do big balls like that plus softballs, tennis balls, mitts etc. We also have some taller cones that when the ball hits it has a very substantial THUNK.
We also did swimming noodles from the dollar store to mark a vertical river, or just something different to hit. Variety to spice things up periodically.

grcsftbll said:

We sometimes put a soccer ball on a tee and she tries to knock it off. She loves that game.

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Even better game with that is put the soccer ball on a tee and have her pitch around the soccer ball but still throw strikes. We put a basketball on a tee then a home made metal frame around that to define the strike zone. Great for location work.