- Jun 9, 2014
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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)?
Real men and catchers squat, the rest use buckets IMHO
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)?
My thoughts are: 1) practice like you play - which means throwing to someone in a catcher's stance and 2) practice like you play - which means throwing to a geared-up, experienced catcher.
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)
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.
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.
I would put on shin guards and a mask. Did I look ridiculous? Of course. (Another of the pitching dads was teased so much that he refused to wear a mask...he ended up with a cheek bone.)
But, pitching wasn't about me or my "manliness"--it was about helping her.
.......
The "realism" doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what the catcher wears.
IMHO, many pitchers will hold back (either consciously or subonsciously) when pitching to someone that they worry about hurting, whether its a coach, parent, or less advanced player.
Disclaimer - perspective offered by a former catcher/catcher's father. YMMV
...I need a stool or something lower to sit on I think.