My catcher-beast...

[Greenmonsters]

No. I want them to move if they have to.

Which one is it then? You can't have your cake and eat it too! If they don't move on good pitches, its telling the umpire that they think its a bad pitch every time they do move. And if they're not moving on borderline pitches in the river, then they're not in a strong receiving position. Unlike Lenski's DD who is a lefty, rightly catchers are not nearly as strongly-positioned to catch a RH pitcher throwing outside to a RH batter and that pitch will get carried out of the zone and be called a ball almost every time. With umpires set up in the slot, the outside corner is where most strikes are lost IME.

 

[Lenski]

Whereas I see a benefit to catching the ball with as much of the catchers glove within the strike zone.

It has nothing to do with the mitt...you can still have much of the catchers mitt within the strike zone. It has to do with the body lean to the right and the body lean to the left. It is not necessary and could be construed as a ball being off the plate because you had to move to get the ball. Of course the middle pic is fine.

No lean is necessary to get a desired result.

 

[Lenski]

Which one is it then? You can't have your cake and eat it too! If they don't move on good pitches, its telling the umpire that they think its a bad pitch every time they do move. And if they're not moving on borderline pitches in the river, then they're not in a strong receiving position. Unlike Lenski's DD who is a lefty, rightly catchers are not nearly as strongly-positioned to catch a RH pitcher throwing outside to a RH batter and that pitch will get carried out of the zone and be called a ball almost every time. With umpires set up in the slot, the outside corner is where most strikes are lost IME.

This is where we disagree. It IS a strong position across the body if done properly, and doing it properly is curl shoulders slightly in (like blocking), elbow below and wrist at the level of the ball (if at all possible...if the ball is below the knees this part is not possible but your positon is still strong), and catch the outside of the ball. The reason strikes are lost on the outside corner (RH catcher, RH batter) is due to the catchers body movement. It is telling the umpire that the only way the catcher could catch the ball was to move (or lean) their body.

 

[Eric F]

It has nothing to do with the mitt. It has to do with the body lean to the right and the body lean to the left. It is not necessary and could be construed as a ball being off the plate because you had to move to get the ball. Of course the middle pic is fine.

No lean is necessary to get a desired result.

If my RH DD catches a pitch in that location without getting her body behind it to support her arm, her mitt gets carried back and outside by the impact, significantly increasing the chance of losing the strike call. It also looks like a big lateral reach, which it would be. IMO, an ump is going to be more likely to call a ball on a pitch that is caught by a significant lateral reach than one with a body shift and an arm pointed more forward. I see it in action regularly.

That clip of your DD is comparable to my DD catching a pitch on the inside edge of the plate, which many not require any body movement to get into a position that supports her arm. Pitch #2...


The body movement of the catchers in some of the other videos you posted is WAY over-exaggerated, and not an example of what I want to see. A shift to put your body in a strong position to stick the pitch out front is the idea. It doesn't HAVE to be a big movement. If you are already on a good position, and don't have to move, great. If you only have to move a little, good. If it takes more than that, so be it. Get around the outside of the ball (on the edges of the plate) and stick the pitch.

Clearly we have different ideas about the best way to get there for our DDs, but at the end of it all, the idea is the same - keep strikes looking like strikes. If your DD is successful, that's awesome. I'm happy with the path my DD is on, also.

 

[Lenski]

That clip of your DD is comparable to my DD catching a pitch on the inside edge of the plate, which many not require any body movement to get into a position that supports her arm. Pitch #2...

The pitches are quite different. The pitch my dd receives is quite out of her frame but she shapes it in.....all while remaining as quiet as possible. Slowed down to 1/8th speed......

 

[Lenski]

If my RH DD catches a pitch in that location without getting her body behind it to support her arm, her mitt gets carried back and outside by the impact, significantly increasing the chance of losing the strike call. It also looks like a big lateral reach, which it would be. IMO, an ump is going to be more likely to call a ball on a pitch that is caught by a significant lateral reach than one with a body shift and an arm pointed more forward. I see it in action regularly.

That is because a straight, barred arm is weak in most positions. It takes getting your body behind it to add strength but it also makes it rigid which greatly decreases fluidity. That is why the overwhelming majority of MLB catchers do not receive like what is being taught at NECC. They need to be strong yet fluid and quiet. You can't be fluid if your rigid. But I do agree, if your dd is successful and you're happy with your path of choice, that is indeed awesome.

BTW.....Maddie pitch #1 receives with a barred arm. Maddie pitch #2 receives with a strong arm position. She looks great receiving pitch #2

lol......

 

[Greenmonsters]

It has nothing to do with the mitt...you can still have much of the catchers mitt within the strike zone. It has to do with the body lean to the right and the body lean to the left. It is not necessary and could be construed as a ball being off the plate because you had to move to get the ball. Of course the middle pic is fine.

No lean is necessary to get a desired result.

IMO, she pulled this pitch back into the zone. Who knows whether that influenced the call or not.

 

[Greenmonsters]

This is where we disagree. It IS a strong position across the body if done properly, and doing it properly is curl shoulders slightly in (like blocking), elbow below and wrist at the level of the ball (if at all possible...if the ball is below the knees this part is not possible but your positon is still strong), and catch the outside of the ball. The reason strikes are lost on the outside corner (RH catcher, RH batter) is due to the catchers body movement. It is telling the umpire that the only way the catcher could catch the ball was to move (or lean) their body.

Cross body is a weaker position period. If you move EVERY pitch, to center and stick, movement isn't an indication of a pitch being either a ball or a strike. Of course, the more accurate the pitcher, the less you have to move, and the less you have to move the better.

 

[Greenmonsters]

The pitches are quite different. The pitch my dd receives is quite out of her frame but she shapes it in.....all while remaining as quiet as possible. Slowed down to 1/8th speed......

Can you make this public? It's asking "please sign in to view this video"

 

[Lenski]

Is it working now GM? I think the problem was that I did not fully publish the video.