Making the tag at home

When making the tag at home and it is obvious the runner is not going to slide, should the catcher still drop and make the tag low or should she stand tall and make the tag?

I'd say the runner is out for malicious contact

She has to go low IMO.

I never taugt this but if she needs to lean into runner and maybe stand up as runner is coming in.... stuff happens I guess.

She is better off low regardless.

(I have been thinking about this, looking for someone saying high, maybe for throw. C looks and determines runner is... going to slide, destroy her other do something Silly? Stay low.)

Get low, stay low. Win the battle and protect the plate.

Get low and stay low. What many catchers fail to realize is they do not have to seal off the base and keep runner from touching it. They need to be between the runner and plate with the ball. All they need do is touch the runner with the ball. What I tell my catchers is to give if a runner tries to run them over. Just touch them with the ball first. Then I demonstrate a hard tag and just touching the runner. I ask them if the runner is any more out with a hard tag. They will usually come up with the right answer.

My daughter is not making a hard tag, at least not intentionally. The issue is she is not dropping to her knee to make a tag if the runner is obviously not sliding. She does get into an athletic stance, not standing straight up, and makes the tag around the stomach to chest height. Her coach wants her to drop to her knee as if the runner was sliding. In my opinion this is just asking for her to get run over and hurt.

FericKorman said:

My daughter is not making a hard tag, at least not intentionally. The issue is she is not dropping to her knee to make a tag if the runner is obviously not sliding. She does get into an athletic stance, not standing straight up, and makes the tag around the stomach to chest height. Her coach wants her to drop to her knee as if the runner was sliding. In my opinion this is just asking for her to get run over and hurt.

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Let me guess- the coach also wants her to get rid of the helmet, too, correct? If the catcher has the ball and has the time to see that the runner isn't going to slide, the catcher's priority is to avoid getting hurt as the runner will be ruled out regardless of what kind of tag is made or whether the ball is held or dropped. Stay low and plan to roll backwards on contact. Dropping to your knees is probably the surest way to get hurt in this situation-SMH

The nice thing, you can take what you like from our perspectives and throw away the rest. Here is mine, and it comes from 50 years of catching experience. I have also raised two catchers, one to the college level and a current freshman in high school. Here is what I think and it begins with her softball IQ. Without it, she will get hurt. I teach a very neural perspective of this game. From the beginning, I have taught that GREAT catchers have a mental approach to this game much different than any other player. It begins with her attitude, which is "I Own This Field". This is my home plate, those are baselines, and most of all, these are my teammates. DO NOT MESS with any of them! Home plate is your DD's and she needs to remind the opposing team of that. When the base runner is coming into home (all depending on distance and time), your daughter must process about five things within about a half second. This is where the IQ comes in and the knowledge she has inside the memory portion of her brain. I must become, at some point, an "unconscious" reaction in which all 6 things are processed instantly. I compare this portion of your brain (hippocampus) to the cache of a computer. When you need something that has been input and have repeatedly accessed it, it will come up almost instantly such as a webpage.
1. How fast is the runner coming in? This will provide you the urgency and speed at which the decision needs to be made
2. How big is she? This is where you decide your resolve to take a hit, or provide the hit
3. Is she sliding? If so, get down to one or two knees and provide no access to the plate. The reason I say one or two is because we just don't know what the circumstance will be at the moment because we will do what ever it takes to block the plate as far up the baseline necessary to disallow access.
4. Is she going to standup and possibly run me over? If runner is standing up, she will try to run me over, shiver me, or lower her shoulder. My coach in high school said to get into that linebacker stance and be prepared to come up with the ball in glove with both hands into the chest or chin area of the runner. Or, drive the runner into the ground. You MUST make a statement that you OWN HOME PLATE!
5. If sliding, will she be sliding to the backstop side of home plate? So many times because the catcher is not in the right position to take the throw, they cannot get across their left side to dive and make the tag. The left foot must be at the front of home plate, or you will be too far to make the tag on a good slider.
The psychological and neurological aspect of this game is greatly avoided to a level I don't understand. Yes, skills are important, but imagine how fast a player can learn if they know how the game is played and how they can win in their minds. Watch this video of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and how Bird demoralizes Johnson by the way he plays in the first NBA Championship. We can always beat Goliath's mentally because they rely so heavily on their size but ignore their mind. What if I am a smart giant, rather than a smart little person? That is scary, but interesting.
I showed my daughter this clip before her very first softball camp and showcase game. I reminded her this is a spectator sport. We come to see amazing things from our daughters. We also come to watch others who are amazing. https://youtu.be/XfN_DEBrUVI
Watch others you compete and play with and do what they are not doing that should be done.
- run down first baseline at an angle to the back end of the dugout to keep runners from getting 2nd base on bad throws.
- stand out in front of home plate and orchestrate your team and the game (you will develop what to say over time as you get older, but this is where you yell at the top of you lungs the out, the situation, and where the ball needs to go by default)
- connect with your coach so you understand how and why he calls pitches the way he does
- learn your hitters either by scouting the team ahead of time, or memorize the lineup the first time through
- ask your coach to give you opportunities and call your own game and let them give you advice
- LAST, get into your hitters head like Larry Bird did to Magic Johnson. The hitter's mind is in the present (the NOW), so what they are thinking is whatever they hear LAST. Set their mind up to be massively confused by what you say to your pitcher about the pitch. DO NOT TALK DIRECTLY TO THE BATTER! Unless nobody is listening (hahaha). The ump will tell you to stop saying things to the hitter. Create a trust, no trust relationship with the hitters while at bat. This is where the orchestration begins. When parents on our team yell to our hitters to watch the changeup, they are setting them up for failure (if the hitter hears them).

"Win the crowd, and you will win the game"



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Sorry, this is the video of the Bird/Johnson NBA Championship documentary. https://youtu.be/axbIoHqFaa8

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It's all about physics. ALWAYS assume that you're going to get trucked! Left heel on the front corner of the plate. Left toe pointing towards third. Low and heavy wins the battle. Helmet on, ball in glove, hand on ball, and enjoy the ride