Lessons learned from my injury time ridin' the pine

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softgabby

Gear Empress
Mar 10, 2016
1,073
83
Just behind home plate
As you guys on here know, I recently got my cast off from my broken hand and broken fingers from an incident with a car door at home. Here's some lessons I learned from my six weeks riding the pine so to speak while I healed up and waited to be able to be out on the field.

I learned...

...How a coach makes decisions for on-field plays. This was a big one for me as I didn't understand why coaches make the decisions that they do whether it be to send runners. Or make a decision to change a batter or even a fielder or a pitcher.

...How to manage a game more efficiently when I'm behind the plate or do better selecting pitches in a certain situation. I learned hos to more effectively select pitches in certain situations when I'm behind the plate and how to more efficiently manage a ballgame. The coach decided to pick my brain have me explain what was going on in my mind in certain situations and how I would call it...down to the pitches I would select against batters. There were times coach and I were in total agreement...then there's others where we were on totally different ends of the diamond. Coach showed me how to choose pitches better in certain situations and minimize risk on our defense against certain clubs and certain hitters. Which really helps up my game.

...That I'm not as good as I think I may be and that my game has a lot of holes. Although I started catching during my freshman year of high school...I had thought I had gotten pretty decent at playing my position. After all, I thought I was an indomitable beast on the field and was in beast mode every time I took the field and took my position behind the plate in an attempt to manage a game as best as I can and be as disruptive to the other team's offense as I could be. One thing I learned while sitting on the bench recovering is I'm not as good as I think I may be and that I am one injury or one really bad slump away from not taking the field as much as I would like. I'll give an example of a "hole...in my game". I think of my game as a catcher as being good...not great, elite level...but good. I learned that in my game as a catcher I have holes...mainly blocking and framing. I'm good when it comes to receiving, quickness, arm strength and accuracy. But, watching my backup made me realize my game is weak when it comes to blocking and framing pitches...particularly blocking quickly into the dirt or framing a pitch on the outer half of the strikezone. These are areas I really need to work on and home my skills.

and last...but not least...

...Even though I'm injured and can't play on the field to help my team play better doesn't mean I can't be my team's biggest cheerleader. When I initially broke my hand toward the end of the high school season, I was being kinda moody and diva-ish about not being able to play over being injured doing something dumb. But I learned I can still be goofy and I can still cheer my team on and help keep our spirits and morale up. I'd be tasked with helping the team moms with some stuff during practices. or helping out with with some other small projects. I'd help my teammates come up with new cheers we can do from the dugout.

This is some stuff I learned while I was injured. Hopefully I can apply these lessons as I am able to return to play before my return...which coincidentally the weekend of our tournament in Texas.
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
Very insightful! Most kids would never pick up on that or use time injured to improve themselves. You're going to make a great coach someday.
 

softgabby

Gear Empress
Mar 10, 2016
1,073
83
Just behind home plate
Very insightful! Most kids would never pick up on that or use time injured to improve themselves. You're going to make a great coach someday.

Thank you, MNDad! I wanted to use my downtime to be at least somewhat productive. I am starting to catch again which makes my hand sting when I've been catching pitches for a little while. I would like to get into coaching someday and teach what I know to a younger generation.
 
Jun 27, 2018
291
28
I just read this to my catcher daughter and she thought what you wrote was very inspiring and smart.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

softgabby

Gear Empress
Mar 10, 2016
1,073
83
Just behind home plate
I just read this to my catcher daughter and she thought what you wrote was very inspiring and smart.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for the kind words, GoRight. I'm happy your daughter found my post to be inspiring. If you don't mind my asking, what age group does your daughter play in?
 
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
Way to take advantage of a bad situation. To me the most important thing you can learn is that you never know enough. Watch games when you aren't playing. Try and figure out what you would do in each situation.

It's great that you noticed some holes in your game and will work to improve, but never forget that you must do a lot of things well. I see so many players that focus on the negatives without realizing how good of players they really are.
 
Jun 27, 2018
291
28
She’s 14u getting ready to move up to 16/18u. I think in your neck of the woods. SE PA.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Very cool that your coach was willing to collaborate with you to help you learn.

Effective receiving isn't about trying to trick the ump into thinking a ball is a strike, it's about keeping strikes looking like strikes. It's a skill that needs to be practiced...regularly.
 

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