Catcher specific conditioning

[absdad]

I haven't see much in the way of specific exercises and stretches for catchers. Does anyone have some ideas on this? My daughter is only playing 12u on a comp team, she's not working out 6 days a week or anything crazy like that. Just maybe something she could do a couple times a week to increase her strength and flexibility, and decrease the chance of injuries.

 

[PlaySundaySoftball]

A Few Drills

My daughter is a 10U catcher on a select team,,A new drill I just started with her is to have her lay on her back (head towards backstop) with her eyes closed and I throw a ball over her and yell "Ball". She has to come up quick, find the ball and throw it back. This is to help with quickness getting to passed balls. You can also do the same drill on her stomach, (head towards the pitcher), throw it 5-10 feet short of the plate and have her come up and get it and throw towards 1st, this will help with fielding bunts quickly.
The thing that has worked out best with these drills is she pays more attention to her foot work, which decreases her reaction time and coming from the ground she usually is never fully upright by the time she gets to the ball. We just started these so I will see how much it helps in her next tournament in two weeks.

Good Luck
PlaySundaySoftball
http://www.playsunday.com

 

[absdad]

Those are some good drills, and we incorporate those and similar ones in practice.

I was really looking for some training exercises to increase strength and flexibility.

 

[PlaySundaySoftball]

I did see a coach working with some older girls the other day. He had them in full gear minus the helmet. He had them start about ten feet behind the plate, run up to the plate doing high knee steps, back and forth several times and them tossed them a ball and had them throw to second base.
You can't hardly beat deep knee bends for a catcher also. Anything that trains and strengthens the legs in the bending and squatting motion helps. And of course doing a lot of catching can't be beat. She trys to catch for her pitchers once or twice a week at their pitching lessons. When she does it shows during games.
PlaySundaySoftball
Play Sunday Softball

 

[absdad]

Right now she's doing wall sits, and some stretching that she learned in her Bushidokan classes. It's a demanding position, I can't believe that there isn't more out there for proper exercise/stretching like there is for pitchers.

 

[VAace21]

Catching exercises

Hey, I was a catcher for most of my softball career. I am 19 and recently stopped playing, I now coach a 14u team. I work with the catchers and here are just a few of the things I make them do...

• Squats
• Explosive jumps. (Starting in catchers position exploding up as high as possible)
• Machine gun jumps (Standing up and jumping bringing knees as close to chest as possible and exploding up as soon as feet touch ground.)
• Lunges
• Double leg bound (Jumping with both feet together as far as you can forward)
• Duck walk
• Side shuffles
catcher walk.

These are things you can do at home as well as on the field...I encourage them to do it in gear. It will build strength. Hope these help!

 

[Catching Coach]

My daughter is a 10U catcher on a select team,,A new drill I just started with her is to have her lay on her back (head towards backstop) with her eyes closed and I throw a ball over her and yell "Ball". She has to come up quick, find the ball and throw it back. This is to help with quickness getting to passed balls. You can also do the same drill on her stomach, (head towards the pitcher), throw it 5-10 feet short of the plate and have her come up and get it and throw towards 1st, this will help with fielding bunts quickly.
The thing that has worked out best with these drills is she pays more attention to her foot work, which decreases her reaction time and coming from the ground she usually is never fully upright by the time she gets to the ball. We just started these so I will see how much it helps in her next tournament in two weeks.

Good Luck
PlaySundaySoftball
http://www.playsunday.com

Remember to include in this training your pitchers as well. They need to know that if a ball gets behind a catcher as the catcher stands up and gets ready to turn they should be able to look out towards the circle and see their pitcher pointing to the ball. This is especially critical if the ball has gone between her legs.

Also with the short backstops at many fastpitch fields just because a ball got by you on your left does not mean it came to rest to your left. They can hit the close backstops and bounce to the other side.

Again your pitcher should be pointing at the ball.

 

[SnocatzDad]

Hey, I was a catcher for most of my softball career. I am 19 and recently stopped playing, I now coach a 14u team. I work with the catchers and here are just a few of the things I make them do...

• Squats
• Explosive jumps. (Starting in catchers position exploding up as high as possible)
• Machine gun jumps (Standing up and jumping bringing knees as close to chest as possible and exploding up as soon as feet touch ground.)
• Lunges
• Double leg bound (Jumping with both feet together as far as you can forward)
• Duck walk
• Side shuffles
catcher walk.

These are things you can do at home as well as on the field...I encourage them to do it in gear. It will build strength. Hope these help!

Here's another one that my daughter's swim coach has them doing as part of their dry-lands that I think is a great lower body dynamic workout and the girls think it's hilarious.

Donkey Kicks.

From a position on all fours knees bent but off the ground, butt in the air. Hands stay on the ground, jump up and kick out and then bring feet back in before you land.

 

[PlaySundaySoftball]

Remember to include in this training your pitchers as well. They need to know that if a ball gets behind a catcher as the catcher stands up and gets ready to turn they should be able to look out towards the circle and see their pitcher pointing to the ball. This is especially critical if the ball has gone between her legs.

Also with the short backstops at many fastpitch fields just because a ball got by you on your left does not mean it came to rest to your left. They can hit the close backstops and bounce to the other side.

Again your pitcher should be pointing at the ball.

That is a very good point, I will add that in. You are right about backstops, they will make a ball do some crazy things.
Play Sunday Softball

 

[absdad]

Here are two sites that I've seen. I could google for hours on pitcher's workouts... but catchers is a different story.

What do you all think of these?

Catcher's Pre Game Warm Up
Untitled Document

A catcher’s job is unique in the game of baseball. This responsibility doesn’t start with the first pitch; it starts as soon as you get to the field. Due to the stress on the legs and ability needed behind the plate, a catcher has to go to greater lengths to prepare his body to play.
Light running or jogging and a stretching program is essential for injury prevention and maximal performance. When you arrive at the Ball Park each game try to establish a routine that you are both comfortable with and will get your body ready to play. It is also very important that the program is one you will have the ability to do throughout an entire season.
During light running or jogging you can use the two foul lines or the foul line on your side and 2nd base (a distance of 90 feet) as distance markers. An initial warm-up to increase blood flow in the legs and body should be a distance that covers foul line to foul line. Pitchers commonly use this distance during conditioning drills. When using this distance as a pre-game warm-up you should go at a light to moderate pace. The goal here is to increase blood as well as warm-up the muscles. In order to use this distance effectively, jog the fence from line to line (or approx. if no fence) with 15-30 second rest when you reach opposite foul line. This is done 1-2 times.
Now you are ready to stretch.
You should always stretch with your team. However, due to the demand of catching I recommend additional stretching on your own that puts emphasis on the calves, groin, hamstring, quads, and lower back. The majority of teams will not have a program that will sufficiently touch all these areas.
With an additional 10-15 min you can significantly decrease your chance for injury while increasing your capacity for performance. All stretches should be held between 10-30 seconds.
The following are a list of stretching important to catchers:
Groin - (butter flies)
Groin - (squat, push legs apart using elbows)
Hamstring - (lying on back 1 leg at 90 degrees to ground, pull toward chest)
Hamstring – (legs apart while sitting on the ground, partner applies pressure to your back, down to right side, left side, and middle
Quads - (knelling on ground, gradually fall back onto heels, keeping back straight)
Quads – (lying on stomach, grab foot, pull upward)
Calves - (same as hamstrings, pull toes to ground, keeping leg straight)
Calves - (on feet and hands with butt elevated drop hips back)
Lower back - (on back, legs over head, toes on ground)
----------------------------------------------------

Catchers Pre - Game Warm-up

By: Brian Weingart
Catchers Warm Up

A catcher’s job is unique in the game of baseball. This responsibility doesn’t start with the first pitch; it starts as soon as you get to the field. Due to the stress on the legs and ability needed behind the plate, a catcher has to go to greater lengths to prepare his body to play.

Light running or jogging and a stretching program is essential for injury prevention and maximal performance. When you arrive at the Ball Park each game try to establish a routine that you are both comfortable with and will get your body ready to play. It is also very important that the program is one you will have the ability to do throughout an entire season.

During light running or jogging you can use the two foul lines or the foul line on your side and 2nd base (a distance of 90 feet) as distance markers. An initial warm-up to increase blood flow in the legs and body should be a distance that covers foul line to foul line. Pitchers commonly use this distance during conditioning drills. When using this distance as a pre-game warm-up you should go at a light to moderate pace. The goal here is to increase blood as well as warm-up the muscles. In order to use this distance effectively, jog the fence from line to line (or approx. if no fence) with 15-30 second rest when you reach opposite foul line. This is done 1-2 times.

Now you are ready to stretch.

You should always stretch with your team. However, due to the demand of catching I recommend additional stretching on your own that puts emphasis on the calves, groin, hamstring, quads, and lower back. The majority of teams will not have a program that will sufficiently touch all these areas.

With an additional 10-15 min you can significantly decrease your chance for injury while increasing your capacity for performance. All stretches should be held between 10-30 seconds.

The following are a list of exercises important to catchers:

Groin - (butter flies)

Groin - (squat, push legs apart using elbows)

Hamstring - (lying on back 1 leg at 90 degrees to ground, pull toward chest)

Hamstring – (legs apart while sitting on the ground, partner applies pressure to your back, down to right side, left side, and middle

Quads - (knelling on ground, gradually fall back onto heels, keeping back straight)

Quads – (lying on stomach, grab foot, pull upward)

Calves - (same as hamstrings, pull toes to ground, keeping leg straight)

Calves - (on feet and hands with butt elevated drop hips back)

Lower back - (on back, legs over head, toes on ground)



Light running should include high knees, butt kicks, fire hydrants, jogging, and backward running. These exercises should be done between 60-90 feet. Each exercise should be completed up and back. These exercises done after the additional stretching will give you a great capacity for performance by helping to eliminate nagging pulls and strains to muscles groups being used to catch. At this you will be fully prepared for the demand of catching a ball game. This program will not only help you for a single game, but will improve your ability, flexibility, and injury prevention over the course of a season.

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Anything that anyone could add? Or does this sound like a good routine? I'm asking for a 12u player, so maybe even these are a bit much, or not? My goal is injury prevention, not D1 preperation. I just want her to stay healthy.