Catcher struggling to catch

[sbmom19]

Another thing that you can use to address this is to develop drills to force the catcher to trust their gear (which requires them to have gear they can in fact trust). We put new catchers in the "cowboy" position. They are on the floor/ground in the block position, in full gear but without a glove. Butt as close to the ground as they can get, with toes pointed out as far as they can. Have them place their hands "in their back pockets". If they are very timid, start with tennis balls. Simulate block situations where they are forced to allow the ball to hit their gear. Make them see the ball all of the way in, with their head down, and watch where it lands after it leave them (hopefully it stays close, but that isn't the purpose of this drill). As they get more comfortable, use softballs. If they are using proper gear and proper form, they will eventually realize it doesn't hurt and their confidence will boom. If the catcher isn't seeing the ball into the mitt because of being timid, this can certainly address that issue.

Yes! A couple of years ago we had a girl decide that she wanted to catch. Her first practice, we had her gear up, we set the pitching machine on a low speed and fired some balls at her chest protector and shin guards. Let her see that her equipment will protect her...

 

[MsDinosaur]

Yeah, the Mizuno GSX92's pocket is a ball magnet! After watching redhotcoach's DD's vacuum up ball after ball with her gsx92 at an NECC clinic several years ago, DD tried hers on, liked it, and we went right out and bought her one. It was her favorite mitt all through 12U and I can't remember her ever dropping a pitch with that thing.

However, it won't last her forever. Once pitchers start bringing the heat, there's not quite enough padding and her hand will sting. We've switched to a slightly higher level Mizuno and it's doing fine for her--DD is playing second year 14U and high school ball.

 

[MsDinosaur]

If it's hitting off the edge of the mitt she is either trying to receive with a closed mitt, an improperly angled mitt, or she is not following the ball all the way into the mitt with her eyes.

You could have her try deliberately blinking as the pitcher is getting ready to throw. It's awfully hard to suppress the blink instinct and she could be blinking right as the ball comes in.

 

[Greenmonsters]

You could have her try deliberately blinking as the pitcher is getting ready to throw. It's awfully hard to suppress the blink instinct and she could be blinking right as the ball comes in.

Blinking on ball-glove or ball-bat impact won't lead to drops and isn't unusual (and actually may not be preventable). A catcher watching the bat will lead to misses, not just drops. Frequent drops are either the result of an unfamiliar mitt style, mitt position/orientation, poor pocket configuration, loose lacing, or padding/support deterioration.

 

[MsDinosaur]

True, GM, blinking alone isn't that big a deal. I figured she might be moving her mitt in conjunction with the blink. If she's inexperienced, it wouldn't take much...

 

[iMlearning]

Pitching machine

Using the pitching machine for the first time for catching was great. We got about 100 pitches in and moved from about 50 up to about 65mph. The balls weren't coming in very consistent so she had to stay focused. I definitely recommend this to get a lot of reps and especially for breaking in a glove.

 

[undergroundga]

Thanks every one for the responses. I have spoken with the mom and she is going to spend 15 minutes everyday tossing tennis balls to her. Our pitchers/catchers have their own practice once a week and I will look to see if she is watching the ball into her glove.

 

[Eric F]

Thanks every one for the responses. I have spoken with the mom and she is going to spend 15 minutes everyday tossing tennis balls to her. Our pitchers/catchers have their own practice once a week and I will look to see if she is watching the ball into her glove.

The tennis ball work is a good idea. I would encourage her to work on not only catching the ball, but also proper hand and arm positioning on each catch, and holding the ball at the spot it is caught for a 3-count. Make her really focus on the catch and building muscle memory for good technique.

I do this same thing with my DD on a regular basis with Mojo balls inside the house.