- Feb 22, 2013
- 206
- 18
When I teach beginning Rec Ballers to catch, I tell them to stand sideways and I call this position their, "Skinny Self". While the Rec player is in her skinny self position, I stand in front of her and put myself in my skinny self position and use my right hand to mirror her left glove hand and show her how her glove will move to catch any ball that comes in her direction.
I will tell her that by putting herself in the skinny self position that she is giving the thrower the smallest target to hit when throwing and that she is in the smallest position to get hit, if for some reason, she doesn't catch the ball.
I will then soft toss several balls to the right of person catching, having the girl perform a backhand catch. I will then soft toss several balls to the left of the girl so that she has to roll over her glove to catch the ball and then I will soft toss several balls at the girl, where if she maintains her skinny self position, she well backhand catch those balls, also.
I encourage the girls to catch the ball where they can both see their glove and the ball. I want the girls to watch the ball into the glove and discourage the girls from stabbing at the ball.
When the girls are warming up their arms at every practice, I put them in their skinny self positions to catch the ball because I want them to at least know how their gloves are supposed to work. From the skinny self position, I don't have to worry about beginning Rec Ballers turning their palms towards the sky when attempting to catch a ball that is throw directly at them. The glove just doesn't work that way out of the skinny self position.
I will tell her that by putting herself in the skinny self position that she is giving the thrower the smallest target to hit when throwing and that she is in the smallest position to get hit, if for some reason, she doesn't catch the ball.
I will then soft toss several balls to the right of person catching, having the girl perform a backhand catch. I will then soft toss several balls to the left of the girl so that she has to roll over her glove to catch the ball and then I will soft toss several balls at the girl, where if she maintains her skinny self position, she well backhand catch those balls, also.
I encourage the girls to catch the ball where they can both see their glove and the ball. I want the girls to watch the ball into the glove and discourage the girls from stabbing at the ball.
When the girls are warming up their arms at every practice, I put them in their skinny self positions to catch the ball because I want them to at least know how their gloves are supposed to work. From the skinny self position, I don't have to worry about beginning Rec Ballers turning their palms towards the sky when attempting to catch a ball that is throw directly at them. The glove just doesn't work that way out of the skinny self position.