How low should she go?

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Jun 14, 2019
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My 7yr old has been to several camps this summer and has been corrected for being both too high and too low. I noticed most of the older girls are perching on their heels at these camps so she does look quite a bit higher than they do. From reading on here I tried getting her out of the sitting on heels habit. However I don't know how low she should be going or trying to go. Her legs aren't super strong yet but I would like her to practice the right way from the start. This is a photo of where she is most of the time right now. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 

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Aug 20, 2017
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Get comfortable! It’s a little different for all catchers. You want her to be able to sway (move head behind ball) and block as she gets older. Find a position that she can block in and come up and throw. Looking at pic I would say get back a little flatter, head forward and get little. Also, teach her to catch the ball with the thumb at 3:00 and under the ball on pitches down the middle or inside to a righty (she is a lefty i see) and thumb at 12:00 on balls away from a righty. Have her freeze catch a bunch of pitches! Starting early behind the plate!! I love it!!
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Feet together, tucked under the hips, and sitting on the heels - this tells me that the catcher has not been taught proper receiving stances and techniques. Narrow feet means an unstable platform to work from, and limited lateral mobility. At ages above 10U, it's a dead give-away for a low-level player.

A big mistake young players often make when using a "runners-on"/secondary stance is getting too upright with their upper body, and limiting their ability to reach the ground. Looking at the pic you posted, this may be happening with your DD. Bringing her head a little lower (chest closer the the ground), will put her in a pretty good stance. Of course, this assumes she isn't catching behind giants like the one in the pic - LOL

If your DD really loves playing catcher, on of the best things you can do is educate yourself. This is one of the very best places to start... https://vimeo.com/ondemand/neccdvd
 
Jun 14, 2019
80
8
Get comfortable! It’s a little different for all catchers. You want her to be able to sway (move head behind ball) and block as she gets older. Find a position that she can block in and come up and throw. Looking at pic I would say get back a little flatter, head forward and get little. Also, teach her to catch the ball with the thumb at 3:00 and under the ball on pitches down the middle or inside to a righty (she is a lefty i see) and thumb at 12:00 on balls away from a righty. Have her freeze catch a bunch of pitches! Starting early behind the plate!! I love it!!
Thanks for the tips...she has a habit of flipping her wrist when the ball comes like she is going to catch a ground ball instead of leaving it upright.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Thanks for the tips...she has a habit of flipping her wrist when the ball comes like she is going to catch a ground ball instead of leaving it upright.

Keep working with her. Especially when she was younger, I used to have my DD do a lot of bare-hand work at home with tennis balls or foam balls (even rolled-up socks will work) to work on reinforcing proper receiving mechanics - body position, arm position, and hand position.
 

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