Is it reasonable for 10u catcher to catch all games?

[InsidePitch]

I believe C and P are probably the two most often quit positions when kids get burnt out because coaches, teammates and parents rely to heavily on them being in the spot.

To the OP, your kid should not be catching every seed game on Saturday since they are rather meaningless. Use them to give the other kids needed experience.

 

[guero_gordo]

I believe C and P are probably the two most often quit positions when kids get burnt out because coaches, teammates and parents rely to heavily on them being in the spot.

Frequently IMLE, C gets the worst ratio of pressure to training of any position.

 

[tsryan71]

DD is 9yrs old and has played up on 10U team for the last two seasons. She is the number 1 catcher and I keep very detailed defensive stats for her. In this past 2012 calendar year (March through end of July) she caught in 61 out of the 66 games, 286 innings, 4817 total pitches, 153 blocks and 16 pass balls. That averages to 16.84 pitches per inning, (we were blessed with 3 strong pitchers this season).

We are a catcher family and have given her the choice and opportunity to play 1B, 3B or even pitch (God forbid, again we are a family of catchers) and she doesn't want to get out from behind the plate. Proper mechanics are the key to longevity behind the plate. If the mechanics are not fundamentally sound then yes, extensive time behind the plate will take its toll on your daughter with injury. Catchers are just wired differently, who else would willingly throw their body at a ball when instinct would be to get out of the way?

Every girl has a different threshold as to how much time she can give you behind the plate. The key is to know your child and have your child pay attention to her body. When you see it, or she says she's done for the day, she's done for the day. NO questions. Pack the gear and enjoy some well deserved time in the dugout. Have her sit nearest the coach calling the pitches and have her give input as to what pitch has been working for the day.

 

[CoogansBluff]

... 286 innings, 4817 total pitches, 153 blocks and 16 pass balls.

And she's 9? I would've taken her on my 12U TB team sight-unseen! Great job.

 

[Momo'sDad]

No. You should speak up and inform the coach that you're not comfortable with nor will you allow your daughter to catch that many innings. If it means taking a starting SS or 3B and throwing them behind the plate, so be it. Part of developing players is not overusing the pitchers and catchers.

Our 10u team has 4 catchers. All see action during pool play, then we go with 2 in bracket play.

 

[tsryan71]

And she's 9? I would've taken her on my 12U TB team sight-unseen! Great job.

We are a catcher family. Blocking was something we have been working on since her early stages in rec ball. The hardest thing to teach a young catcher is not to flinch or turn the body when blocking, shouldn't take too long to get over this once they trust their equipment. After they become "fearless" the most time consuming part is having the young player recognize when to block. This recognition of when to execute a block takes time. For some, a great deal of time. As people have already stated on the forum, catchers get the least amount of time to development during team practice. For us, knowing when to block came from catching for pitchers during their lessons. Many times as the pitchers are learning new pitches it is a great opportunity for the catcher to work on blocking.

If not properly trained a young catcher could get injured by bad mechanics and if overworked behind the plate can grow to resent the position. We've been lucky that our daughter has been around good pitching. A good pitcher/catcher combination makes both look good!

 

[02Crush]

If you are in North GA then send me a PM! We have one catcher and need a second to avoid just this issue you are concerned about!
Second year 10U Team comprised of 02' and 03' birthdates.

 

[CCJR]

Frequently IMLE, C gets the worst ratio of pressure to training of any position.

Wholeheartedly agree with this ^


And while I haven't read every prior message, I can say that at the "competitive" 10U level, there needs to be more than one catcher logging innings behind the plate. Softball tournaments can just get too long for one catcher to handle at that age. And even at the older levels, there should be more than one catcher. Had a few girls this summer play in every game during a tournament (sometimes 8 games-worth). The results were not great and can definitely take a toll long term on their desire to play in the future.