My catcher-beast...

[Lenski]

haha trust me.....if I had video to post of my dd, we'd exceed 2k posts because I know enough to be dangerous and am a sponge. I prefer to hear from experts on all sides and come up with a personal plan and ask questions from there to avoid 2k posts.

Lol....fair enough!

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

Umm....look at post #88. I believe that is Jay. It is a pic from the NECC website originally provided by Eric in this thread. Jay's arm is barred and his head is behind the ball in every postion: inside corner, middle, and outside corner. I've never been to a NECC camp so maybe they say something different.

I never claimed what NECC's version of "quiet" means. My definition of quiet is based on an actual definition you find in a dictionary. The action of the catcher's body being quiet refers to the verb meaning "still". So, when I say that a catcher's body should be as quiet as possible it means for me that the catchers body remains as still as possible. NECC, so I am led to believe based on others' posts plus the pic provided, teaches lean to the ball. In my world, that is not quiet. NECC might have a different explaination. But I do know this: The majority of MLB catchers do not instill lean. There is a reason for that.....and it has to do with the umpires. Otherwise, there is no reason not to do it.

You might think that catching a pitch outside the shoulders and bringing it in while the catcher's body remains as quiet as possible is noisy. That's fine, it's your world. However, the video of my dd catching the ball outside the shoulders and bringing it in while her body was as quiet as possible seems to have sold that umpire into calling a 3rd strike. It was against a college team when my dd was 16 and the umpire was a college ump. Does she get that call every time? Nope, but she gets that call much more than you would think. I've seen it happen for years.........

I'm not going to get into the tiny details, nor bother with explaining the difference between a claim and an implication, nor waste time pointing out how you are really interpreting the definition of "quiet" in such a way as to make your claim to correct technique unassailable.

Suffice to say that, outside of the stiff-arm (which is not taught in their DVD, I've never been to a clinic) you are seeing what you want to see in that image.

If you think your DD "sold" that pitch, you must not think much of that umpire. So be it. That's not what I see there. I'm thinking dadofadirtlover has it right. This is no longer a dialog, if it ever was. I'm outta here.

 

[Lenski]

I'm not going to get into the tiny details, nor bother with explaining the difference between a claim and an implication, nor waste time pointing out how you are really interpreting the definition of "quiet" in such a way as to make your claim to correct technique unassailable.

Suffice to say that, outside of the stiff-arm (which is not taught in their DVD, I've never been to a clinic) you are seeing what you want to see in that image.

If you think your DD "sold" that pitch, you must not think much of that umpire. So be it. That's not what I see there. I'm thinking dadofadirtlover has it right. This is no longer a dialog, if it ever was. I'm outta here.

You'll be back. It's in your nature.

You don't have to get into tiny details nor bother explaining the difference between a claim and an implication. I cover that in my post you quoted. Read the 4th sentence of the first paragraph. I also use a word defined by a dictionary and you get all butt-hurt about it. Geez......get a grip.

Of course my dd sold that pitch. It's not really hard to see that fact. I had no issues with the umpire and I have no idea why you say I must not have thought much of him. I have no idea what you see in the video of my dd....nor do I really care. The real problem here is that you can't bury me with what I say and that bothers you for some reason. You think I'm bashing NECC and I'm really not. I think NECC is a great resource. It is a much needed resource. There is just not that much out there concerning catching. I'm glad it exists, but by no means does that mean that I must agree with everything they state, nor does it mean that I cannot express my opinion to the contrary. Like I said very early in this thread, I bet I agree with 95% of what NECC teaches.

 

[Eric F]

Just to clarify a couple of points...

I don't believe I have said that I want my DD to "arm bar" on every pitch. To me, the term means a locked-out elbow, which is how it is demonstrated and taught by Jen Schro. I don't agree that this is a requirement (or a goal) on every pitch.

In my experience with NECC (Maddie has attended 2 winter clinics), they teach catching the ball out front with a strong arm and soft wrist. This doesn't necessarily mean a locked-out arm bar. This is the way Maddie has been taught.

Like NECC, I want to see the ball caught out front as much as practical. The arm can maintain some bend if that is what works best for the catcher, but will be pretty straight most times. For a pitch on the right edge of the plate, a RH catcher will often end up with a fully-straightened arm. I'm okay with that, too. As I have said before, I think getting the body behind the ball significantly improves a catcher's ability to stick pitch location because it supports the arm better. A catcher reaching across their body for a pitch creates a line from the shoulder to to the mitt that points away from the plate (towards 1B for a RH catcher). Even if they have the strength to stick the location, and not move their body, I don't like the line created by the arm from the POV of the umpire. A body shift gets the arm pointed in a direction that presents the pitch better (IMO). I think this is the point where Lenski and I will just have to agree to disagree. This is also an area where a LH catcher (like Lenski's DD) has an advantage. With a majority of RH hitters, a LH catcher is already in a naturally stronger position for pitches on the outside edge.

 

[Bartow12]

Bad Call by blue, OUTSTANDING work by catcher. Sometimes we can make balls look like strikes. Nice arm position and hand position. Ball well received and presented. More impressive at slower speed on how up and out that ball was and how she shaped it back to the zone.

 

[Lenski]

Bad Call by blue, OUTSTANDING work by catcher. Sometimes we can make balls look like strikes. Nice arm position and hand position. Ball well received and presented. More impressive at slower speed on how up and out that ball was and how she shaped it back to the zone.

Thanks Bartow. It's hard to find someone in this thread that can appreciate everything that is going on in that clip. I know it doesn't fall within the NECC universe. Thankfully, you look beyond basic NECC techniques and respect it for what it is.

 

[Eric F]

Thanks Bartow. It's hard to find someone in this thread that can appreciate everything that is going on in that clip. I know it doesn't fall within the NECC universe. Thankfully, you look beyond basic NECC techniques and respect it for what it is.

I hope I haven't come across as being being disrespectful of you or your DD. I think she is doing a great job, and is clearly effective. You and I have slightly different approaches to a few details, but we probably agree on 99% of the other stuff.

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

That clip of your DD is comparable to my DD catching a pitch on the inside edge of the plate, which many not require any body movement to get into a position that supports her arm. Pitch #2...

How was that team you guys played . I hear their pretty good.........

 

[Eric F]

How was that team you guys played . I hear their pretty good.........

They were a decent '03 team...and big, compared with our girls.

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

They were a decent '03 team...and big, compared with our girls.

That was Angelas travel team from last year. Yea their from Rialto. Its the Rialto water, the water makes them bigger.......