Opposing teams 3rd base coach calling our pitch locations.

[JAD]

NECC is just that good

Some pitchers are fragile, "you move to late" "to early" to much" "not enough" etc....
Our catchers set up as the pitcher is starting her windup, as Greenmonsters said the goal is to receive the ball in the middle of the chest (per NECC) to gain the pitcher strikes. Sitting in the middle and stabbing at pitches off the plate is not optimal.

I'm dont worry about coaches or players tipping pitches. Its easy enough to deal with.

Fastpitch breaking pitches do not move as much as baseball pitches, so unless your pitcher is 'slinging' the ball, the catcher should not need an exaggerated 'shift'.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Green it says your lacation is new england do you get a kick back on NECC dvd or advertising for them. Maybe your Weaver and trying to advertise your product and your camps??? Nothing meant but everytime something about catching you bring up NECC...

Joe - Yes, I do live in New England; however, I have no business or financial affiliation w/ NECC and get nothing more from them than the opportunity to write them a check and thank them for helping train my DD. And I will admit that there are times that I do wish that I was Jay Weaver - he's younger, better looking, and can throw 85+ righty and lefty.

When it comes to catching, as a former D1 BB catcher trying rather ineffectively to teach his DD the positon, I've been looking long and hard for about the last 10 years and to date have found no better source of hands-on catching instruction and training than NECC and nothing that is available to the general public that comes remotely close to the NECC catcher training DVD that Jay and his late father Dave created. So, when there are questions or questionable info posted about catching here on DFP, I have and will continue to offer my opinion or thoughts for whatever they may be worth, but ultimately direct them to NECC for the final word and call attention to the DVD because it's the best nearly 3 hrs of catching instruction that can be had for $40 regardless of one's geographic location. What's my motivation? I just want to see the postion given the time, attention, and respect that it deserves and for other parents of catchers to have the opportunity to shorten their DD's learning curve and maybe help them achieve their D1 SB dreams or, like my DD, get into a top private D3 school and continue to play SB for less than the cost of attending the top in-state public university and not playing SB.

 

[shockcoach]

I also give a big thumbs up to the NECC video. It's not just Green who endorses it on this site. Anyone who has viewed the DVD gives it an endorsement. Jay is also very good at responding to questions when you email him. It sounds like Green is fortunate to be close enough to take his DD to seem him, rather than wait for the tour locations to come by close to home.

 

[joeman39]

lol I do agree with you about catchers should be getting there due.. My oldest was a catcher and catcher for D1 school. If she is at a D3 than she's not getting any money from athletics. I'm just teasing .. I know they do a great job and work very hard. You come across as if it's there way or no way. Wonder how many catchers in D1 have went to NECC or have seen there dvd? Now nothing mean just wondering.

 

[joeman39]

Oh yea guys sorry i am off topic.... really didn't mean to... I will get back on topic

 

[PGSAKen]

NECC comes to KC once a year. Its an awesome resource on an often overlooked position.

 

[LAdad]

For any coach to call out pitch locations at the 14U level is exceedingly poor sportsmanship. At that age, it is probably best to go talk to him or the head coach. Explain that it is not surprising that he can outsmart a kid that age, but that the kids don't learn anything from it.

At higher levels you can argue that you should be smarter about the signals you use or about how the catcher sets up. But the fact that you can work around it, doesn't mean that it is no longer poor sportsmanship. That is particularly true when the coach does it from first or third base. At D1, when the 3rd base coach calls "change" in the middle of a pitch, it is not because of the way the catcher sets up, it is because he sees from the pitcher's grip that she is throwing a changeup. While the pitcher should try to hide from the batter what she's throwing, the 3rd base coach has the unfair advantage of a different angle. By the time he calls it, the pitcher has already started her pitch, and can't really change it anymore. It seems that that is what the Oregon coach did, and he seriously diminishes his team's achievement with this behavior.

In MLB this would cause a big stink; I don't see why it should be ok in softball.

 

[starsnuffer]

Oregon's coach is a former mens pitcher. In the mens game, spotting pitches before or at release is pretty much the only way batters get any hits. I know he stresses learning how to spot pitches to his players, but I agree calling it out is bad form. Then again, there are no prizes or bonuses for loosing with honor at the college level. Perhaps there should be.

-W

 

[shockcoach]

He was telling his team how his own daughter was tipping her pitches when they played against her.

I have told my own DD how the pitchers she is facing tip their pitches. No, I don't call them out, but I teach her to look at their grip when they grip it outside the glove.

It's all part of the game.

 

[LAdad]

Oregon's coach is a former mens pitcher. In the mens game, spotting pitches before or at release is pretty much the only way batters get any hits. I know he stresses learning how to spot pitches to his players, but I agree calling it out is bad form.
-W

Spotting the pitch by the batter is fine, and it's fine to teach them how to do that. But spotting from 3rd base by a non-player seems quite a different issue. What if the pitchers get good enough that they hide it even from 3rd base; then can you put someone who waves a flag from behind centerfield?

I've never seen men's fastpitch up close, but do they really let the coach call pitches from 3rd?

Then again, there are no prizes or bonuses for loosing with honor at the college level. Perhaps there should be.

If people widely condemned him for poor sportsmanship, that would help. If you're going to come in 8th of 8, you'd better do it with honor than with everyone saying good riddance.