If wanting to walk a batter, does the catcher have to stay in normal catcher's position until pitcher releases the ball?
Or can the catcher stand up like MLB?
Thanks.
Or can the catcher stand up like MLB?
Thanks.
ASA and FED say the catcher has to be in the box "until the pitch is released". Is "at the start of the pitch" specific to a certain rule set, like maybe NCAA?
Either way, there's no restriction on how the catcher stands or squats, as long as she's in the catcher's box and not interfering with the batter. The catcher's box is a HUGE piece or real estate in softball! It's as wide as both batter's boxes, so your catcher could legally be standing behind the opposite box from the batter and still be "in the box".
Bretman,
That is exactly what we teach. As soon as the pitcher is on the pitching rubber I have the catcher move to the very back, opposite corner of the batters box and stand there and wait for the pitch. The picture below shows the foot positions for a righty or lefty batter. She just needs to be sure her foot is inside the box. What they do is before the first pitch I have them go to the appropriate side and draw a line back 4-5 feet from the outside chalk line of the batters box, back towards the back stop. Then they set up just inside the line they have drawn in the dirt. This ensures that they are showing Blue that they are indeed "in the Catchers box"
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