Throwing to second from knees.....

[texican]

Why is that coaches think that the girl that can throw from he knees to second is a beast catcher, regardless of whether she can block, receive, lead..etc. Also, any time I look at general college softball games or highlights..the catcher never throws from her knees. Sure you can specifically search for and find clips of girls doing it and getting runners out..but if you just watch say...Tennesee Vols. vs Alabama Crimson Tide...or UCLA vs Stanford...just as examples, the catchers don't throw down to 2 from their knees.

Anyone care to school me on this ?

thanks

 

[Eric F]

If a coach thinks that being able to throw to 2B from the knees defines the quality of a catcher, I would be highly suspect of EVERYTHING else the coach says related to catching.

 

[Jquick823]

If your catcher is constantly throwing from her knees i would suggest a better more consistent pitcher. The team i'm with doesn't instruct throwing from the knees at all, i work with my DD occasionally on it 1 on 1 but i haven't seen a catcher at the 12U level throw hard enough from her knees to stop me from running with my slowest player. Develope footwork, receiving, pitch selection and defensive gameplan with a catcher. IMO, only the elite level player with top 1% arm strength is going to throw runners out with consistency from her knees after blocking a ball. This might even require a base running blunder on the other team. But if she doesn't block the ball and has to chase to the backstop that arm strength doesn't mean a thing.

 

[JAD]

A catcher throwing to 2B from her knees requires a tremendous amount of upper body strength since she loses the extra power generated with her legs. I would suggest measuring the catchers "pop times" to see how they compare from the knees vs. raising up. Most catchers pop times are better coming up because of the extra velocity they get while using their legs plus their throws are typically more accurate.

 

[sru]

It really depends on the catcher's height, strength, conditioning and coordination. Younger ages usually can't throw from their knees as they just don't have the strength to get the ball to 2nd. Older girls certainly can.

MY 16yo DD is 5'10" inches tall, and is lean. The other catcher on her team is shorter, 5'5" or so, and stronger than my DD. It takes a lot more effort (and time) for taller catchers to get to the throwing position on their feet than it does to drop down to their knees and fire, especially if they've blocked a pitch in the dirt. Taller players have a throwing "mechanical" advantage as their arms are longer and can generate more power (think tall pitchers). DD's POP is better from her knees by a big margin than throwing from her feet. The only time she throws to 2nd from her feet is if she is already standing from catching a high pitch.

To me, the best method will always be the fastest, whether from the knees or the feet. Of course proper trowing mechanics is the most important factor.

 

[Ken Krause]

I've had a few catchers who I've recommended throw from their knees. A couple were big, heavy girls who had trouble getting up out of their crouches. They were strong, though, so throwing by going down instead of up was faster. One of those also tended to throw high, so throwing from the knees helped her bring her throws down.

It's not for everyone. But it works for some.

 

[Greenmonsters]

It really depends on the catcher's height, strength, conditioning and coordination. Younger ages usually can't throw from their knees as they just don't have the strength to get the ball to 2nd. Older girls certainly can.

MY 16yo DD is 5'10" inches tall, and is lean. The other catcher on her team is shorter, 5'5" or so, and stronger than my DD. It takes a lot more effort (and time) for taller catchers to get to the throwing position on their feet than it does to drop down to their knees and fire, especially if they've blocked a pitch in the dirt. Taller players have a throwing "mechanical" advantage as their arms are longer and can generate more power (think tall pitchers). DD's POP is better from her knees by a big margin than throwing from her feet. The only time she throws to 2nd from her feet is if she is already standing from catching a high pitch.

To me, the best method will always be the fastest, whether from the knees or the feet. Of course proper trowing mechanics is the most important factor.

I'm not a big advocate of throwing from the knees, but using the stop watch is the right way to make your decision. I'm not sure that the longer arm really benefits a catcher as they use more of a short arm throwing motion as opposed to a full windup. Curious to know what her different pop times are (or at least what the actual delta is) and if you know what her catcher velocity is compared to her max/regular overhand throw.

 

[CoachAl]

I've had a few catchers who I've recommended throw from their knees. A couple were big, heavy girls who had trouble getting up out of their crouches. They were strong, though, so throwing by going down instead of up was faster. One of those also tended to throw high, so throwing from the knees helped her bring her throws down.

It's not for everyone. But it works for some.

Glad to see this post Ken! We have a catcher (a pretty good one!) that fits your description and I have been contemplating working with her catching instructor over the winter to develop a "from the knees" throw for her. She too has problems with quickness out of the runners on stance and does want to throw the ball high at times. I figure the winter practices would be a great time to see if that can work for her or not.

 

[CobraAssist]

The high school senior that was giving my DD lessons throws down from her knees. She is very tall and told me that it's MUCH quicker for her as well. She hasn't worked with DD going to 2nd from her knees (we don't want her too right now), but I will say that DD has started doing that on pick-offs to first and third, and the quickness of which the ball is leaving her hand is remarkable. Shorter throw helps too.

Josh

 

[BB875]

It all depends where the pitch goes. IF its in the dirt, I agree with throwing from knees. Otherwise if its a normal pitch it doesn't make sense to me. However, Ken explained his reasoning and that does make sense.