Working To Improve Pop Times

[chazbz1]

I had the chance to work with one of my catchers recently and we focused on pop times. Specifically foot work. We took a series of videos before and after and just focused on the difference her footwork could make. While there are a number of factors influencing pop times, (Ball transfer, arm strength, efficiency of using torso and legs, ect...) The goal I had for her was to be able to compare one of her slower throws to one of her faster throws and see just how much her footwork affected her poptimes... This video illustrates this point.

[video=youtube_share;21Kfr6zj014]http://youtu.be/21Kfr6zj014[/video]​

-Chaz @ ACC

 

[guero_gordo]

Cool, cheat less, release sooner. A win-win.

 

[tghorley]

Great timing on this video as DGD started with a new catching instructor and the first thing they worked on was her quickness and footwork. At a tryout this spring she was timed at 1.9 for a pop time. Didn't believe it then and still don't believe it, maybe 2.1 or 2.2, although it seems to be better than most of the competition. She played 8 games this weekend and caught 80% of the innings. Strange, but no one tried to steal on her, not one time. But I noticed her throw downs in between innings she was throwing from the ear and not the back of her head. She has a strong arm, but which is the preferred way?

 

[1fingeredknuckler]

Runners on base it helps if the catcher gets up out of the crouch, unless the arn is strong enough to throw from the crouch, fast feet fast arm makes for throwing runners out. You can't run and throw it /// just comments, not relevant to the videos, i see a lot of catchers with slow feet and squatting// probably just the nature of the area here.

 

[Michael N]

Watched a team this year whose catcher had an absolute rocket for an arm . Her throwdown was absolutely intimidating as almost nobody tried to steal on her . We watched her for a while and I noticed she wasn't really quick on her feet or the release so I talked to DD's coach and mentioned it . She sent some of our quicker girls and they pretty much owned second base for the entire game . Gotta have fast feet to make use of that rocket arm .

 

[1fingeredknuckler]

arm and feet

if you watch "good catchers" "maybe not in fp" "but in bb" if you are not up and out of resting on your heels, your feet and rocket will probably fall short, i caught when i was young, because i could throw pretty well, "when we were short a catcher", if you want to age fast, just let your pitcher put em on every inning so you have to be sitting in knee position, then your feet go to work and hopefully you have an arm to work with the feet, it does not come easy, just like pitching, a good catcher will win or save you games time and time again.

You can't run and throw it, your running with the runner.

If you are one of those that come along now and then, i have seen them sit there and throw em out, i'd take a dozen of those.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Chaz - nice substantiated teaching point. I can't tell from the provided images, but seems that the feet are quicker in the better pop time clip due, at least in part, to the right foot not traveling as far. The slower video it looks like the right foot almost replaced the left foot; in that video the catcher's balance seems to have been lost briefly due the resulting over-rotation (clockwise) and then the hips lost their load and the upper and lower half fell out of sync and the throw looks like it wasn't driven, but pushed (and probably ended up high and right of the bag). Alternatively, I could just be seeing things.

 

[chazbz1]

GM,
Right foot movement is pretty much identical. The 1.9 time she transfers her feet (And weight) quicker as she actually reacts (Glove, upper body) slightly slower. Watch for the slight dust rooster tail as the left foot moves forward. She kept her foot that close to the ground, took a straighter path forward and was able to transfer her weight evenly to the left foot and follow through on the throw.

The 2.26 the left foot is higher going forward. (And it swings wider stepping forward) Weight is kept on the back half of the body too long and the body keeps rotating until the left foot plants due to inertia. Thus the over rotation and the out of sync timing...