My question is what would you rather have, a player that has strong blocking skills or good pop times. I know the ideal thing is to have both, but what is easier to teach to a 9th or 10th grader?

I think blocking is definitely easier to teach because thats a matter of practice. Getting into habit. You can't teach arm strength. But at the 9th and 10th grade level a player isn't fully developed so should work on accuracy with throws and the arm strength with increase naturally (although long toss and conditioning won't hurt either).

I don't think this is a simple question to asnwer. If a catcher is lacking in either of these skills, he is putting way too many runners into scoring position. However, assuming pitchers don't throw balls in the dirt regularly, a strong arm not only throws runners out- but prevents the runner from even trying.

Great debate:

Allow me to rephrase: Choose A or B.
A. HS Catcher has plus arm. Average C&T skills.
B. HS Catcher can flat out receive. Average arm.

I prefer to select B.
Some coaches choose A. since they can teach them to improve C&T.

OBTW: I have also observed a few with neither A. nor B. (and the Dad is convinced his son is draftable his Sr. year!)

Blocking is by far the most important thing for a 9th or 10th grader. They'll learn that their pitching staff will get better and increase confidence as soon as they start blocking pitches that they haven't been able to in the past. At all levels pitchers need to feel comfortable throwing any pitch, knowing that the catcher will block just about anything that comes their way. In 9th and 10th grade guys aren't throwing as hard as they will be as juniors or seniors (although some are getting there) so it will be easier to block and build confidence when blocking at the varsity level.

I don't care how good of an arm you have, in 9th and 10th grade you're not going to throw anybody out standing next to the backstop. Don't give the other team free bases, make them earn it.

In practice, long toss to build arm strength, work on footwork for throws, but emphasize blocking. Once they get the blocking down, then really emphasize the accuracy and throwing. They're a receiver first, then a gun slinger.

Developmental priorities for catchers.
1. Catch
2. Block
3. Throw
4. Game management

JW

Jerry- What are some of the best drills for catchers to become a better receiver? Btw- when do you take off for AZ?

quote:

Originally posted by jerry weinstein:
Developmental priorities for catchers.
1. Catch
2. Block
3. Throw
4. Game management

JW

Exactly what Jerry said. Catching and keeping strikes and blocking are for sure #1 and #2.

Just a little more about him. He just turned 14 this week and is an eighth grader 6'2 215 pounds. He has been catching at the top level of select ball from the beginning. Although he does manage a game well (calls pitches in alot of games for himself) He has a very strong arm, needs better footwork and knows the basics of blocking, this is his biggest weakness.

One more question...Is there a size that would be just too big to catch?

NC,
Below are some reciever drills. I leave for Arizona on 2/27.

Joe Mauer is 6'4" & the average ML catcher last year was 6'1" & 205 pounds.

DRILLS TO DEVELOP BLOCKING SKILLS (Option to use reduced injury factor balls and/or pad up your arms for live blocking drills)
1. FORM BLOCKING-Have the coach stand approximately ten feet in front of you and point to balls in the dirt in various different locations with the end of a fungo or a ball on a stick if he has one. (Use the home plate area or have a throw down plate in front of you) Start out making this a form blocking drill where you and the coach evaluate you blocking position and technique. Then you can turn it into a quickness drill. Quickly get back to the plate and into your receiving stance after each block and be ready for the next ball in the dirt. You can turn this into a form block and retrieve drill as well. The last part of this shadow/form blocking drill would be to convert it into a combination receiving drill. The coach will point the balls in and out of the strike zone which you will move your glove to and then he will mix in balls in the dirt. This is a more game like approximation of what happens.

2. LINE DRILL-Using the fungo or ball on the stick have the coach stand two steps in front of you and put the ball or bat down as he is walking backwards. After each block snap or push your way back to the center line. This drill works on quickness but more importantly gaining ground by cutting off the ball as close to the point of impact as possible.


3. BUNGEE CORD DRILL-This is a good drill because you can do it on your own. Hook a bungee cord or strong tubing with a belt on the opposite end into the fence. Put the belt on and form block with resistance and assistance to all three directions(Right, left and straight on) When the resistance is pulling you in the direction you want to move(assisted blocking) you get a feel for your range as well as what it feels like to accelerate your body. When you work against the resistance, you are building those muscles that are directly responsible for moving you in a specific direction. You also get a feel for what muscles you need to turn on to best execute. You can measure your improvements on a daily basis by measuring how far you are able to move. Also time how long it takes you to get there from your first move until landing with both knees.

4. LIVE BLOCKING-This is the same as the form blocking drills except you are using a baseball or an Incrediball. Start with every ball in the dirt to a specified point (i.e. right, left or straight on). Then every ball in the dirt with the direction being previously specified but thrown in the dirt away from the specified location. This prepares you for that errant ball in the dirt away from the intended location. Another option would be to throwing balls in the dirt without specifying a location. This is especially good for splitters where the direction is hard to predict. Lastly combine air balls and balls in the dirt randomly with more balls in the air than in the dirt. This is more game like and it prevents you from over anticipating balls in the dirt.

5. MACHINE BLOCKING- This is the same as the live blocking drill except you are using a machine which allows you to pinpoint locations when you need extra work on a specific pitch. It doesn’t hurt to wear football linemen forearm pads to protect you in this drill.

6. FUNGO BLOCKING-This is just a variation of live blocking except you are blocking balls off a fungo bat. On game days a few fungo blocks and tags in the infield during batting practice serves to get you ready for the game.

7. ROLL DRILL-This drill can be done with a coach or another catcher. The feeder sets up three to ten feet away and tries to roll the baseball between your legs when you are in your stance. The focus is on getting your glove down quickly and moving to the proper blocking position. Work middle, right and left knowing where the ball is going and graduate to reacting to the ball without knowing where it is going. Finally have the feeder put a ball in each had and try to react to the one he throws. As you get more proficient have the feeder increase the speed.

8. COACH ASSISTED DRILL-Have the coach or another catcher stand behind you and aggressively move you in the direction he wants you to block. This helps to give you the feel for how to explosively move your body. It really gives you a feel for how you need to move the center of your body to get the maximum lateral range.


9. ALL FOURS DRILL-This is another wave drill where the coach stands about ten feet in front of you. You set up in a four point stance with your head up and without your glove. The coach points and you move with special emphasis on moving your hips to move your body. When you get to your touch down, make sure that you are in a good blocking position and not tilted too far forward.

10. NO HANDS DRILL-This is another live drill that is best performed with the softer baseballs. This is for the catcher who keeps picking his hands up to catch the ball instead of covering up the “five hole.” It also helps if you are recoiling from balls in the dirt. Set up in your normal up stance but interlock your hands behind your back. React to the ball in the dirt with the goal to block every ball on your chest protector from your belly button to just below your chest. Make sure that you are not too high.

11. SELF SHADOW BLOCKING-This is a drill you can do on your own at any time. It is good to get you ready for a game. You also can do this in front of a mirror to check out your form.

12. MIRROR BLOCKING DRILL-This is the same as the mirror receiving drill except you are mirroring the blocking position of the catcher facing you. It develops your quickness, blocking technique, anticipatory skills and ability to react to a stimulus.

13. ANTI KICK BACK DRILL (for balls in the dirt that are directly at you)-Do your blocking drills by starting on a 4x4 or place the 4x4 behind you as a reminder not to kick back but to fold forward into the ball in the dirt. Another option would be to back up to a fence before you get into your stance. If you kick back instead of moving forward to cut the ball off at the point of impact, you will hit the fence.

14. BLOCK AND RETRIEVE DRILL-This is a live blocking drill. The goal is to block the ball and retrieve it before it gets out of the thirteen foot diameter circle around home plate. A throw to second or third or a back door pick at first can be added to this drill.

Good luck.

JW

JW, Thank you for the info.. I will have start on these drills this week...Good luck to you

6'2 and 215 lbs at age 15 makes for a huge man grown up. Boys grow taller until they are 17 or more. I am definitely not the person to judge how tall is too tall, but having some footwork issues is understandable with his youthly coordination but manly sized body. My guess is that there is a lot of arms and legs there.

Yes, that is exactly it...a boy in a mans body
When most of the coaches see him they expect more from him because of his size, even for me I sometime forget that he is only 14

As a piont of reference my BIL is 6'10

NC,
Here are some receiving drills for you.

1. No glove or glove receiving with tennis balls. This drill will put the focus on catching the ball extended with the proper hand action and hand position. The bouncy nature of the tennis balls demands a higher degree of focus.

You can also utilize this drill using two pound soft plyo balls. This is especially good for low middle and low out strikes. It really forces you to focus on rolling your thumb up as you catch the ball.

3. Ball on the stick drill. The coach stands in front of you with a baseball mounted on the end of a three foot long dowel. The coach points the ball to different points in and out of the strike zone and you move your glove to the proper position to catch the ball. As you get more proficient the coach will increase the speed of the drill.

4. Quick hands drill. The coach stands 15 feet or less away from you and rapidly back hand tosses balls in sets of five to various locations in and out of the zone. The drill emphasizes a relaxed body and loose and relaxed hands.

5. Four by four drill. Receive while standing on a 4x4. This adds a balance variable to the receiving process. It also gives you an opportunity to refine your stance.

6. Over speed drill. It is best to do this drill off of a pitching machine but it could be a coach throwing closer. The best machine for this drill is The Home Plate Pitching machine because it can throw 90+ mph anywhere in or out of the zone. You can program eight pitches that can be thrown randomly, in a sequence or one of the eight continually repeated. Start the drill at 60’6” and take a step forward every five pitches until the speed is too much. This is a great drill because it will help you slow down the game. It will help you both catching and hitting.


6. Maximum distraction drill. Have a hitter stand in and move his bat in front of your face or swing and miss as you receive pitches from the machine or thrown by the coach. This is especially good for blinkers or flinchers. You could even go so far as to have the hitter tap your mask as the ball is released.

7. Cross up or errant pitch drill. Use tennis balls or Incrediballs. Have the thrower mix up pitches without telling you what is coming. The next level would be to tell you what is coming but cross you upon occasion.

8. Low light drill. Perform any of these drills in low light conditions or with your really dark sun glasses on. It forces you to really concentrate because it’s harder to see and track the ball in a poorly illuminated environment.

9. Long quick hands drill-Have the coach rapidly throw baseballs. The interval should be just fast enough for you to catch the ball and drop it. This can also be done off a pitching machine. This drill promotes relaxed quick hand action.

10. Rainbow drill-Partner up with another catcher. Both of you should be in your receiving stances with a ball in your throwing hands. Each of you will throw the ball at the same time. Arc the ball and gradually take the arc out as you get better at tracking the ball. This drill addresses both your tracking and receiving skills.

11. Down the line drill-Have the coach stand on the first base foul line to work on the pitch to the catcher’s forehand and third base line to work on the pitch to the catcher’s backhand.

12. Mirror drill-This is a shadow drill. No ball is used. Partner up with another catcher and mirror his glove position. You can mix it up when he goes to either side and move your glove in the same direction as his (he goes for a back hand and you go for a forehand) or you can mirror him exactly. (forehand to forehand and back hand to back hand) It helps when you have to match up with a catcher who has quicker hand action.

JW

Jerry,

As a college coach what did you look for in a HS or JC catcher,and how did you find them?

1. Athlete
2. Passion for the game
3. Student
4. Offensive potential
5. Catch & throw potential
6. Can he play?

Being a catching guy, it's hard for me to put offense above defense in this position but I always felt if we had an athlete with character we could develop his defensive skills.It was much more difficult to take a guy who had limited offensive skills & develop him into an above average offensive player.IMO the college game,especially with metal bats, is based on offense & pitching. There is little room in the lineup for a non offensive player. Certainly that is contingent upon the skills & abilities of the players who surround you.There are exceptions. But when you recruit in college baseball or scout for professional baseball, you have a role profile & if you make exceptions,you end up with a lot of mismatched parts.

We primarily found players at showcases.We got a lot of follows as the result of e-mails that were followed up by phone calls to coaches & local professional scouts.Once we had our list based on our needs, then we would see the players in games that meant something.We also saw lots of players in our camps. We always encouraged players who were interested in our school to attend camp so that we could have an extended look at them 7 have a hands on experience.

Hope this helps.

JW

Jerry,
Really like the list and the way you broke down what you look for in a catching prospect at the college level.

Some parents don't understand that good in HS doesn't always equate good in college and that nearly all college catchers are good defensively but not all are able to transition to hitting college pitching. The word potential can be a blessing or a curse depending if the kid can utilize it at each level. #2 is something that most won't think about as many HS catchers can go through the motions and still be the starting catcher...but not at the next level if baseball isn't a high priority to them on a personal basis. Alot will see #6 and say that is the most important but all college prospect catchers can play pretty well and understand the nuances ( some better than others)of baseball; can he handle it at a faster pace in college is the question.

Jerry,

Thanks, I think the order of your list may surprise a few people and for others explain why they see a "good catcher" sitting in the bullpen

Jerry,

You have a PM

Jerry- Really been working hard with our youngsters on being "on time" and "game speed" in BP and have had tremendous results. They scored 54 runs in the last four games in a large, regional tournament over MLK. Didn't talk once about mechanics.

Good stuff. Did someone video that presentation?

JW