I noticed mlb catcher's would be in a relaxed squat on balls of feet only when giving the pitcher signals. Then before the pitch they would shuffle into a more powerful and mobile flat foot squat stance when receiving. Good advice about not resting the elbow on the shinguard but rather the forearm
Jman_ 5540 that's no good. If you listen to this guy and stay on the balls of your feet, you will always fall over which means that you have no balance. Balance is key to catching. Also, being on the balls of your feet keeps you from having lateral movement. You can't move side to side to block a ball.
Great video man, stepping behind the plate for the first time for my league in Vancouver and this couldn't be more helpful. I played 2nd for collegiate. You saved me lol
i've been taught a lot different, im not sure if its because i play softball or not. I was taught to squat in 3 positions (Pitch calling, recieveing, and runners on) and only to be on your toes in pitch calling. then, you get a little wider and go onto flat feet on the insides on your feet. then, for runners on, you go wider with your butt up more. Is that wrong? This video is sooo conflicting.
I don't agree with this video in a lot of ways and I know of a former pro catcher that teaches what you was taught and that is how I was taught too except for the flat foot. You should be on the balls of your feet and ready to move, drop, or jump incase of a bad pitch and always expect a bad pitch. Most importantly though is you have to be comfortable with your positions and what you're doing and I've noticed that with a stance with close feet is unstable and puts more strain on my knees.
Absolutely. I hate to be all negative, but I was pretty shocked to see this, it's so wrong. No way you should be on the balls of your feet - that's for young kids. And frankly, probably not even then. Watch any MLB catcher - you will not see a single one of them up on the balls of their feet. You're too high, too unstable and can't move nearly as quickly as you need to. Heels down on the ground, insteps should be touching the ground, outsides of the feet should be up. This way you can really push off - drive off the inside of the foot to move left or right. I also can't imagine anyone teaching a catcher to put his forearm on this knee/thigh while in a receiving stance. Even that is really too high of a target in many situations. Neither the elbow nor the forearm should be resting on your knee - it should be out in front of you.
+Stephen Snyder In all honesty the first thing you talked about, about no MLB catcher receiving on the balls of their feet, you are completely incorrect. It is a terrible way to set up on the heels. I guarantee you, you will not find a single catcher in the MLB catch on the balls of their feet. Being on the balls of your feet gives you the most agile position and gives you the ability to push off with more power.
+Stephen Snyder Now that said I completely agree with you about the arm being in front of you. Resting your arm restricts the free movement and is worse for receiving.
Michael Navidad they didn't say they rested on their heels, they said "insides of their feet" which requires your feet to be flat. Watch MLB catchers, not a single one has their heels sticking out in the air, they all have fairly flat feet with the weight more focused on the inside, their theory is correct and is what's taught at the major league level.
If the batter is a low ball hitter, just try to set up a higher target. Not to high. If k were to be facing a low ball hitter I would want high heat or inside corner to jam him.
How much of a slanted angle you create? I worry that if your shoulders aren't square to the pitcher, you're actually shrinking the strike zone for your pitcher. If your shoulders are off line, when you frame the ball you might catch it outside of your shoulders, which to an umpire makes them more likely to call the pitch a ball instead of a strike. With the right mechanics, you can still stay square to the pitcher and deliver to the ball to 2nd just as fast! -Coach Matty
Am a new cathcer and I can’t seem to get my heels down and it’s super uncomfortable with my heels I’m up and i try my best to put my heels down but I could only hold it for so long
Question I catch for my brother I'm trying to learn on my own on catching so I can change positions for adult summer league is putting your tumb in your cleat a good idea i see people do it just wondering
I have a problem, three or four times a game I will catch the ball on my thumb and it will bend it back. The pain gets worse and worse every time it happens as the season goes on. Any insights on what I'm doing wrong or what I can do to help it? I might not be turning my wrist enough.
All but one thing are good tips. It does come down to ability of Catcher but all points are great, its something out there teaching kids. I strongly disagree with hand behind back, when putting hand behind back u bring collarbone to front and ur asking for a shattered collar bone on a foul ball. Hand behind clove with runners on, hand down beside leg with no one on. Test theory, put one hand on collarbone, then move arm to behind clove position, then down side leg, then behind back.
18 inches there was a baseball game when a player hit a home run and they looked at his bat layed it down on home plate and the radio guy said it was 18
One of the primary things that made me a good hitter was constantly watching BAD catchers with real obvious glove and body movement during the windup. In trying to give the pitcher a target, they'd end up showing me exactly where the ball was going to go. If you have to give a pitcher a target, he shouldn't be pitching. Just keep your glove over the plate and be done with it.
I feel like this is a joke. He literally said that you want to be on the balls of your feet. That's the exact opposite of what you want to do. It makes you unbalanced which, therefore, gives you absolutely no lateral movement.
+MaddenMobileGamer13 Clearly, you do not know a lot about catching. If you are not on the balls of your feet, how do you expect to stay up? If you are on your heels you are just sitting. Being on the balls of your feet allow you to be in the most agile position and prepares you. If it makes you unbalanced, then that is something you need to work on. Also, being on the balls of your feet allow you to push off with more power to block those side to side dirt balls. And you are right that this feels like somewhat of a joke because you do not want to rest your arm on your knee, you want to free your arm so you can go receive the baseball.
Michael Navidad well yes the fact that being on the balls of your feet is what gives you lateral movement (think about how you stand when guarding someone in basketball) but that's definitely not what the guy demonstrated. He technically was on the balls of his feet, but his weight was all on his toes which stress and tension on your knees making lateral movements more difficult and after a while, damaging to the joint. The ideal position is to keep your weight fairly evenly distributed on the insides of your feet and not just on the toes. This allows you to sink your hips more keeping your weight more centered allowing you to efficiently move to a pitch with your body behind it in order to stick the ball. Michael has the right idea, he knows that the guy's stance in the video is incorrect, he just worded his comment incorrectly is all, no need to insult anyone's knowledge on the baseball 😅
Michael Navidad btw I'm assuming you already know all this information, I'm just hoping someone reads the comments and sees our explanations before trying this awful squat he tries to teach
Your hand is behind your back/heel so that if you mess up and miss the ball it doesn't hit you in your hand and break it its all for safety not for age/inadequacy
We're the team that practise everyday so we will win every single game but our Equipment is old and worn I hope there's a kind People or Organizations that will support us. OUR TEAM IS GARCIAN SLUGGERS (CARLOS P. GARCIA HIGH SCHOOL)
You never put your arm behind th back as your balance is terrible. Everyone teaches that and its dead wrong. The throwing hand should be behind their calf. Some good info but he lost me with the arm behind the back
I ‘m a 9 year old catcher and I play tournament baseball l can not sit in a catcher position all day and I play kid pitch so I have to worry about runners stealing
jordan, in our experience knee savers make you lazy. unless you have knee problems or are a pro like Buster Posey, we don't recommend them. we don't even like when the straps on your shin guards are flapping around (use baseball tape) to control them. but if you do have to use knee savers make sure you use them down by your ankles instead of wedging them behind your knees.
"If the umpire is behind you and he put his hand on my back and push me, I'd fall over, that's how you know you're in a good spot, I'm on the balls of my feet." Clearly he's never actually caught before - because umpires do often put their hand on the catcher's back - some of them all the time. That's really a perfect example of just how wrong this instructional is - to the point of being ridiculous. Being that unstable that you'd fall over - is a good thing? There are a number of things about catching that are actually counter to other positions. Your throwing hand should be above your glove when fielding a ground ball at every other spot - but if you're a catcher blocking a low pitch, throwing hand should be behind your glove. In sports generally being on the balls of your feet with our heels up is good position. In catching, it terrible. But balance and stability IS universal. If your position is such that a slight pressure tips you over, that's an indication of BAD position, not good.
Honestly I like what this video is but i feel you should just be comfortable,I never do anything in that video when there’s a runner on first I put the ball where I want it to be,not what the pitcher wants because he not the one trying to throw the guybout
Okay this makes me a little pissed off bc if you're on the balls of your feet and you have to block a ball way outside you aren't going to get it at all and I know that for a fact because I'm a catcher myself and this is not what you do at all you're supposed to have a wider base so you won't be off balance to block the ball and you have to be balanced to be a catcher look at the major league catchers they always have a wide base and are never on their toes or balls of their feet. Everything is basically wrong here guys sorry to say.
I applaud you for making a video trying to help people, but I don't agree with it. First of all kids, GET YOURSELF SOME KNEE SAVERS!!! Don't feel like you need to be superman and be squatted at 90 degrees all game. And I don't care if your the best catcher in the world, you can't squat all day, sorry. You should set up in a comfortable position, knees pointed at second and shortstop and give your signal with the glove in front of and below your knee cap to block the base coach or runner on third from seeing. once the signal has been given, you set up (quietly) either outside, or inside, because you don't want to catch the ball just anywhere in between your shoulders, you will not get a lot of calls that you could that way. You want to catch the ball right in the middle of your body. The ump will give you more strike calls if you set your self up outside and receive it dead center, then he will if you just lean over and catch the ball to your right.
Knee savers create bad habits, my coach does not allow us to have knee savers, so that we can get used to being in this position for high school ball. Your body can adjust to this by building muscles.
+BALLISTIXX5 GAMING/TRICKSHOTS I agree they can if you let them, but if your coach Is with with his salt he or she won't let them create bad habits. I caught all of my youth and still catch in leagues today at 34, was never lacking muscles in my legs. My knees are so screwed up from the constant strains of catching. Thats why i say get the knee savers. any stress you can save your knees the better in my opinion.
Yeah that makes sense...... I do agree that you need to adjust your body and move to the pitch if its outside, low, etc. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just giving my opinion. :)
And you never put a "relaxed fist" behind your glove... Where did you even go 😂 like what is your baseball résumé because nothing you've said is correct, never have I seen a major league catcher put a "relaxed fist" behind his glove or their heels together 😂 nor does any decent catcher put their forearm on their knees that's just plain lazy
