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Reply to "Scared of Blocking???"

I'd like to suggest that you go back to the basics (or maybe you've never had a coach who started with the basics?) and get someone to work with you that will throw balls in the dirt for you to block. Get down on your knees, in blocking position, and have your partner throw balls into the dirt in front of you. Work on keeping your chin tucked as the ball comes in, glove turned and fingers toward the dirt with your throwing hand behind the glove. Tilt forward and focus on killing the ball in the dirt in front of you. Once you've mastered that from your knees, get up in your crouch and do it all over again.

If you truly want to be the best catcher you can be, it takes dedication to working on all of the fundamental skills, so be prepared to do this drill with hundreds and hundreds of balls. Don't do it for a while and then quit practicing it, either. Also, don't neglect your other skills just to work on blocking. Work on bare hands drills to receive better, work on your catch and throw to all three bases. Spend the time to talk with all of your pitchers about how they like to get hitters out, and remember what they tell you. If you do all of these things and even more, you'll become quite a good catcher, a complete catcher.

Focus on the blocking drill until blocking becomes second nature. Then, keep practicing it from time to time. Good luck!
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