10 year old needing help with catching

I think at age 10 its more about not developing bad habits. My recollection for that age group was:

#1 Positioning-getting the kid's close enough to the plate so that fewer pitches actually hit the dirt. THis probely eliminates half the balls that end up in the backstop in this age group.

#2 Having the athletic ability to catch the ball (can't really teach this part)

#3 Paying attention to the base runners.

#4 Blocking - If you search the catchers forum you will find a number of discussions on blocking technique.

#5 Glove - treating the glove right. i.e. using it to clean the plate, never cleaning or oiling it makes for a very blunt tool behind the plate.

#6 Donn't be afraid to throw the ball.....thats how you learn to make other teams pay for baserunning errors.

You can order a number of books and/or videos on catching that will include blocking.

I recommend the New England Catching Camp videos. There are some on line (I believe) but you can also buy the DVD.

My son is instructing young catchers, and he says the key is whether they like blocking the ball. He may be biased because he loves that part of the game.

I think that part of it, he just like blocking the ball.

One catching instructor said the first thing he does with new catchers after they put on their gear and get in their stance, is throw the ball straight at their masks. The ones that flinch get sent to the outfield.

I have to give a plug here to the New England Catchers Camp. We took my son up there about 3 years ago. Well worth the trip. The video they have is very good also.

Where are you located?

quote:

Originally posted by gindog:
I think that part of it, he just like blocking the ball.

This is key for any younger catcher getting exposed to the position. You got to want to do it and I think a lot of it is an innate ability to anticipate and obviously desire to want to block.

This is a good video for the concept of getting to the proper position.....i.e., getting to your knees quickly, burying the glove and throwing hand in the 5 hole, and keeping the correct angle of the chest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...4CA8&feature=related

If you get him mastering this on balls coming straight at him especially at 10 years of age.....development with rest of the blocking game will be a piece of cake as he gets older.

Here are the most popular catching videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/catching101

We live in Arkansas. I see there is one in Houston Texas . That about 8/9 driving hours away. Maybe they get one closer to Arkansas this year. I did not see any set for 2012 year yet. This weekend tournament he only let 4 ball pass in three games. I was very happy with him working so hard. We watched some of the videos that we see on there as well as catching 101. I like to get him to a trainer to show us how to work out to get better.

quote:

Originally posted by twotex:
One catching instructor said the first thing he does with new catchers after they put on their gear and get in their stance, is throw the ball straight at their masks. The ones that flinch get sent to the outfield.

If you can find a local instructor or clinic take him to it. Someone that is knowledgeable about the position is invaluable. My son works with a MLB catcher in the offseason and it really shows in his catching.

Your son has to be willing to put in the hard work because done right catching is a very demanding position.

quote:

Originally posted by daveccpa:
If you can find a local instructor or clinic take him to it. Someone that is knowledgeable about the position is invaluable. My son works with a MLB catcher in the offseason and it really shows in his catching.

Which MLB catcher? I can't imagine that MLB guys are doing lessons in the off-season when they make over $400k/year. I'm curious who it is, and how much they charge for lessons. Thanks!

If I could turn back time to when my son was 10, I would make sure he got solid instruction on the fundamentals, such as throwing mechanics.

I wouldn't worry too much about position specifics for a couple of years. My son played every position until he was 13, when he started catching. In hindsight, being the world's best catcher at 13 (which he wasn't) is meaningless.

There are so many kids who drop out of baseball by the time they are 16. Many of them were good players, I just wonder if too much focus on instruction, etc, took the fun out of it for them. I know you would never want to take the fun out of it, but it creeps up on you when you aren't looking. I've had to check myself several times along the way.

Enjoy!

Xan,

You asked about MLB players as instructors. With one exception, the MLB players my son has had as instructors have been former players, not active. Eric Yelding, John Hudek, Gary Gaetti, and others instruct in the Houston area.

In Connecticut, Pete Walker instructed in the offseason until a couple of seasons ago, even when he was pitching in the MLB. As for catchers, my son's two recent instructors have been former MiLB catchers, although one had a season with the RedSox, so he would qualify. This same player continued to instruct after he became a minor league manager in the Cardinals organization. My son's first catching instructor was a former MLB bullpen catcher.

I'd say the going rate seems to be in the $60-75/hr range, but that's just based on our limited experience.

There is every possibility that the guys with enough money to retire instruct because they like instructing the young guys, and don't do it purely for the money. Craig Biggio (my favorite player of all time) became a volunteer coach at his son's high school soon after retiring, and last I checked, is still coaching. I don't believe he draws a salary. Shane Reynolds (yes, I'm an Astros fan) was the commissioner of the local Little League when my son was playing in the Houston area. My son't last year of LL (before the scandal), the Rocket threw out the first pitch for the opening of the Little League season. Quite something.

I'm a big fan of the stuff Xan puts out there. I've read his book, visit his site, watched his videos and listened to him speak - he knows his stuff.

I'm also a very big fan of the stuff Joe Wilkins has out. His website and youtube vids are top notch as well. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link his stuff but Mr. Google will show you the way.

I have came up with a catching coach you'll may have heard of him. His name is tommy jester. He said he's the Rays and SL catching coach in off season. He live about 1 1/2 hour away. We are going to try him about 2 or 3 time a mo to see how thing work out. Do any ou you know anything about him?