Skip to main content

10 replies

16, and my situation

B BoxerGenMember
Hi, Im new here so this is my first post, sorry if its in the wrong location, but since I am a catcher I thought this would be the best place to put it.

Im currently 16 years old, starting my Junior year (first day of school tommorow) .Started playing baseball at 10 and I have caught for the past 5 seasons, and played second base for 1 season.

I really dream of playing division I baseball for TCU or Chapel Hill. But when I get out there I know I have lots to work on. This last year I moved schools in the middle of the year, moved from Texas to California. As a sophmore, I was going to be starting Varsity in Texas. Then moved out here, and sat the bench on JV for a whole season. Since I was a late-comer, they outright made me the bat-boy. Starting catcher had 80 at-bats in the season. I had 4. There were two other catchers who each had 10+ at-bats. But this year, its a clean slate, and I am ready to show the coaches that I am the guy they want behind the plate on Varsity.

I know my strengths and weak points very clearly:
- I am a great defensive catcher. 99% of the time, I will stop anything coming my way.
- I am a great hitter. Freshman year in Texas i hit for a .491 average on JV. (I hit for average, not Home Runs)
- I have a strong arm, with a good Pop-to-pop time

Weak Points are:
- I have a strong arm, but my accuracy is less than decent. If you put a batting helmet on Second base, It would take me ages to pin it.

being benched outright this past season, I feel that I didn't make any progress. I mean, a whole season, I never saw even 1 inning behind the plate, and only 4 at-bats.

But My question is, I really REALLY need to improve my accuracy before this next season comes around. Currently I go out 3-4 times a week and throw at a small target I tape up on a fence. (I have no brothers to throw with, and my dad works 24/7)
Do any of you have some drills that I can do "On my own" to really improve my accuracy?

Thanks, and sorry about my rambling.
- Daniel
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

B Baseball=Life10+ posts
I am very accurate and some friends and I made a game up called body shots. Get at a good distance and anything that, if not caught would hit you from shoulders to waist is one point and head shots are 2. The key is doing this while playing fast hands. Im sure you are familiar with this game. and I too played second since I was 5 and the double play drills helped my quick hands tremendously. reply for questions
CC Catching Coach100+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by BoxerGen:
Yeah, i try to release the ball right at the target, but i can definitely feel sometimes that i release the ball 3/4 up (more over my shoulder than down)

Ill try out what you mentioned Baseball=Life.


BoxerGen,

Since you have indicated that accuracy is your big concern I have a question for you. When your throws are not accurate, do you miss the same way each time?

Are they always high and to the right, or always short? or maybe always low and left of the bag?

Many times if the miss is similar it can help determine what is the flaw in your mechanics on these "bad" throws.
CollegeParentNoMoreCollegeParentNoMore1,000+ posts
Tough to give advice w/o seeing you play. However while you are working out on your own you might want to consider changing your approach. Rather then throwing to a marked spot on a fence, go to the baseball field with a bag of balls and throw from second to home (the balls will be stopped by the backstop instead of the CF fence). Put a trash can targer on home plate if you like. Pratice like you play.
B BoxerGenMember
Catching Coach,

In a rough estimate, i would say 75% of my "bad throws" are high to the right, and when I try to fix this by bringing my release point down farther towards the target, the other 25% of the bad throws would be low to the left.


CollegeParent,

Yeah, i realize it is pretty difficult, and I have a camera and tripod. So if I have time this week, ill bring it with me when I practice. Ill try to tape my throws, and throwing mechanics.

My father tells me its because my back seems to be too straight up, even bent backwards slightly at times, which I don't feel (means I obviously developed a horrible bad habit that feels normal to me now) and that is why my release points are messed up completely.

Ill work on trying to get some videos, so I can hear what you think. Thanks for your replies, I appreciate it.
CC Catching Coach100+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by BoxerGen:
Catching Coach,

In a rough estimate, i would say 75% of my "bad throws" are high to the right, and when I try to fix this by bringing my release point down farther towards the target, the other 25% of the bad throws would be low to the left.

My father tells me its because my back seems to be too straight up, even bent backwards slightly at times, which I don't feel (means I obviously developed a horrible bad habit that feels normal to me now) and that is why my release points are messed up completely.


BoxerGen,

What you have described is a very common situation I see. The symptoms you describe point to a combination of issues starting with stance, then where your right foot goes when it first starts to move. A few things are making you stand up to soon and send your weight to the back leg. This is one of the most common causes of a high right throw.

Let me know when you have a video clip of the throw. Film it from the throwing side, camera pointed directly at your side.
CC Catching Coach100+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by BoxerGen:
Ok will do, i am planning to have a clip for you by friday or saturday.


Start the clip in your sign giving stance, give a sign, then get ready to receive as if runners on. Let the person pitching know that they should be trying to throw the pitch at a height even with your knees.

If it is not a "real" pitcher throwing to you just have the person get 20 feet in front to ensure the pitch is not way up in the zone.

Add Reply

Post
Catching Camp

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Link copied to your clipboard.
×