I am going into my sophomre year and Im an outfielder. But I dont think ill be put on jv so if i do indeed get put on frosh/soph then i was thinking on becoming the catcher. Is there any advice you can give me on doing so
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My son tried-out as a ctacher at the start of his freshman year....he is going to be a junior. Basically played infield and pitched in little league and juniors.
I guess the most important things are learning the correct way to 'block' pitches, and when. Then you need to have quick feet and a quick release for runners trying to steal. I would then say that your squatting setup should be 'still' and you need to learn how to "frame" pitches. Calling pitches, if your coaches don't do that, are important as well.
You need to have your pitcher feel comfortable in knowing that you are capable of handling whatever he throws your way. Pitchers have huge egos and you need to try and understand that if things aren't going their way, you have to be very supportive, and calming, so they can relax and stay focused during the game. This is where leadership comes into play.
You have a tremendous responsibility to your pitcher and your team. A simple missed 'block' (passed ball) can make the difference between a win and a loss. Sure other players can make errors, but you have to think about the fact that a catcher throws more during the game than any other psoition player, including your pitcher.
You can get fatigued, get turned in the wrong direction on a pop-up, over throw a runner trying to steal, or under throw, or even forget how many outs there are (my son caught his third game freshman year and his team was getting beat-up, a lot of hits, errors, you know quick "bang-bang" type of situations. Gave the opposition 4 outs!!! Players didn't know, umpires didn't say anything, coaches didn't say anything, but man, when he got into the dugout, guess who heard about it? The catcher, the leader. He'll never do that again!!!!).
Anyway......go and do a "search" in your 'browser' and look-up websites that are specific for catchers, there are plenty. Another great source of information about this is a webster known as "Fungo". His son will be a junior at Auburn University and is their catcher. I contacted him when my son started. He is a fantastic person who shared information and experiences with our family. Private message him, and if you do, tell him Boomer said hi!!!!
Work hard, and best of luck to you!!
BoomerIL
I guess the most important things are learning the correct way to 'block' pitches, and when. Then you need to have quick feet and a quick release for runners trying to steal. I would then say that your squatting setup should be 'still' and you need to learn how to "frame" pitches. Calling pitches, if your coaches don't do that, are important as well.
You need to have your pitcher feel comfortable in knowing that you are capable of handling whatever he throws your way. Pitchers have huge egos and you need to try and understand that if things aren't going their way, you have to be very supportive, and calming, so they can relax and stay focused during the game. This is where leadership comes into play.
You have a tremendous responsibility to your pitcher and your team. A simple missed 'block' (passed ball) can make the difference between a win and a loss. Sure other players can make errors, but you have to think about the fact that a catcher throws more during the game than any other psoition player, including your pitcher.
You can get fatigued, get turned in the wrong direction on a pop-up, over throw a runner trying to steal, or under throw, or even forget how many outs there are (my son caught his third game freshman year and his team was getting beat-up, a lot of hits, errors, you know quick "bang-bang" type of situations. Gave the opposition 4 outs!!! Players didn't know, umpires didn't say anything, coaches didn't say anything, but man, when he got into the dugout, guess who heard about it? The catcher, the leader. He'll never do that again!!!!).
Anyway......go and do a "search" in your 'browser' and look-up websites that are specific for catchers, there are plenty. Another great source of information about this is a webster known as "Fungo". His son will be a junior at Auburn University and is their catcher. I contacted him when my son started. He is a fantastic person who shared information and experiences with our family. Private message him, and if you do, tell him Boomer said hi!!!!
Work hard, and best of luck to you!!
BoomerIL
well, first and foremost, u really have to want to be a catcher to be a catcher. as boomerIL explained, there is alot to it. Ive caught ever since ive played baseball. As a catcher u really need to be a student of the game, u have to learn from day to day. You are the on field coach. Ive heard so many people in baseball say that they would rather have a catcher that has mediocre skills, but controls the game, then have a catcher with all american skills and doesnt control the game. Everything that u do as a catcher shapes the outcome of the game, where to pitch the hitter, making sure your defense is set up and in order. So what im saying is that catchin is a heck of alot more then catchin the pitcher. Catchin is the art of recieving, and doing it right matters. A good team always has a good solid leader behind the plate, so if u think that ur up to all that, go for it, its hard work, but i love it.