catcher throw down to second times

Contact Dave Weaver at catchingcoach.com. He's a good guy. He'll give you an answer and possibly stats from his campers. What's more important at this point of physical development is how old is your son physically rather than his actual age. Before puberty a kid can be plus or minus three years of his actual age.

If I remember correctly, when my son was that age it was 2 sec or less.

We had a kid who hadn't caught since he was around 8, but when he was 12 he worked out with the catchers some at that distance and his good times were 1.91 to 1.94. The other boys were 2.35-2.6 He was just a quick catch and throw kid with a good arm, no blocking skills or any kind of catching technique. The young man that was working with them was from Georgia Tech and the kids wanted to see him throw down and we backed up some for him but it wasn't quite the 90' diamond distance and they had him at 1.73 for his best time that day. Seems to me he was clocked somewhere around there officially at the standard distance at some showcases though. I've heard 2 seconds is a good major league game time. It helps to have a pitcher who holds runners well and is quick to home. Most bases are stolen on the pitcher. And it doesn't matter how quick you are as a catcher if you're not sure where it's going. Keeping the ball in front of you and making accurate throws counts for a lot!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Turn2#13:
Does anyone know what the glove to glove time is for a catcher throwing down to second base would be?

The distance from home to second base is 99 feet. These are 70 foot bases

Thanks[/QUOTE

At this distance if a catcher is throwing under 2 seconds in a game he is demonstarting above average throwing skills.

At this distance you are dealing with a player before-during puberty. The times he achieves at this size field have little or no corrolation to his times when he is 16 or 17 yr old.

I have no idea what a good time is on a non regulation field. The distance from home to second on a 60-90 field is 127'-3 3/8". The standard is 2.0 game pop , accurate on the bag. Its the equivalent to throwing 90 for a pitcher imo. Many will boast 2.0 and sub 2.0 pop times. Just like many boast of throwing 90. The fact is it is rare when you consider the amount of kids playing the posistion that can not achieve this. Just like pitchers. The true test is "in game pop's that are accurate and consistent". Of course baserunners steal on the pitchers. But that is not the basis of this thread. If you know the kids velocity and his true pop time then you can go to the next step. His release time. That is the amount of time it takes him to recieve the baseball and then release it from his hand. Then the next step is how long does it travel in the air from release to the bag. If you break it down you can see where your at. Some kids have a strong arm but slow release. Some have a fast release but a weak arm. Some have both a strong arm and quick release or weak arm and slow release. The bottom line is if your release is quick you can get away with a not so strong arm. But if your arm is a cannon but you take a long time to release the ball it will hurt you much more. Building arm strength through a proper long toss program and core development - improving your recieving and footwork and release through proper instruction and training will take you a long way.

quote:

I have no idea what a good time is on a non regulation field. The distance from home to second on a 60-90 field is 127'-3 3/8". The standard is 2.0 game pop , accurate on the bag. Its the equivalent to throwing 90 for a pitcher imo. Many will boast 2.0 and sub 2.0 pop times. Just like many boast of throwing 90. The fact is it is rare when you consider the amount of kids playing the posistion that can not achieve this. Just like pitchers. The true test is "in game pop's that are accurate and consistent". Of course baserunners steal on the pitchers. But that is not the basis of this thread. If you know the kids velocity and his true pop time then you can go to the next step. His release time. That is the amount of time it takes him to recieve the baseball and then release it from his hand. Then the next step is how long does it travel in the air from release to the bag. If you break it down you can see where your at. Some kids have a strong arm but slow release. Some have a fast release but a weak arm. Some have both a strong arm and quick release or weak arm and slow release. The bottom line is if your release is quick you can get away with a not so strong arm. But if your arm is a cannon but you take a long time to release the ball it will hurt you much more. Building arm strength through a proper long toss program and core development - improving your recieving and footwork and release through proper instruction and training will take you a long way.

Perfectly said, Coach. That's the whole nut of it in one paragraph. Any catcher should read this.

Probably 2-3 seconds depending where the player in question is at growth-wise. 2 being at the top end and 3 being at the slower end. A lot of catching seems to be a gift, some have it some don't. Some of the best catchers did not catch as youngsters. Sometimes we make hitting and catching so complicated that it's no longer a reflex and it actually seems to make some kids slower. I think practice and lessons are great as long as they're free of too much clutter.

quote:

Originally posted by Innocent Bystander:
Probably 2-3 seconds depending where the player in question is at growth-wise. 2 being at the top end and 3 being at the slower end. A lot of catching seems to be a gift, some have it some don't. Some of the best catchers did not catch as younsters. Sometimes we make hitting and catching so complicated that it's no longer a reflex and it actually seems to make some kids slower. I think practice and lessons are great as long as they're free of too much clutter.

You are soo right regarding the clutter. I think you can add pitching to that as well. If my son goes in to a slump it is because his mind is cluttered with something besides see ball, hit ball. Same with pitching. I have seen kinds lose 5-10mph because of clutter after a lesson or two.

Bill

Thanks to everyone. We just had practice yesterday and we timed our catcher he was 2.25 to 2.4 on the 70ft bases.

My son has caught from day one. He is a sr in HS this year. He always had a strong arm for his age. The summer before his Soph year he went to a PG showcase. He had the top velocity form his posistion but only the 5th or 6th best pop time. Improvements in his footwork , agility training , better core development allowed him to make great strides over the last couple of years. I agree that too much clutter is a bad thing. But good coaching and proper mechanics are not. I have seen kids with alot of ability that could never put it together because they were not fundementally sound behind the plate. My sons pop time as a freshman was 2.15 2.2 74mph Soph 2.05 2.15 76 mph Jr 1.98 2.01 77mph Sr 1.90 1.93 80mph. He is now throwing in the 1.85 1.90 range. Great strides in his technique , agility and core work along with a solid long toss program have allowed him to continue to get better and better. Letting kids just play is fine when it comes to playing the games. Coaching and teaching and showing them how to improve is what coaching is all about.