Here are some thoughts for you & your son.
THE YIPS
I hesitate to address this phenomenon because I believe that addressing it makes it worse. However, I also believe that it is possible that coaches and instructors will resource this work and it may help them in dealing with this issue.
It starts out with a few errant throws back to the pitcher and can end up as a severe career ending or position changing problem. It’s humiliating and eats at the player’s self esteem. What may start out as a physical problem or careless lack of focus soon becomes a mental issue and then a more severe physical issue due to over compensation with too much attention given by the player and his coaches. So much so that some catchers are incapable of throwing the ball accurately back to the pitcher without severely arcing the ball while experiencing incredible performance stress. This is not an issue that is native to catchers. Infielders and pitchers have also have had to deal with this problem.
Obviously you can’t totally ignore the situation, but initially I believe that is the best strategy. That is going to take concerted effort by both players and coaches alike. That gives the catcher a chance to self correct without feeling the pressure of too much scrutiny on his “problem.” He is less likely to personalize the situation and beat himself up, if he is left to fix the situation. Also the player won’t have to spend hours trying to “figure it out” which can result in “paralysis by analysis.”
There are times where a coach and/or a sports psychologist are going to have to step in and help. The best approach, if it is more of a mental issue than mechanical, is to introduce some general throwing drills rather than practice throwing the ball back to the pitcher which triggers the majority of the stress. The drills should be constructed to keep the conscious mind occupied while the unconscious mind gets the job done by “just doing it.” This is a concept that Tim Gallwey introduced in his book The Inner Game Of Tennis. It might be as easy as verbalizing “target and throw” in the process of executing the throwing act during a particular drill. It might be practicing to music during the drill in order to get the catcher’s mind off of the mechanics of his throwing.
Knee throwing is a good drill for repairing the catcher’s return throw to the pitcher( especially for taller catchers who tend to miss more high and low as opposed to side to side ) because it also addresses some physical problems that often develop along the way.
It is common for catchers with throwing problems to push the ball back to the feeder with a low elbow and knee throwing makes it easier to get the elbow elevated and not have to worry about vertical accuracy. This drill can be done as part of a receiving drill where the catcher must return the ball back to the pitcher or a target by going to his knees first.
The faster the catch and return throw rhythm is the better, so that the catcher can develop a return throw rhythm that does not give him time to think about his throwing. Integrate the “catch-throw” verbal or music or both into this process. Do the drill in a tunnel batting cage with the goal of not hitting the overhanging net.
Develop a quick throwing drill to a target. Take balls out of a bucket and throw as many as you can to the target in 30 seconds. The focus is deflected from the mechanics of the throw. An off shoot of the aforementioned drill would be to have the coach stand behind you and toss the ball to your throwing hand. Catch the ball with your throwing hand and throw it as soon as you secure the grip. Count how many times you hit your target in thirty seconds.
Put a wide stripe on the ball bisecting the four seams on the ball. (PHOTO)
The goal is to be able to clearly see the stripe which insures that the ball will have back spin and carry. This puts the emphasis on ball spin rather than the actual throw.
Play catch with different shapes and weighted balls. Throw baseballs, softballs, tennis balls, whiffle balls, golf balls, or footballs. Focus on throwing to a specific target while making the necessary release point adjustments depending on the shape, size and weight of the balls. The varying sizes and weights of the balls take the mental focus off the baseball and the technique and trust that allows the catcher to throw balls other than baseballs will carry over into throwing the baseball .
Time throws with the radar gun. Try to throw at different speeds. This is another drill that allows the conscious mind to focus on something other than the actual throw. Catchers have to throw the ball at various speeds during a game. They throw the ball back to the pitcher at one speed, to third base after a strike out with no one on base at another speed, to second base on an attempted steal at another speed and so on. The catcher with throwing problems usually is reduced to two speeds. Slowly back to the pitcher and max effort every where else. This radar drill addresses that issue.
Above all get back to a solid and consistent routine so that your focus is on your routine rather than the execution of the throw. Focus on the process over the end result. Make sure that a cleansing breath is part of your routine.
There are going to be times where this is or has become more of a mechanical problem. In those cases video it, analyze it, and go to work on it just like you would any other mechanical repair
