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quote:Originally posted by CollegeParentNoMore:
Sounds like tennis racket envy
Coaches can waste a lot of everyone's time trying to hit pop ups with a bat, or he can let the catcher hit them to himself with the tennis racket.
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A tennis racket to hit a catcher pop up is the most Busch League thing I have ever heard. I think starting tomorrow I'm going to hit in and out with a old school triple 7 and batting gloves. Then, I'll break out the ol tennis racket to finish it up with a catcher pop.
I second the notion that it is all in the toss. I try to toss it off of my back shoulder so you actually dont catch it square like an in game pop up would be. I hit my pregame infield with a regular sized bat and not a fungo although it is wood. Whatever you do dont become a fungo snob like a lot of coaches. In my experience people who talk about how good they are at hitting fungos is because its probably the most success they have had with hitting anything.
A tennis racket to hit a catcher pop up is the most Busch League thing I have ever heard. I think starting tomorrow I'm going to hit in and out with a old school triple 7 and batting gloves. Then, I'll break out the ol tennis racket to finish it up with a catcher pop.
Tip came from a pro catching instructor, apparently his MLB employer was ok with it. Please note the OP is not hitting popups for pregam infield, he's hitting them for practice.
I agree with it being an art...as for the purpose...use what ever it takes to accomplish the job! What's more important...your ego or the catcher getting work in?
This may be a bit of a cheat, but my son's coach keeps the infielders on the field while he's hitting pop ups to the catchers. About 2/3 of them are mile high pop ups to the infielders, so everyone gets a workout.
This may be a bit of a cheat, but my son's coach keeps the infielders on the field while he's hitting pop ups to the catchers. About 2/3 of them are mile high pop ups to the infielders, so everyone gets a workout.
Love this one. that way, if you're only hitiing about .200 in pop ups to the catcher you can just play it off as if you meant to hit that shallow pop up to the third baseman.
That's a little bit like hitting grounders to your outfielders. Yeah, they need to practice those too, but they know damn well that's not what you were trying to hit to them.
The key, of course, is attaining the tight back spin rotation that emulates a game time popup. The pitching machine throwing curve balls pointed upward and the fungo bat are the only methods that provide proper training. Catching the ball "falling from the sky" does NOT teach the catcher the challenge of the popup. The tight spin causes the ball to curve as it comes down...
Tip came from a pro catching instructor, apparently his MLB employer was ok with it. Please note the OP is not hitting popups for pregam infield, he's hitting them for practice.
Was it Tom Emanski?
There's a such thing as "bush league" (I corrected your spelling for you, coacheagle, you're welcome) when coaches are warming up players? Really? LOL 
I was taught to toss the ball a regular height, but instead of aiming for the front hip like you'd normally do, aim to make contact with the ball at the back shoulder. It took some practice/looking silly, but I got the hang of it eventually.
Hope that helps the OP.
I might be mistaken, and if I'm wrong I will correct myself. But, I believe the term can go either way. Because I'm thinking there was a semi-pro league in the 1940's that was the "Busch League." And, over the years the term has turned to Bush. So, I'm thinking either term.
Non the less, I feel like I wrote my posts with a joking tone. And, if I offended you I'm not sorry. I'm sorry can't handle jokes.
I do firmly believe the only way to work on a catchers pop is with a fungo and a flip. That way your players can see backspin.
No harm, no foul. All good here.
A coach at a high school fairly local to where I currently work is the best I've ever seen at it. I sat in on a practice last month and he proceeded to hit 28 consecutive catcher popups to end I/O. Apparently, they go until he "messes up," as a joke. It was pretty impressive.
