Scared of Blocking???

You should have gotten over this "fear" well before the age of 15. Not to be unkind, but you are lucky to have won any kind of award with that technique. Pop times and throwing runners out is important, but not more important than mastering fundamentals. You'd better get to work on it NOW. If scouts and recruiters see it once they are going to walk away, unless you can really mash in which case they'll be thinking about what other position you might be able to play. All I can suggest is that you drill constantly. Get someone to help. Ball after ball off the chest protector, glove down, chin tucked in. I think it's probably more of a bad habit than fear. Then, when you've corrected the problem, call every coach you've ever had from age 6 until now and thank them very much for not correcting the problem sooner.

No Offense, PopTime, I don't think 15 is too late at all. Many of us feel that a kid should have the tools and training before they get to high school. Many who have competed at higher levels will tell you that there is much to learn yet. Some of these young players have not had the chance to get advanced training yet. This young cathcer should follow your advice and get busy training his blocking and receiving skills.
Young man, if you can throw like you say, and you get to some tournaments and travel ball during the summer, you will be recognized by someone. Good luck and work hard.

quote:

Ball after ball off the chest protector, glove down, chin tucked in. I think it's probably more of a bad habit than fear.

Agree. In addition, do you have any good reference material (books, videos) for learning proper technique? I can personally recommend the DVD by Rob McDonald - he does a good job of showing proper mechanics and demonstrating drills to practice them. Also I just learned that CatchingCoach has a DVD out now ( http://www.catchingcamp.com/dvd.html ). I don't have a copy of that yet but will be getting it very soon.

I'd get someone to throw lots of balls for you to block, starting off easy and getting more and more difficult as you progress. Concentrate on proper technique. Many many reps. Have them constantly check your technique, making corrections along the way if needed.

massey_catcher - i use to have this problem with ground balls, you will have to get hit with the ball atleast once to get over this fear. When i played short stop i use to be afraid to let the ball hit my chest, then one day while taking grounders it hit me, and it didn't hurt at all, ever since then i have no problem getting in front of the ball.

I'd like to suggest that you go back to the basics (or maybe you've never had a coach who started with the basics?) and get someone to work with you that will throw balls in the dirt for you to block. Get down on your knees, in blocking position, and have your partner throw balls into the dirt in front of you. Work on keeping your chin tucked as the ball comes in, glove turned and fingers toward the dirt with your throwing hand behind the glove. Tilt forward and focus on killing the ball in the dirt in front of you. Once you've mastered that from your knees, get up in your crouch and do it all over again.

If you truly want to be the best catcher you can be, it takes dedication to working on all of the fundamental skills, so be prepared to do this drill with hundreds and hundreds of balls. Don't do it for a while and then quit practicing it, either. Also, don't neglect your other skills just to work on blocking. Work on bare hands drills to receive better, work on your catch and throw to all three bases. Spend the time to talk with all of your pitchers about how they like to get hitters out, and remember what they tell you. If you do all of these things and even more, you'll become quite a good catcher, a complete catcher.

Focus on the blocking drill until blocking becomes second nature. Then, keep practicing it from time to time. Good luck!

I'll agree that it's NOT too late to learn, or "re-learn" as it may be - -
the Tribe's Victor Martinez was converted to C at AA-Akron

that said . . . different positions require certain basic "natural" attributes, it's inherent that YOU determine if you can aquire them or not (with help as needed)


some guys had the instincts in their crib (as a babies), some need good teachers,
others never will pick them up irregardless of their desire.


a guess - -
you must wear a "goalie" style mask/helmet, otherwise you'd have been knocked silly
or given up by now



btw - do you turn your head "picking balls" in the dirt?
bty II - you must realize you can't pick ALL the dirt balls
btw III - don't rely too much on awards, they are basicly for Mom & Pop (mostly Mom )

btw IV - I AM aware irregardless is not a word . . . just testing

Im not a catcher, but, whenever a ball is throw low to me, or a ball has a nasty hop, and I am unable to catch it with my glove, I don't hesitate to stop it with my shins. I've got hit in my shins SO MANY TIMES that I do not even feel pain their anymore, though its all black and blue.

As I check out this forum I see two things, catchers with amazing arms, and catchers you block easily but lack the arm, obviously its easier said then done to combine the two, i master blocking balls but lack in the other of the two. I do all types of drills so when the game comes I literally love to save a run by blocking the ball.... coaches love it! SO man, just practice, practice, practice, get the form down and master that in drills so when the game comes its a cakewalk, trust me!

Start by blocking tennis balls. You will not have any fear and can focus on developing the correct habits. Then, finish with real balls and use that same technique. Be mentally tough and know what it is that you need to do.

Something I told my son as he grew up in the catching position, and have told many other since:

Many things in baseball require doing the exact opposite of what your instincts tell you to do.
Your brain must override your instincts, and you have to drill and train to make it do it.

Your instincts tell you to turn your head when a ball hits the dirt, which ironically exposes the neck and bony areas on your limbs to pain and injury. Blocking position of course maximizes the chance the ball hits a protected area of your body and minimizes the risk of getting hurt.

When you fully understand that the instict is natural, but you must override it to AVOID getting hurt, it gets a bit easier. Drills with tennis balls are great. There are many blocking drills you can do.

But I think the process begins with understanding the task at core is to make your rational brain override your instincts. With enough practice, blocking starts to seem instinctual.

Visualization is another underutilized skill developer. Picture in your mind the proper technique to use when blocking the baseball. Put yourself in different situations and block away. Mental repetitiveness will also help you become successful. Then follow with the tennis balls/baseballs. Mental memory for success.

First off let me say this.Blocking isnt a skill,its a desire.Sure you can let it by and let the Pitcher get a wild pitch,or you can have the desire to win a game and put your body on the line!I had this same problem roughly two years ago massey,heres what I did

-Did dry blocks every night(start in catching position,drop to blocking position,pop back up into catching position using your legs not hands.)Not only did this get my form and repetition down,it also made me quicker.
-Throw baseball at your chest protecter,dont try to block or move,just let it hit you.When the baseball is hitting your chest protecter directly and you realize the ball wont harm you,you somehow get a mentality of"I can do this"

Finally remember this in games.You block a ball,not only does it stop runenrs from advancing,it somehow always saves a game.Letting it by you gets the run in.
Pain is temporary,pride is forever.In 10 years you wont remember you had a little bruise on your thigh or arm,you will remember you won state because you had a game saving block

Good luck bro

Like everyone has been saying, drills, drills, drills. Get one person to just fire them in and you just take them. Have the start from 25 ft., then 35ft, and so on. Also, good call by collikar on visualization. That helps alot, especially proper technique...

I have the utmost respect for Coachric and Ms. Bee so trust me when I say I'm not being argumentative, but I never said it was too late. I was just a little surprised that the boy is 15-16 and still doing that. I'm MORE surprised that it's slipped by his coaches all this time. But I may be assuming too much, I really don't know how long he's been catching. I think if he starts practicing now and continues to work hard then he'll be fine!

Hey massey catcher,
first of all you didnt play 68 games last season and you don't have a 1.88 pop time i have seen everyone in manitoba. Ive never even heard of u before. lol and u definatly didnt win manitoba player of the year!! there is no such award.

2Strike...

Glad to hear you're truthful. Now, lets work on the attitude. Baseball shouldn't be played with your mouth, away from the field. Get a little class, cut out the smack-talk, and work on your game.

This website is a great resource for learning, sharing, and growing in the game of baseball. It's not a place for put-downs or haughty self-agrandizing. I would like to encourage you to read. Spend some time in the wealth of knowledge that is archived in this site. Some truly amazing people who have already forgotten more than I could ever hope to learn about the game, or recruiting, or going pro, or (insert topic here) have posted a lot of knowledge that you, and all others with aspirations in the game can benefit from.

If that sounds good to you, then stick around. I look forward to learning from you as well, but I dare say that noone here is interested in the boorish, sophomoric calling-out attitude you presented in your first post. How about starting over?

Manitoba's a big province 2Strike, are you sure you've seen EVERYONE?

well i havent seen everyone. But ive seen the AAA players and I have seen some good catchers but none that picks off the fastest guys in the league everytime. Massey catcher who are you playing for this year in Club baseball? not highschool. Is massey going to be good this year?
sorry about my sophomoric attitude.

I DID think 1.88 was a little over the top for a 15 year old.

Yeah, ill second that. We have a guy who is the varsity catcher on my team, excellent, he started varsity even as a freshman over 2 seniors, and he throws out probably 80 percent of runners. Hes never been timed, but I don't think he even has a 1.88 pop time, and he is incredibly quick.

I agree that frills are the only thing you can do. The best one I can think of for your situation is to put both hands behind your back and do blocks that way. I still do this drill if I feel that I am shying away from balls