My son who is a catcher thumb get sore and agitated sometimes especially after from framing alot of low pitches. He does have a sleeve to use for his thumb but was wondering if anyone had any other ideas?
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https://www.amazon.com/EvoShie...-Guard/dp/B005Z1TGA4
This is made of a similar material to a cast you put on a broken arm. It molds to a kids thumb in his glove and adds some extra firmness/cushioning so the thumb stays put.
How deep does he put his hand into his mitt? Does he go all the way in or does he leave it slightly out?
Well was leaving slightly out but now decided to move all the way in to see if it helps
Having the hand slightly out should help prevent the thumb from being hit directly by the pitch. He may be catching the ball below the pocket to where it does get the thumb. Putting his hand all the way in - in theory - will cause the thumb to hurt more. Without seeing what's going on it's hard to say. The molds the other posted will help.
Along with the thumb guard, have your son try putting his pinky and ring finger in the pinky slot of the catchers mitt, then slide the middle and index finger down one slot. This will create a clam grip, placing most of the pressure towards the outside of the hand. I don't know if the clam grip is THE reason my son has never had thumb issues but when it was introduced to him many years ago, he said it just felt right.
Mom;
what style of catchers mitt? Is he a "one handed" or 2 handed catcher? Does he play 1b when he does not catch?
Bob
A former professional player, college coach + current high level catching trainer, instructor, guru extraordinaire designed something pretty cool for that about ten years ago. See: http://www.catchersthumb.com/. 
CaCO3Girl posted:https://www.amazon.com/EvoShie...-Guard/dp/B005Z1TGA4
This is made of a similar material to a cast you put on a broken arm. It molds to a kids thumb in his glove and adds some extra firmness/cushioning so the thumb stays put.
If your son needs a thumb guard, I also recommend this one. We have used both the EvoShuild and the Catchers Thumb. The catchers Thumb is much harder to fit.
And if you google catchers thumb vs. evoshield this HSBBW thread comes up (LOVE this site)
He is using the Evoshield.
sportsmom,
Sounds like he is catching a RH pitcher with a very good 2seam FB. Those types are very hard on a catchers thumb. Probably should go with the thumb guard. Also if he doesn't already, tell him to drop his glove (loosen the wrist) right before receiving the ball. It will allow him to have softer hands and maybe less likely to get handcuffed by a good pitch.
Thanks to all of you that reply!!
Consultant posted:Mom;
what style of catchers mitt? Is he a "one handed" or 2 handed catcher? Does he play 1b when he does not catch?
Bob
Hello Consultant:
You mentioned "on handed" catchers in a previous post not too long ago. What do you mean when you talk about a one-hand vs. a two-hand catcher? I always appreciate your insights.
JDB;
Thank you for the question.
when a catcher who is a "one handed" catcher warms up he constantly catches the ball lazy without shifting his feet. A pro catcher will always warm up catching the throw two handed, centering behind the throw, shifting his feet each time. His choice of mitt will be rounded not shaped like a 1b mitt.
When we travel each year Internationally, I select former professional catchers as our coaches to teach the young 15-18 year old catchers.
Bob
Consultant posted:JDB;
Thank you for the question.
when a catcher who is a "one handed" catcher warms up he constantly catches the ball lazy without shifting his feet. A pro catcher will always warm up catching the throw two handed, centering behind the throw, shifting his feet each time. His choice of mitt will be rounded not shaped like a 1b mitt.
When we travel each year Internationally, I select former professional catchers as our coaches to teach the young 15-18 year old catchers.
Bob
Bob.
Thanks for your quick response. I think that I understand what your saying, but given the context of the original post, I want to be sure. The OP said that her son hurt his thumb receiving pitches, but it sounds like your discussing the catcher's transfer, footwork, and throw.
When you talk about a catcher warming up, do you mean pre-inning or pre-game? I know that those are very different and have different objectives. In the context of receiving the pitch, a quiet body (no shifting of the feet) is the goal. In pre-game warm-ups, the catcher would work two hands, transfer, footwork (shifting the feet), and his throw. I hope this doesn't sound like I'm instructing; I'm really just trying clarify what I read into your answer. If I misunderstood, please correct me.
As for the glove, my son likes to think of his mitt as having two creases, one on either side of the pocket. Pre-pitch, he always works the top side of the glove to get it just right for receiving the next pitch.
Any other subtle "tells" that you might look for when your watching a prospect warm up? Thanks again, for sharing them with us.
jdb
JDB;
playing catch, warming up and game work all should be with a goal of centering behind the throw. as a practice pro catchers will catch the throw on "heal" of the mitt to practice a quick, under control transfer.
Ossie Smith practice this as a SS playing catch. It provides for quick hands. Read about the skill catcher "art of framing". "9 Sides of Baseball" book. Have your son discuss catching with former pro players. Do you attend Spring Training?
Bob
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His college season just started.
Bob:
Thanks for the insights and book recommendations.
We have a drill that we call the deflection drill, which sounds like the same concept. You don't really catch the ball, but you deflect it into your throwing hand. As for catching, he tries to think of redirecting (raking) the pitch to his throwing hand, rather than catching the pitch then moving to a transfer.
I'm sure in your position, it's fairly simple to solicit a pro catcher for advice. However, for most of us that is not a simple option. That said, over the years, we have been privy to some coaching and advice from some pretty solid folks. Each of them had a little different philosophy on the position and how to train their catchers. My son has developed a philosophy that might be called an amalgamation of all those coaches ideas on the position.
The main take away that I will impress upon my son, from you, is that there is always someone watching. Do you want them to have a good impression or a bad one? Even when you are warming up, what are you telling somebody that might be watching? Thanks again for the advice.
jdb
I have this trouble sometimes as my sons fastball has some sink. I found that tightening the thumb loop in the glove so that it pulled my tighter to the outside wall helps take some of the stress off and helps to keep me from taking pitches on the thumb end.
Good luck,
Ted
sportsmomof3 posted:His college season just started.
Hello Sportsmom:
I apologize; I didn't mean to hijack your thread.
Your original post didn't mention that your son is in college. His team should have a trainer who is well versed in identifying sports injuries. They should be able to figure out if he has an injury that needs medical treatment or if he has pain that just needs to be managed.
My 16 year old has, at different times in his life, broken his distal phalanx (bone at the end of the thumb) at the growth plate, hyper extended the thumb, and had a partial tear of UCL in the MCL joint of the thumb. The broken thumb ended one of his fall seasons, but he was fully recovered and ready to play well before the beginning of spring season. The hyper extensions were painful, but he taped the affected areas and kept catching. The partial tear was painful and could have turned into an injury that required surgery. In his case, he wore a spika splint during the day and the high school trainer (this was during the season) taped his thumb every day for practice. The tape job was like a spika splint, but because it was made with tape, his hand would fit into his mitt. The taping prevented further injury, and he actually healed over the course of the season. The partial tear was caused by catching a high 80's pitcher who loved the low, inside pitch. Trying to frame those tweeners to get a called strike is awfully hard on the thumb.
Your son should have access to people who can determine what type of injury he has and how to treat it. I tell my son, that it's not his job to decide if he is feeling discomfort (pain) or if he is injured. Let the trainer know so that they can make a determination.
jdb
Carpenter trade makes a great thumbguard also.