Topic for the day

Ok how about this one. Got a kid who wants to catch badly. Doesn't mind the work, the effort or the pain that it requires to be a catcher.
Has shown some ability to do it but.......she's bat blind . Is this correctable? Can you teach a catcher to catch by feel? If so what are some drills to fix it. Now discuss

 

I am assuming that when you say she is 'bat blind' is that the swing of the bat is distracting her.

Tell her to watch the pitchers release point. Once the pitcher starts her motion, tell her not to blink. Completely focus and concentrate on the SPIN of the ball. This should be done when warming pitchers up to practice the concept. The ol' drill of writing a letter or number on the ball and having her read it will help. This CAN be learned and hard work will pay off.

 

I don't know if this will help

I don't know if this will help any or not...but it's all I have to offer.

When my dd first starting catching at 10u a coach taught her very very early on that when she is down behind the plate it is just her and the pitcher - regardless of the batter in the box. Teaching her to intensely focus on her playing partner and her movements not only helped her excel in tracking the ball and anticipating a potential wild ball, but taught her to tune out the bat as well. This approach worked so well for her that a few times she got herself in trouble by putting her glove up a little too high, a little too soon in anticipation of a low pitch that went high - and found her glove hand being used as a ball (obstruction of course LOL).

One drill that we used in the past was waving a broom stick or pool noodle in front of her after release of the pitch to help her tune out the distraction of the batter in front of her.

 

5 Weeks That's All It Takes!!!

Known fact it only takes 5 weeks to fix bad habits or condition one that appears to be incorrect....YES my friend it can be fixed, but like I tell my daughter if you don't work at it, don't expect it to get better !!!


------------- GURU

 

Yes You Can!

Agree with all of the above. Patience, Practice, Practice, Practice, Patience and then some more practice. Good Luck!
Dad

 

If you're talking about blinking when a bat goes through the zone here's a tip I learned when I use to catch. I have also taught catchers to do this as well. Have them try to relax and hold their mouth slightly open. Obviously they don't want to hold it wide open, but just slightly open. It helps to relax the facial muscles when catching and tends to lessen the blinking. I have seen this work for several catchers and I've only seen a couple it did not help. Worth a try for someone that really wants to catch and will work but has trouble blinking.