Baseball Catcher Drills

Baseball Catcher Drills
By guest author: Kenny Buford

Crucial Catching Skills

In baseball, the catcher is one of the hardest working players on the field. Also the catcher's position on the field is unique, meaning that catchers require a separate set of drills that allow them to develop the skills that are exclusive to their position. Use any or all of the following baseball catcher drills to sharpen your catcher's abilities and focus, which in turn will aid your team's overall defensive position.

The first of the baseball catcher drills teaches catchers how to block pitches that bounce in the dirt in front of them. For this drill you will need two plastic cones set up on either side of the catcher, who should be equipped with full gear. The coach or assistant stands about 30 feet away from the catcher.

The coach begins throwing pitches towards the catcher, varying between pitches that bounce in the dirt and regular pitches to help the catcher work on their ability to read the pitches that come their way. Each time a pitch passes through the goal without being stopped by the catcher, it counts as a point. After 10 throws, count the number of points.

Repeat the drill twice more to see if catcher's scores improve. The purpose of the score is so that catchers can track their progress over a series of weeks.

Two for Flinching

If your catcher flinches as the batter swings at the oncoming pitch, try this two-part drill that helps tame the catcher's reaction to the ball. For the first part of the drill, have your catcher in full gear stand about 5 feet away from the coach. The catch interlocks their hands behind their back as the coach throws balls towards the catcher, aiming predominantly for their mask.

After catchers have mastered the first part of the drill, then have them try the second part, in which the catcher in full gear assumes their usual position on the field, behind the batter's box. The coach stands about 15 feet away, and another coach or assistant assumes the batter's stance with a bat and helmet.

The coach throws pitches towards the catcher, aiming again for the catcher's mask. Meanwhile the other coach swings the bat trying their best not to hit the pitch. Catchers are to catch the pitches without flinching.

Hit the Dirt

The next of the baseball catcher drills teaches catchers to follow the trajectory of the pitch to predict where it will end up. For this drill, have the catcher in full gear assume their position behind the batter's box. This drill also requires a full infield including pitcher. All other players are base runners that vary their positioning on the coach's instructions.

Have the pitcher throw a series of pitches at the catcher making sure to include at least one pitch that bounces in the dirt per five throws. When the pitch hits the dirt, the runners are to read the situation and react accordingly. For example, with a runner on first only, they are encouraged to run since this is usually an easy steal, even if the catcher successfully blocks the errant pitch.

However, with runners on first and second, the steals increase in difficulty, so your runners will need to decide how aggressively they'd like to act in their base stealing actions. This drill will help your catch at their blocking skills when pitches hit the dirt as well as give them a chance to work on their long throws to second and third base that can be crucial in a game-play situation.

About The Author

Kenny Buford has coached nearly every level of baseball in a career that spans several decades. You can get instant access to his championship baseball practice plans by visiting his website:

http://www.Baseball-Practice-Plans.com

For a limited time, all coaches who visit Kenny's site will also get a free copy of his special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Baseball Coaches Make". Go get your free copy today!

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Baseball Tips: Taking a Lead

Baseball Tips: Taking a Lead
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Visit PlaySportsTV http://www.playsportstv.com/baseball for more great youth baseball drills and baseball coaching tips. Learn how to take a lead from first base in this baseball training video.

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Youth Baseball Pitching Drills: "Towel Drill"

Youth Baseball Pitching Drills: "Towel Drill"
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http://www.baseballsmith.com is another great resource for players, coaches and parents involved in youth baseball.


Have players get the feel of what it is to follow through and extend on their pitches. This drill is set up to encourage a safe throwing motion while increasing velocity.
From: http://www.BASEBALLSMITH.com

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---15 Reasons To Buy a Hurricane Trainer
---6 Questions Often Asked By Customers
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---Hurricane Hitting Machine Drills
---20-Minute Hurricane Batting Practice Workout
---Hurricane Hitting Machine Video Demo Clips

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Coaching Baseball Pitchers - Multi-Purpose Baseball Pitching Drills to Improve Control

Coaching Baseball Pitchers - Multi-Purpose Baseball Pitching Drills to Improve Control
By guest author: Nick Dixon

Learning correct baseball pitching mechanics are the first step in the making of a pitcher. Once proper mechanics are mastered these two drills can be used to hone skill, increase concentration, build confidence, and improve control. Here are two drills that can bed used to help improve a pitchers control. The two drills are "Pitch Tracking" and the "20 X 4" Pitching Drill.

"Pitch Tracking"

Great Drill for Hitters, Catchers, and Pitchers!

The pitcher is throwing to a catcher as he normally would in pitching practice or bull-pen work. The pitcher is throwing at his normal pitching distance. The purpose of the drill is to increase a pitcher's level of concentration, to work a catcher, and to allow one batter or two batters learn to "track" every pitch.

Variation #1: One Batter - Right or Left handed

C --------------------------------------- P

B

Variation #2: Two Batters - One Right and One Left handed

B

C --------------------------------------- P

B

Variation #1 - One batter is standing in and tracking every pitch from the pitcher's hand to the catcher's mitt. The batter does not have a bat. The batter will assume his regular stance and imagine that he is holding a bat. The batter will "track" or watch the first three pitches out of the pitcher's hand until they hit the catcher's mitt, making sure to keep his head down and eyes on the ball all of the way. The batter must have a batting helmet on. The next steps to the drill are explained in the second paragraph below.

Variation #2 - Two batters are standing in the batter's box without bats. Each batter will assume his regular stance and imagine that he is holding a bat. The batters will "track" or watch the first three pitches out of the pitcher's hand until they hit the catcher's mitt, making sure to keep his head down and his eyes on the ball all of the way. The batters must have a batting helmet on. The next steps to the drill are explained in the paragraph below.

Next the batters will swing away with their "imaginary" bats. The batters will read the location of each pitch the pitcher throws and hit the ball where it is pitched. When two batters are tracking, they will do opposites. One will pull a pitch in a location that his tracking partner will hit to the opposite field.

The coach can call out a count such as 2-0, 3-1, 1-2, and 0-2 to allow the batters, pitchers, and catchers certain mind-sets in different situations. Read more.

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The Right Way Batters Practice Baseball

The Right Way Batters Practice Baseball
By guest author: Connor R Sullivan

Baseball is a sport and a game that requires constant practice. This is so the player can become more skilled at the sport and be able to surpass any difficulty he has on the field. When practicing, having a baseball pitching machine is a good idea. This machine can help mold the batter's skill at hitting the ball. Even softball pitching machines are advised in the game of softball. The result is a batter who is confident he can hit the ball thrown to him.

However, it is equally important that the batter takes care of his eyes and not only concentrate in practicing his pitches. The saying "you cannot hit what you cannot see" applies to the condition of a batter as it is his task to hit the ball pitched to him. Once he does not take good care of his eyes, he will not be able to see the ball clearly when it is thrown to him. As a result, he could get a strike.

When it comes to hitting, there are four main categories. These include the mechanics, adjustments, vision, and planning the approach for each bat. These all pay an important aspect to each time the batter hits the ball. For this, it is the role of the coach to train his players properly so they can become the best at the sport.

Although each of the categories is equally important, they cannot be performed well without the mechanical part of the hitter's approach. Especially if it is the beginning of the training, it is recommended to concentrate on this part of hitting as it pays a huge significance in the rest of the categories. During this time, the other three categories can be neglected as they will be carefully executed later on. For this reason, there are some exercises that need to be used to get acquainted with the mechanics of hitting the ball.

One of these exercises is to practice with color. Because there are a lot of batters who are visual learners, practicing with color can prove to be an ideal method of learning. This can be done by obtaining balls of different sizes. Then, each ball needs to be marked with a colored dot using a permanent felt marker. It is important though that this dot is medium-sized, not too big that it becomes too obvious and not too small for the drill to be complicated. The practice then occurs by doing some front tosses or flipping baseballs. Using the colored dots, coaches can instruct their batters to hit only the balls with the specified color.

Aside from practicing, coaches must also teach his players the importance of taking care of their eyes even when they are not on the field. In order to do so, here are the tips:

• Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables

• Sparingly use allergen reducing eye drops

• Refrain from using contact lenses for over 19 hours

• UV protective sunglasses should be worn

• Avoid spending so much time in front of the computer screen

• Rubbing the eyes needs to be avoided

• Make sure to get enough rest and sleep

• A visit to the optometrist every year is recommended

By following these tips, each player will be able to keep his eyes well rested when he plays baseball or softball. Not to mention, these tips can also help even ordinary people.

Coach Connor Sullivan operates a baseball web site that offers a special type of baseball pitching machine as well as training aids and coaching/instructional videos along with lots of free coaching content. He offers a large selection of training equipment such as softball pitching machines online.

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Derek Jeter Hurricane Machine Training Blog

HurricaneMachine.com - Links

---15 Reasons To Buy a Hurricane Trainer
---6 Questions Often Asked By Customers
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---Hurricane Hitting Machine Drills
---20-Minute Hurricane Batting Practice Workout
---Hurricane Hitting Machine Video Demo Clips

Baseball2u.com has a one of the internet's largest selections of baseball coaching and training dvds