So we have a 12 y.o. catcher on the LL team, this is his last year due to his age. He's a good kid and does a decent job, but there are some weaknesses (lots of passed balls, weak throws, and he tends to present his glove target on the high side). Anyway, since I never caught, I took it upon myself to read some books and look at some video, so I understand how the position is properly played.
One basic thing I've realized is that our catcher (like most catchers in our league) stays on the balls of his feet when receiving pitches, when he actually should be on his insteps when no runners are on base. I found a nice amateur video of Yadier Molina that illustrates the difference nicely (note how he begins on the balls of his feet and then switches when ready to receive the pitch):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XMDrhxniYo
I would like to show our catcher the proper way to receive (I would also teach him the stance for receiving with runners on base ).
But I hesitate because our catcher's dad is a former catcher himself (so I'm told), coaches the local Babe Ruth team, and presumably taught his son how to catch. The dad believes himself to be a baseball expert (his first words upon meeting me weren't "nice to meet you" but instead was some advice on how my son could correct his pitching mechanics). Did I mention that this fella is also a doctor and, as is not unusual in that profession, is pretty much a self-proclaimed expert on all things? His son is very nice, so dad must be doing something right, and I'm guessing he's a decent guy once you get to know him, just comes across as a little arrogant. No big deal.
Should I just leave our catcher be at this point? I don't want to teach him the "right" way to receive pitches, only to insinuate that his dad doesn't know what he's talking about. On the other hand, I would think he'd want to know and it would help his playing in future years. The season is almost over so it won't make much difference for us at this point.
What would you do?
By the way, I would say very few catchers in our local LL are receiving pitches correctly (and I didn't know the difference myself until recently). How about in your league?
When I am head coach of the team next year I am going to make sure everyone knows the fundamentals of their position--it's amazing how little good instruction they're given, especially when it comes to catching and pitching.
One basic thing I've realized is that our catcher (like most catchers in our league) stays on the balls of his feet when receiving pitches, when he actually should be on his insteps when no runners are on base. I found a nice amateur video of Yadier Molina that illustrates the difference nicely (note how he begins on the balls of his feet and then switches when ready to receive the pitch):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XMDrhxniYo
I would like to show our catcher the proper way to receive (I would also teach him the stance for receiving with runners on base ).
But I hesitate because our catcher's dad is a former catcher himself (so I'm told), coaches the local Babe Ruth team, and presumably taught his son how to catch. The dad believes himself to be a baseball expert (his first words upon meeting me weren't "nice to meet you" but instead was some advice on how my son could correct his pitching mechanics). Did I mention that this fella is also a doctor and, as is not unusual in that profession, is pretty much a self-proclaimed expert on all things? His son is very nice, so dad must be doing something right, and I'm guessing he's a decent guy once you get to know him, just comes across as a little arrogant. No big deal.
Should I just leave our catcher be at this point? I don't want to teach him the "right" way to receive pitches, only to insinuate that his dad doesn't know what he's talking about. On the other hand, I would think he'd want to know and it would help his playing in future years. The season is almost over so it won't make much difference for us at this point.
What would you do?
By the way, I would say very few catchers in our local LL are receiving pitches correctly (and I didn't know the difference myself until recently). How about in your league?
When I am head coach of the team next year I am going to make sure everyone knows the fundamentals of their position--it's amazing how little good instruction they're given, especially when it comes to catching and pitching.
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