There are a multitude of baseball catching drills. The baseball catcher is of great importance to the pitcher. Among catching drils for baseball, learning to frame pitches is very important for a catcher's performance My tutorial in this blog is the art of framing a baseball that a catcher receives from the pitcher. If the pitch is thrown to high, low, inside or outside the magic of framing can allow these balls to be called strikes by the umpire. Home plate is 17 inches wide, the diameter of a baseball is almost 3 inches
When the catcher receives a pitch that is to inside (right handed hitter) to be called a strike, the catcher should turn his mitt slightly in to receive the pitch. This action brings the ball into the strike zone. Just before the catcher receives the ball he should also subtlety shift his upper body to his left so he receives the ball in the middle of his chest. Some people may call this an illusion created for the umpire, but I call it a strike. On the outside pitch the catcher turns his thumb down before receiving the pitch and shifts his body slightly to his right so he centers the ball to the middle of his body, the result- Strike. On a higher pitch the catcher should slightly turn his mitt down as he receives the ball. The result- Strike. On a lower pitch, the catcher should in a very subtle movement raise his glove up as he receives the ball. The result- Strike.
Bobby Woods is a former Chicago Cubs Player & Arizona State University graduate.
One particular drill I really like, is the"art of framing": Approximately 5 feet away have the catcher knell on his knees without a catcher's mitt. Another person can knell facing the catcher, (roll up a sweat sock like a ball). The thrower can then underhand the sweat sock & throw high, low, inside and outside the strike zone & practice framing the pitch.. By using a sweat sock & his barehand the player learns proper framing technique and confidence. Eventually you can practice with a mitt and ball. It should be mentioned this is a great drill for female softball players as well who play the catcher position.
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In this article, we'll explore effective ways to sharpen your baseball abilities before the season starts.
Bobby Woods
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