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Blocking
Do you have any questions regarding catching? Click here to get an answer from our experts.
CATCH & THROW BLOCKING TIPS
- Wear properly sized equipment
- Make sure the equipment fits properly and snug
- Gain ground
on the ball to cut the distance, angle, and time that the ball has to travel
- The sooner the ball hits the body, the sooner the ball
will hit the ground and stop
- Try to block every ball during bullpens, warm ups, and in games to condition yourself to block everything
- Block
the ball between the bully button and the bottom of the sternum
Use the equipment, not the glove or arms, to block the ball - Keep the
arms on the side of the body and the glove down between the legs to maximize the blocking area on the body
- Watch the ball hit the
body. This will keep the chin down to protect the throat while blocking
- Protect the throwing hand by putting it into a fist
behind the glove
- Think catch the ball first and block second to help get the body into blocking position
- Lead with the left leg to
block the ball to the right
- Lead with the right leg to block the ball to the left
- Take Pride in not letting any ball get by you
Blocking the ball is a skill that takes proper technique and time to learn. Understanding that one is a catcher first will help
put the body into position to block the ball. Rule #1 is to catch the ball. Until the ball hits the ground or the catcher
knows that it is going to be out of reach, then the body needs to get into a position that is not only able to block the pitch, but is
ready to get up and retrieve the ball or throw the ball to a base.
The best catchers in the game don't look as if they are working
hard to block pitches in the dirt. The main reason that is because their bodies are balanced and in good position for the ball
to hit them. Rule # 1 is to catch the ball, but once the ball hits the dirt, the only thing that a catcher should be focused
on is blocking the ball. Catching the ball is out of the equation. Trying to catch the ball will lead one's body in the
right direction and will help get the body into postion to block the ball. If the hands reach toward the ball the body has the
ability to follow and to get behind the glove in the blocking position. If the glove goes straight into blocking position, the
body has a tendency to get stuck behind the glove causing a breakdown in the balance and the posture of the catcher. An example
would be if one were to extend theglove hand to one side or another on a slight angle then move the rest of the body behind the glove
hand. That shouldn't be a problem. The wrong way to approach the ball would be to put one's glove hand straight left or
right (basically put your hand right in front of your body and move it straight right or left). To get one's body behind the
hand will require the body to go around the arms before postitioning behind the hand. Not only does that take more time, but
it is harder to put the body in the same posture as one started with while maintaining posture.
The glove may give a good direction for the body to go, but the legs (feet, ankles, knees, and hips) will get the body where it needs to go. The lower and more explosive the lower body is to the ball the easier the body will get in front of the ball. That will allow the ball to killl off of the chest instead of being active with the upper body and having the ball bounce hard off of the chest causing the ball to bounce further away.