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All appointments are either with or without DDI staff assistance. Please inform us, when setting your appointment, if you would like staff assisted training. The only exception being that, while you choose the speed, pitch and pitcher the Pro-Batter will always be operated by DDI staff.

Pro-Batter:

Just as with hitting; the Pro-Batter PXII simply can’t be beat as a catcher training tool for more advanced catcher training. You get to pick the pitch, the speed and the location as well as a left or right handed batter so you can work on your moving, blocking, framing and pitch recognition skills.

Of course, if your skills aren’t quite up to the challenge of the Pro-Batter yet, we can use our pitching cage to advance your catching skills and technique.

Stance:

There are three key stances for a catcher to know and each has it’s specific purpose. If you want to play at the highest level, you have to know how to do the job correctly. There is a specific stance for delivering the pitch sign to the pitcher, the standard receiving stance for receiving the pitch with no runners on and there is a runners on stanced which is used when there is a runner on that is a potential threat to steal. We teach catchers how to position themselves correctly for all three including positioning of the glove out front and above the knees and protecting the throwing hand.

Proper Movement:

Maneuvering behind the plate is a technique that can be difficult to master. A good catcher has to be able to move to the ball thrown wide or into the dirt and he has to be able to do so very quickly. Not all pitches can be caught; however, except for those thrown several feet of the plate, the catcher is expected to stop everything from getting by.
Blocking:
As stated above; not all pitches can be caught. More to the point; not all pitches are expected to be caught and, at the higher levels of play, coaches don’t even want you to try. In some cases, trying to catch a bad pitch makes it much more likely that the ball will get past you than if you had merely tried to block it. Blocking, as is the case with proper maneuverability, can be a very difficult technique to learn. We teach catchers to make both short and long moves to both sides of the plate, how to use their entire body and the glove to block the ball and how to angle the body to keep the ball in front of them. Specific conditioining is frequently required to perfect a catchers blocking skills.

Framing:

Framing is an art that, when perfected, can earn strikes for your pitcher that would otherwise have been ruled balls. We teach catchers how to frame a pitch on all sides of the zone.

Plate Position:

The catcher should always be aware of things that might give his pitcher an edge on the batter. Things like whether the batter is standing too close to the plate, too far away from the plate or starts with his hands too high or too low can all help a catcher choose a pitch location that may help the pitcher earn a strike. We teach catchers to be aware of such things and how to position themselves to help the pitcher.

Working the Clock:

Working the clock refers to working a batter around in the zone. When a catcher is told by a coach that he wants him to work the clock for the pitcher, he should know what the coach is asking for and how to do it.

The Throw:

Not everyone, even from among the best baseball players around, can make the throw from behind the plate to second base in less than two seconds as preferred by varsity high school and college level coaches. On the other hand, not everyone that can make the throw is able to correctly do everything else. A catcher has to be the total package in order to earn that position at higher levels of play. We teach everything else first, to ensure that the individual will be able to master the other skills and move on to the throw only when they are doing a satisfactory job in all other areas. When it is determined that that the individual possesses the other necessary skills, we teach them how to come up fast, make a smooth transfer of the ball while taking what we call a shuffle step and making a straight, head high, accurate throw to second base.

Customized Training Plan:

Whatever your goals may be and regardless of your current status, we can evaluate you and design a custom training plan to meet your needs. Our owner/manager is an ISSA Certified Personal Trainer and our training plans include everything from the drills to suit your needs to a good exercise regimen to better prepare the body to perform. We also include a short video of your performance on CD. Please let us know, at the time your appointment is set, that you will want a CTP (customized training plan) so we will have our video equipment ready.

<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Catcher Training

Catcher Training