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Not a cheap glove. It is a pretty good glove that the other boys have started using because it is pretty good quality glove. Far better than the team mitt which is well broken in but old and HEAVY.
I adjusted the thumb keeper-strap to try and get his thumb away from the edge of the mitt.
We have been working on using the pocket more, but I think the pitches that get him are pitches to his left where he is rotating his glove hand with his thumb up to catch those inside (on right-handed batters)pitches??? But I am not sure.
I will be taping him from now on, whether he will be catching or not, just to protect the thumb and be prepared in case he is called upon to catch. I'd recommend to quit catching those pitches "palm up", and focus on him having soft hands, giving with the pitch a little bit. The higher level you go, the umps will automatically think a ball caught palm up is low, and you'll seldom get a strike call. I also am not a proponent of really "sticking/framing' pitches with a rock hard reception of the ball. Soft hands is the key, IMO. The more "silent" a catcher/receiver can be, the better.
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Did not catch myself, but youngest son did a lot of it. I would hazard a guess that he might be dropping his fingers forward a little, so that the ball when entering the mitt is channeled down towards the thumb. Keep the face of the mitt a little more vertical to prevent this, and still keep the soft hands as JGR said. Pitchers love soft-handed catchers.
The biggest problem our country has is not systemic racism, it's systemic stupidity.
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Not a cheap glove. It is a pretty good glove that the other boys have started using because it is pretty good quality glove. Far better than the team mitt which is well broken in but old and HEAVY.
I adjusted the thumb keeper-strap to try and get his thumb away from the edge of the mitt.
We have been working on using the pocket more, but I think the pitches that get him are pitches to his left where he is rotating his glove hand with his thumb up to catch those inside (on right-handed batters)pitches??? But I am not sure.
I will be taping him from now on, whether he will be catching or not, just to protect the thumb and be prepared in case he is called upon to catch. Take this for what you paid for it...  My son's travel team organization had catcher's clinics this year put on by a guy that made it to AAA as a catcher. He emphasized how to position your body to stay safe and make your equipment work better for you. What you describe he called "rainbowing" and coached them not to do that when possible. Soft hands, like JG stated, and always receive the ball with the thumb pointing down. To get to that inside pitch, you slide the whole arm that way, keeping the thumb down. Which leads into the set up of the arm. He taught that the elbow should be in front of the knee, but not on it. That allows you to reach either way for the ball and still being able to catch it with the thumb down. As the pitch is released, he wanted them to relax their hand by letting it tilt down a little. Hope that was understandable.
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Not a cheap glove. It is a pretty good glove that the other boys have started using because it is pretty good quality glove. Far better than the team mitt which is well broken in but old and HEAVY.
I adjusted the thumb keeper-strap to try and get his thumb away from the edge of the mitt.
We have been working on using the pocket more, but I think the pitches that get him are pitches to his left where he is rotating his glove hand with his thumb up to catch those inside (on right-handed batters)pitches??? But I am not sure.
I will be taping him from now on, whether he will be catching or not, just to protect the thumb and be prepared in case he is called upon to catch. I'd recommend to quit catching those pitches "palm up", and focus on him having soft hands, giving with the pitch a little bit. The higher level you go, the umps will automatically think a ball caught palm up is low, and you'll seldom get a strike call. I also am not a proponent of really "sticking/framing' pitches with a rock hard reception of the ball. Soft hands is the key, IMO. The more "silent" a catcher/receiver can be, the better. I am not talking about a palm up catch of a low pitch. What I am referencing is catching a ball inside on a right handed batter. Taking your hand from your receiving position with your thumb at about 4 oclock. And moving your glove hand to your left and reaching outside your body to catch a ball way inside. When you do that, the thumb rotates to around 10 oclock. I wonder if catching these inside pitches is opening him up to the recurring injury?
Montana MOFO
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Good stuff there from JGRaider, There Ya Go and pointer. Nice.
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he acts like he wants to bat as a right hander, but everything else is all left hand....
Our youngest is the exact same way. Everything left handed.....until he picks up a bat. Then right is his natural feel. If yours feels comfortable that way, let him do it.
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"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve" - Isoroku Yamamoto
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baseball was not one of the sports I ever really enjoyed....not sure why but i played enough to get a feel for it. Both of my boys seem to enjoy it, t-ball starts at 6 I believe in Moorhead, so will get them into it then. But it is fun to play in the yard with them.
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Catching a ball no matter what position you are playing is like the face of a clock....
At 6 o'clock fingers down palm up, as you rotate the glove to the left fingers at 3 o'clock palm to you
At 12 o'clock fingers are up palm down, etc etc....
Got to have soft hands and absorb the pitch, even in the infield, let the ball come into your body.
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baseball was not one of the sports I ever really enjoyed....not sure why but i played enough to get a feel for it. Both of my boys seem to enjoy it, t-ball starts at 6 I believe in Moorhead, so will get them into it then. But it is fun to play in the yard with them. We never had t-ball. I played Pee Wee, Little League and Babe Ruth. Was asked to play legion but didn't have steady transportation to the town that had it. Our boys showed interest in baseball a little late and realized quickly it wasn't their cup of tea. From than on it was football, football, football for them.
The deer hunter does not notice the mountains
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve" - Isoroku Yamamoto
There sure are a lot of America haters that want to live here...
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Heading in today to one of the outfits that provide training/coaching for $. Guy that runs it is/was a catcher. Hoping he can hone in on what is going on here and help correct the technique.
Montana MOFO
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he acts like he wants to bat as a right hander, but everything else is all left hand....
Our youngest is the exact same way. Everything left handed.....until he picks up a bat. Then right is his natural feel. If yours feels comfortable that way, let him do it. Exact opposite with talented grandson - throws right, bats left. Strong/accurate arm - can hit the low/inside breaking ball well and drives a fastball. So, an infielder who bats left for good average and clutch proficiency. He started pitching and that experience made him an even better hitter - but now the bat doesn't come into play so often. Interesting game.
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he acts like he wants to bat as a right hander, but everything else is all left hand....
Our youngest is the exact same way. Everything left handed.....until he picks up a bat. Then right is his natural feel. If yours feels comfortable that way, let him do it. Exact opposite with talented grandson - throws right, bats left. Strong/accurate arm - can hit the low/inside breaking ball well and drives a fastball. So, an infielder who bats left for good average and clutch proficiency. He started pitching and that experience made him an even better hitter - but now the bat doesn't come into play so often. Interesting game. How old is your Grandson? Next question is how big/tall does he project to be based on his parents stature? Reason I ask, after ten years of coaching Travel Ball I can tell you that colleges and scouts are infatuated with size in baseball now. When I played in the '80s, NL teams were all about speed (which explained my quick exit from the Reds Org). Size was fine, but all the teams played mainly on turf and they wanted Ricky Henderson and Vince Coleman. Size was secondary. Now, they all want Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper at every position. Colleges to. They want "good looking athletes", Hrrumpf! The only position for a player under 6' to get a serious look is either as a super speedy OF or 2b, and I like to point out that the starting 2b is the team's #2 SS. If you grandson projects as a plus pitcher, but doesn't have speed/size, go with pitching. Trouble there is they all want the 6'2+ pitcher too and its all about the radar gun. I had the chance to chat with Tom Glavine recently about his son Peyton who is a LHP 6' 180 lbs. Throws 87-88 and has been an outstanding HS pitcher. Pro scouts really aren't giving him a sniff despite that is the same profile his HOF Dad had as a 2nd Round draft pick. TG says scouts tell him that his son "doesn't fit the typical profile we are scouting" meaning he doesn't throw 92+mph. Glassine says he reply alway is "he gets hitters out, what's the goal here?"
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That's good stuff Jeff, and spot on. Also, there is nothing more valuable than a left handed hitting catcher.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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I remember hearing Tommy John on the radio once saying that radar guns were the worst thing that had ever happened to pitchers. I've long said that the best pitching coach is the opposition's hitters....they'll let you know what works! They might be the best scouts, too, if anyone paid attention to them. But, it's all about the radar.
The biggest problem our country has is not systemic racism, it's systemic stupidity.
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If you coach catchers, or have a kid who catches, the video series from this outfit is money well spent. I have spoken with many people who have sent kids to their camps and the camps are very highly recommended. But the video series is great too. It contains all the little details about catching that you wouldn't know unless you caught yourself at a pretty high level, from framing, blocking to footwork and throwing mechanics. I have the dvd but unfortunately loaned it out and might never get it back. The Catching Camp
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How old is your Grandson? Next question is how big/tall does he project to be based on his parents stature?
Reason I ask, after ten years of coaching Travel Ball I can tell you that colleges and scouts are infatuated with size in baseball now. When I played in the '80s, NL teams were all about speed (which explained my quick exit from the Reds Org). Size was fine, but all the teams played mainly on turf and they wanted Ricky Henderson and Vince Coleman. Size was secondary. Now, they all want Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper at every position. Colleges to. They want "good looking athletes", Hrrumpf!
The only position for a player under 6' to get a serious look is either as a super speedy OF or 2b, and I like to point out that the starting 2b is the team's #2 SS. If you grandson projects as a plus pitcher, but doesn't have speed/size, go with pitching. Trouble there is they all want the 6'2+ pitcher too and its all about the radar gun.
I had the chance to chat with Tom Glavine recently about his son Peyton who is a LHP 6' 180 lbs. Throws 87-88 and has been an outstanding HS pitcher. Pro scouts really aren't giving him a sniff despite that is the same profile his HOF Dad had as a 2nd Round draft pick. TG says scouts tell him that his son "doesn't fit the typical profile we are scouting" meaning he doesn't throw 92+mph. Glassine says he reply alway is "he gets hitters out, what's the goal here?" Interesting info, and I don't doubt any of it. Thanks. I have enjoyed watching him grow up and get good as a ballplayer, and he has been fairly casual about it all. Very nice young man - quite low key and not a brag in his constitution. He is right at 6 ft. and maybe 185 now and never has had an illusion about baseball after college and his travel teams - not a career goal - but I can see him playing with good adult teams for a long time. On pitching and radar, he does not break 90 - never has - but has excellent control, studies little things about hitters and works smart. Sometimes I think he lets a runner get on base so he can work that situation a bit - but it's difficult to score on him. It's interesting that a scout today would not be interested in a young pitcher like that. Just the way the game goes over time. On velocity - when Curt Schilling pitched at our college I visited some practice sessions, and stood in a few times when he was throwing. That fellow was sudden. Got wood on the ball at times, but could not do much - it was hard to get around and zero on his stuff. He was high on the gun and a fun young guy.
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Got the kid in for a half hour catching workout tonight. The coach thinks the problem is with the boy receiving those inside pitches (on right-handed batters). He said the boy is probably taking his glove inside and his elbow back, catching the ball right beside him. Suggested a better, wider stance to allow him to lean over to better receive the ball and to reach forward more and receive the ball a bit earlier so he can better handle that ball. We will see.
Thanks for the help guys.
Montana MOFO
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Playinig 9u, this is his first year of kid pitch, so he's getting to do some of that too. To date, he's leading the pitchers in strikeouts and hit batters. I think the two are a bit related... ![[Linked Image]](http://s29.photobucket.com/user/tyler_staggs/media/Spencer/16B6E73A-769B-4038-B619-1BCD8FD5F3F3_zpsnz4xqpk6.jpg.html)
![[Linked Image]](http://s29.photobucket.com/user/tyler_staggs/media/Spencer/9A61F22F-36AA-47FE-8CBD-341544FC6865_zpsq1y7lnk5.jpg.html)
![[Linked Image]](http://s29.photobucket.com/user/tyler_staggs/media/Spencer/6038D1B2-36E2-473C-914A-05266B22C7AF_zpsjhuc8phv.jpg.html)
