People usually say “eyes on the ball” as advice to batters for when they’re supposed to hit the ball. Yes, it is important too, but there is something still more essential. Probably half of all plays depends on somebody catching a ball. This is important. This is training your hand-eye coordination. Matt is a self-proclaimed baseball fanatic and someone who has played competitively and for fun since early childhood. If you get a brand new glove, you are going to have to go through the process of breaking it in. As you prepare to teach youth to catch a baseball, there is something that must be taken into consideration. After you’ve caught the ball, you’ll need to throw it again. 8 Tips Catch a Baseball with Two Hands [2020 Update], Best Sunglasses for Baseball [2020 Update], 5 Best Youth Catcher Chest Protectors [2020 Update], The 7 Exercises To Increase Arm Strength In Baseball [2020 Update], Playing Baseball with 8 Players [2020 Update], Things to Remember Before Playing baseball [2020 Update], Best ASA Softball Bats For 2020 – Top Rated For Slowpitch and Fastpitch, The 5 Best Double Wall Softball Bats 2020, The 6 Best Single Wall Softball Bats 2020, Top 8 Best Big Barrel Bats Recommended For 2020, How Important Is Speed In Baseball? It needs to be comfortable, especially if the game is to continue for hours. You may need to crouch down or jump depending on where the ball goes.
New gloves are usually not very flexible out of the box, so it will be harder to catch balls with them. Your glove should ideally be made of good leather and should be able to flex easily. You’ll need to practice and develop hand-eye coordination and learn how to track and catch the ball. Best Softball and Fast Pitch Pants for Women, The 8 Best Big Barrel Bats for Little League, Easton Ghost Fast Pitch Double Barrel Bat Review, The Required Umpire Uniform for Little League, 7 Easy Arm Exercises To Improve Your Baseball Game. No matter how many tips you read, the best way to actually improve your catch rate is to go out there and practice. If someone is about to throw, point your gloves towards him or her. While the baseball glove is a vital piece of equipment during game play, skill development can be more beneficial with the bare hand.
So, we, as coaches, need to begin the training of our players to develop these skills before expecting proficiency in catching. To accomplish this, consider simplifying drills that will increase our athlete’s ability to track the ball and improve their hand-eye coordination to where catching the ball becomes more natural.
Since the basic fundamentals we teach now will be those that our players revert to in the stress of game play, we owe them the opportunity to learn correctly from the start.
Why Use the Two-Handed Catch? The fundamentals include batting, pitching, fielding, and catching. Once you’ve caught the ball, you can easily drop it from your gloved hand into your throwing hand, making for speedy throws. Focus on the batter or the person throwing the ball to you. When you’re catching with both hands, it’s much easier to transition from catching to throwing very quickly, because the ball will already be right next to your throwing hand. The drill is simply enforcing good habits repeatedly to make it happen in the future minus any conscious thought. In every sport, there are some fundamental techniques and stages. One important thing is to always have the palm of your glove pointing to the ball. If you want to be a great baseball player, you’ll need to know exactly how to catch the ball with perfect technique.
Most other people shall advise you to get a good quality base glove. Here are some considerations you can put into play as you begin a new season with first-time players and those needing improvement on the basic skills. For older players, look for gloves between 12-14 inches. However, it’s important to realize why you see this. This drastically reduces your chances of fumbling the ball, and you can quickly transition into a throw. Since the glove is but an extension of your hand, it makes no sense to wear an overprotective but heavy glove. Just like the assistance a batting tee provides to young hitters, we can also provide them help as they learn to field and catch the ball. The rule explains that any ball that is thrown below the waist should be caught in an underhanded manner, with the glove pointed down and the non-gloved hand next to it, in preparation to cover the ball in the glove on its arrival. [2020 Update], Playing Baseball After Shoulder Dislocation [2020 Update], How can You play Baseball after High School [2020 Update], Why should You not play Baseball with a broken Finger? In fact, even if are not skilled, concentrating on the incoming ball is a surefire way to make a successful catch.
Build up their natural deficiencies before advancing them onto more difficult tasks. His expert knowledge and passion for the sport are evident on Batters Report and he hopes to deliver other baseball fans with informative and up to date content on this popular pastime. The more you practice this skill, the better you shall become. Get the right glove. Catching a baseball correctly is based on the principle of using two hands when players can line the ball up inside their feet and shoulders, and the glove hand only when players have to reach outside their body for balls. Remember to cup your hands. If you’re a pro baseball player, you can basically catch from any position, as long as you can tell where the ball is going to be. It is quicker for the glove hand and wrist to drop the ball into the bare hand than it is to turn the glove sideways to the bare hand. It helps quite a lot to start catching the ball with both hands because you’ll be able to catch the ball more reliably and prevent fumbling. You posture, for catching, needs to be loose and athletic. When our athletes’ baseball careers begin in the tee ball years, it is vital that we build a foundation of basic skills that will lead to future success and an increased love of the game. Putting both thumbs together in an overhanded manner will set one up to catch and trap the ball on its arrival. Unless you have positioned your body, you may not be able to grab the ball. Need assistance placing an order, or have general questions about our product feel free to contact us. If you find that you have difficulty keeping your glove closed, try to cover the ball with your free hand as soon as it touches your glove.
In fact, even if are not skilled, concentrating on the incoming ball is a surefire way to make a successful catch. Practice makes one perfect. Throwing Hand Transition & “Two Hands” So you might be thinking, “I’ve seen players catch a fly-ball with the throwing hand covering up” or “I see infielders catch ground balls and throws with two hands in every game!” If you are thinking this, you are perfectly correct.
Catching with two hands. At the start of the season, emphasize the basics by conducting catching drills using no equipment.
It is important to understand that at the ages of 6-8 years old, the tee ball years, the human development element is vastly in play and makes even the most basic skills difficult to learn for some. This, of course, depends on the size of your hands.
Stand facing them and keep your knees bent and your feet shoulder-width apart. In this article, you’ll learn about various tips and techniques to help you to do the same. If it is coming towards your knees, you need to squat down and catch it. One thing you need to know while buying the product is that mitt needs to be of a perfect size, depending on the size of your hands. Home | Contact | About | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy. According to BaseballPositive.com, science has shown that youth between the ages below 7 or 8 do not have the “capability to coordinate both eyes.” How this effects baseball play is in a child’s ability to perceive distance and speed due to the lack of depth perception. This helps with committing to a course of action and eliminating that hesitation that you may feel when you’re supposed to catch a ball. T-Ball tees help improve batting and hitting. Your hands should be in front of you. Whenever possible, and you should be doing it more often, try to catch with both hands. While most pro baseball players catch with one hand, you’ll have to learn the basics before you’re able to safely catch with one hand. Consequently, a ball thrown above the waist will be met with a “thumbs” approach. On the website Outdoor FunKids.com, they introduce a “rule” for teaching athletes the proper form of catching a baseball. A better option is to use an already broken glove. When catching a tennis ball, a child’s hand will likely be too small to successfully catch the ball each time.