University of Louisville Baseball Preparing Catchers for Success Xan Barksdale This PowerPoint Presentaon is available for download @ www.Catching-101.com 3 Essen:als for Success 1. Time Management 2. Educated Hard Work 3. ACCURATE Feedback Time Management • Catchers have more responsibilies than any other player • Receiving, Blocking, Throwing to all bases, Fielding bunts, Plays at the plate, Pass balls/Wild pitches, Catching bullpens, Hing, etc. • Must prac:ce the most important things the most oPen Prac:ce Rou:ne 1. Prac:ce receiving EVERYDAY 2. Prac:ce blocking EVERYDAY 3. Prac:ce at least one more “skill” each day (most important = more oPen) 4. Throw during base running Prac:ce Schedule Emphasis is on… • Receiving the Ball WELL! • Becoming a GREAT blocker! • Preven:ng Passed Balls/Wild Pitches • Controlling the Running Game • Our Drills are on Catching-101.com Educated Hard Work • The best baseball players are the smartest baseball players • We must teach catchers WHY we do what we do (call pitches, plays, etc.) • Catchers have to be coaches on the field • Back up catchers can learn the most during the game Educated Hard Work • Catchers learn a lot in the bullpen from the pitching coach • Star:ng catchers should catch an equal amount of bullpens in the pre- season Pre-Game Bullpen • Star:ng catcher should catch some por:on of the star:ng pitcher’s pre- game bullpen • At home, catch second half • On the road, catch first half Accurate Feedback • Catchers do not get enough detailed feedback • Need more than “good at blocking”, “bad receiving”, etc. • Why can’t catchers have as detailed a stat sheet as pitchers do? Pitcher’s Feedback Hieer’s Feedback Catcher’s Performance Summary Catcher’s Performance Summary Catcher’s Performance Summary iPhone/iPod Touch App Catcher’s Performance Summary Catcher’s Performance Summary Blocks/9 Innings • Shows how good of a blocker a catcher is • Is directly correlated with how much confidence a pitcher has in him CERA – Catcher’s ERA • Great for evaluang pre-season games • You will be surprised how different they can be • Also demonstrates pitch calling ability Who is Char:ng? Ulize EVERYONE! • Coach • Manager • Back up Catcher • Pitcher Video Review • 65% of people are visual learners • Catchers need to see themselves on video (receiving, blocking, throwing) • Almost everyone in this room as a video camera on your phone! • Watch MLB catchers every pitch of the game • A lot of you also have DVR on your TV at home Most Important Things • Emphasize Receiving, Blocking, Preven:ng PB/WP, controlling running game • Must give excellent feedback through charts and video • Catchers’ schedules must be extremely organized “If you emphasize it, you will be good at it.” This PowerPoint Presentaon is available for download @ www.Catching-101.com CPS iPhone app info @ www.CatchersPerformanceSummary.com .