To learn to effectively throw out would be base stealers from the crouch position.
To learn the proper footwork and for different pitch locations.
Equipment
Full catcher's gear is recommended
Baseballs
Description
Coach will throw a simulated pitch to the catcher who will throw the ball to the desired base.
Tips
There are three things entailed in a proper throw from behind the plate:
A Quick Arm: some coaches talk of a catcher "throwing from the ear." This can be somewhat misleading in that if a catcher cocks his arm directly back behind the ear, he/she will lose valuable power and cause an undue amount of stress on the elbow joint. The arm motion of a catcher is similar to any other position in the field in that a circle is made through the throwing motion. Many have heard of "thumb to thigh, circle to sky." The same is true for a catcher except the circle should probably go from just above the waist. This shortened motion should allow maximum power and accuracy with the increased speed needed to throw out a base stealer.
Proper Footwork: for a catcher, gaining momentum and using your legs is just as important as having a good arm motion. Basically, in one motion a catcher needs to gain forward momentum and square up their shoulders to effectively release an accurate, powerful throw. There should be slightly different footwork involved with different pitch locations. With a pitch to the left, a catcher needs to slightly kick his right leg out behind and to his left while moving forward. This will square up his shoulders and still give him the power to push off his back leg for a good throw. The same is true with a pitch down the middle of the plate, except that the right leg can be kicked directly behind the catcher while moving forward. With a pitch to the right, the right leg should be planted and act as a swivel or pivot to turn and throw off of. A pitch low and to the right is the hardest pitch to throw runners out on. To throw a runner out at third, with a right handed batter at the plate, the catcher has two options: If the pitch is inside it is best to kick out the right leg behind the batter and throw behind him. If the pitch is outside it is often best to kick the right leg straight ahead and throw in front of the batter. This takes practice and eventually becomes a personal preference for the catcher.
A Good Transfer: a transfer refers to the exchange of the ball from the glove to the throwing hand. It should be said that with a proper transfer, the ball will never move backwards. This means that the ball should be exchanged in front of the catcher, not back at the ear. In the process of moving the ball back to throw, the ball itself will never travel backwards because the catcher is in a forward motion at the time. The ball should not be tossed into the glove to the bare hand but grabbed firmly by driving the glove and ball hands together in one motion.
PROGRESSIONS:
The catcher should start by being in the squat position in a ready stance with the ball in their glove. They should simulate throwing to any base, working on their footwork and transfer without actually throwing.
A coach can then move out 40-60 ft and throw balls into a simulated strike zone.
Finally the same as above but with a batter standing in.
Each step should be repeated 10-12 times or as many as the catchers arm will comfortably allow
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