University  of  Louisville  Baseball  Preparing  Catchers  for  Success  

Xan  Barksdale  

This  PowerPoint  Presenta:on  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  responsibili:es  than  any  other  player  

•   Receiving,  Blocking,  Throwing  to  all  bases,  Fielding  bunts,  Plays  at  the  plate,  Pass  balls/Wild  pitches,  Catching  bullpens,  HiOng,  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  evalua:ng  pre-­‐season  games  

•   You  will  be  surprised  how  different  they  can  be  

•   Also  demonstrates  pitch  calling  ability  

Who  is  Char:ng?  

U:lize  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  Presenta:on  is    available  for  download  @  

www.Catching-­‐101.com  

CPS  iPhone  app  info  @  

www.CatchersPerformanceSummary.com