The catcher is probably one of the important players in Baseball because, catching is an analytical position in the game. And thus, the position is a responsible one to be handled. These aspects make the catcher the team leader. Catching position is very crucial- the whole game can be turned the other way if the catcher is intellectual to analyze the situations taking shape on field. In this article, we discuss about different catching tricks.

How to block the ball?
Blocking the ball needs nothing but skill. Blocking a ball in the dirt is not the only requirement of a catcher. You need to block the pitch, repossess the baseball and position yourself as to throw out a runner if he is trying to move ahead. In order to do it, quickly get both your knees on the ground. Use your footwork and observe the direction of the ball as to whether you need to push off in any direction.

To grab the ball, put your glove back against your cup, keep the fingers down. Make sure that the back of your hand is against your cup. Then, set up a barrier for the ball to bounce off. 

Secondly, you should block all balls in the dirt when there are runners on base or when there are two strikes on the hitter.
 
How to block the pitch?
Different pitches demand different ways to block them. Your duty is to block all balls so that they will hit you in the center of your chest and thus drop harmlessly in front of you. Trying to catch a ball in the dirt is not recommended, especially when there are runners on base or when there are two strikes on the hitter. The worst thing to do is trying to catch a bouncing ball and ultimately missing it. This results in a ball back to the screen and the movement of runners on base.

How to catch a fastball?
Whenever a fastball is thrown in the dirt, make sure that you move your body in front of the baseball and block it back to the middle of the field. Your body should be perpendicular to the ball. 

Always make sure that you pick the baseball with hands inside your gloves.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 1:33 pm and is filed under Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.