I shared a video clip on Facebook today that was one of the funnier things I have seen in a while. A catcher in a kids baseball game is caught “framing” a pitch. If you have seen it, you know what I am talking about.
This uyound player basically leaps straight up out of his crouch, almost like he is going up for a rebound as much as catching a pitch, and immediately drops right back into his catching crouch to show the umpire the “strike”.
A very extreme example but meant to highlight a pretty good topic. Coach Don and I talked about it on our Everything Fastpitch Ppodcast this week and it led to some interesting discussion. Coach Don was a college catcher so he has a pretty good understanding of the in’s and out’s of catching.
Here are a couple highlights from that discussion:
1. Frame pitches that are close to the strike zone. Don’t embarrass the umpire by trying to frame a pitch that is way off.
2. Small subtle movements work. Big, exaggerated movements don’t.
3. Don’t hold a pitch for more than a split second to try to show the world that you think a pitch is a strike. This only frustrates the umpire and is not likely to get you more strikes called.
4. Develop a good relationship with the umpire and you are going to get more close pitches called strikes. Really!!
About the Author: Tory Acheson brings a wealth of knowledge to the Fastpitch Prep staff. He has coached at all levels of the game, including the last 25 years at the college level at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside, Tennessee Tech and Kennesaw State. He began his coaching career at the high school level spending 9 years Whitnall High School in Greenfield, Wis. and is now working as a professional softball instructor.
