Setting up for a high pitch

[Quake Softball]

True, you do need to make the pitcher comfortable. We have one who calls her own game and doesn't get signs. Since DD doesn't know what's coming, she just stays behind the center of the plate and does her best. (I could be wrong, but even though that girl is a good pitcher, I think she ends up with more close pitches called balls than the other girls.)

I believe the idea is not to set up clearly outside of strike territory, but rather so that the inside/outside pitch should arrive somewhere in front of your body rather than to the side. Game this fall, I saw DDr shift out and then catch a low and outside pitch with Coach Weaver's C position. Blue had shifted slightly with her, stood right there and watched it come in (it was dang close). He looked down at her arm and hand, paused and said, "Strike." I really believe that knowing the pitcher put that pitch exactly where she intended sold him on that one.

I was also at a game one day when a catcher was staying right behind the plate, letting her arm go wherever to snag pitches and then bringing them back into her body. Blue was mad as heck, muttering all kinds of stuff and calling just about everything a ball. That's rare though, the umps usually have more patience than that.

No signs for the C???? How can that be a good idea? The catcher HAS to KNOW what is coming.

 

[mad hornet]

No signs for the C???? How can that be a good idea? The catcher HAS to KNOW what is coming.

I was thinking the same thing. Sounds dangerous from both a tactical and a safety perspective.

Based on these responses then I'm getting the idea that we just got stuck with a jerk (which I already knew) umpire. It was a 12u travel game by the way. It's funny because I was just talking with another coach about umpires who declare before the game that they umpire D-1 games. It was all about him and not the kids. Of course this genius allowed a batter to walk on 2 balls (my fault according to him because I failed to correct him when he said 3-2 count and when it was 1-2 - I wasn't sure I heard right however) and missed an obvious infield fly rule with bases loaded and no outs (we benefitted because our 1B caught it right by the bag and got the double play).

 

[MsDinosaur]

No signs for the C???? How can that be a good idea? The catcher HAS to KNOW what is coming.

I don't like it much either. Even though I'm a crazy catcher's mom, I'm perfectly fine to see my DD play in the outfield or ride the bench and let the other catcher work with her. This pitcher is a super great kid, but she's throwing pretty hard and is adding in a drop. Never mind the pretty framing to get the close calls, I don't know how our catchers are going to keep from having tons of passed balls. I had a suggestion from this site that I thought was pretty good: have DD give the pitcher a sign and let her signal an adjustment factor back so DD would know what was coming. --Said something to DD and she wouldn't even consider it, not what her pitcher wants.

 

[starsnuffer]

Thanks for your perspective. NECC instructs catchers not to "frame the pitch" by dragging it into the strike zone which they argue does not "sell" the pitch to the umpire because they can clearly see you trying to pull it back into the zone; but instead they instruct to align the body and rotate the glove so it appears to be in the strike zone even when its a little outside of the zone.

I am not an umpire or a catcher but I know when I am catching my players, I always have my glove as the target where I want the ball to end up and will set my body up to the inside and outside depending on pitch location. However, you made me think about whether or not this is the best way?

Even Ken Ericson (former USA National Team Catcher and current Women's USA head coach) tells you not to try to "frame" the pitch or pull it in, and his catching philosophy couldn't be any different than Dave Weaver's. Ken refers to it as an insult to the umpire.

-W

 

[starsnuffer]

I don't believe in pandering to pitchers. There's plenty of the pretty pretty princess melodramatic premadonnas to go around, if one of them can't figure out how to throw to an imaginary spot and needs a glove to throw to, replace her.

-W

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

I don't believe in pandering to pitchers. There's plenty of the pretty pretty princess melodramatic premadonnas to go around, if one of them can't figure out how to throw to an imaginary spot and needs a glove to throw to, replace her.

-W

With all due respect, I think you are missing the point about having the glove be the target and selling the pitch. It has less to do with "pandering to pitchers" as it is selling the pitch to the umpire. For example, if the catcher sets up on the outside corner of the plate and has her glove positioned for a strike on the black and the pitcher hits her glove (target) it is more likely the umpire will call it a strike vs. having the catcher set-up directly behind home plate and reach out to the outside of the plate to catch the ball. The latter example appears to the umpire that she missed her spot and will likely call a ball. Obviously there is a whole art to catching, expanding the strike zone with excellent catching technique, and selling the pitch to the umpire. The catcher and pitcher should be working together to maximize their chances.

 

[starsnuffer]

I see what you are saying, but I wonder at how small the catcher is and how tall the batter is that the catcher needs to reach over their head for a high pitch. The top of the strike zone is under the batter's sternum. All pitches, even rise balls, are dropping as they cross the plate, meaning by the time it gets to the catchers mitt, it's even lower then it was when it crossed the strike zone.

Assuming you're using the NECC method of catching the "top half" of the ball, the mitt should be folded no more then a few inches over the catchers helmet for even the highest strike. If the pitch is much higher then that then we're talking about making a ball look like a strike, which is another subject entirely. From what I remember, Dave always taught to make strikes strikes, not to make things that aren't strikes strikes.

-W

 

[Quake Softball]

I don't like it much either. Even though I'm a crazy catcher's mom, I'm perfectly fine to see my DD play in the outfield or ride the bench and let the other catcher work with her. This pitcher is a super great kid, but she's throwing pretty hard and is adding in a drop. Never mind the pretty framing to get the close calls, I don't know how our catchers are going to keep from having tons of passed balls. I had a suggestion from this site that I thought was pretty good: have DD give the pitcher a sign and let her signal an adjustment factor back so DD would know what was coming. --Said something to DD and she wouldn't even consider it, not what her pitcher wants.

Where is the coach in all of this? Why doesn't s/he put an end to that?

 

[MsDinosaur]

Where is the coach in all of this? Why doesn't s/he put an end to that?

Ah, well, we're the new ones to the team; this girl has been there a long time and she's a real sweetheart. I'm betting he's letting her learn and enjoy herself. I'm sure that this won't last forever. I intend to wait patiently and not be that obnoxious griping mom.

Besides, I'm for letting the girls learn; I'm reasoning that if he's willing to let a pitcher call her own games, he'll be in favor of letting catchers like DD learn to call games too.