Catching with two hands.

[rubberhead]

<THIS IS FROM ANOTHER THREAD>

Thanks Sluggers, good drills, will incorporate them asap. Quick story on catching with two hands, I was eavesdropping on a conversation between two D1 coaches, big national schools, who were discussing the merits of catching with two hands - and both were in agreement that two hands is old school from a time when gloves werent what they are these days.Two hands on fly balls and pop-ups only. NOW, I dont say that to start a riot, just an interesting topic/point of view. If my DD could pitch as good as she could catch a flyball I wouldnt have any pitching questions.

Tojo - Pm sent, thanks a million.

 

[sluggers]

I weep for the future of the game. Seeing players, especially pitchers, not using two hands is like listening to someone dragging their fingernails across a chalkboard.

Catching with "two hands" is about more than "successfully stopping a softball.".

Specifically, a player "catches with two hands" in order to:

(A) Get the throwing hand into proper position to make a throw. In fastpitch, time is everything. A fraction of a second is the difference between winning and losing.
(B) Get the body moving to the ball and so as to avoid "reaching for the ball" if at all possible. In order to catch with two hands, the player's body has to be moving toward the ball. So, requiring a player to catch with two hands means that the player is moving their body toward the ball rather than simply jabbing at it with a glove. If a player is habitually and vigorously attempting to "get in front of the ball in order to use two hands" every time a ball is thrown to her, then that player will always be in better defensive position then someone who is allowed to reach for the ball.

Additionally, your DD wants to be the CENTER of the softball diamond, where every time she touches the ball, she is scrutinized by EVERYONE. Don't you think it might be a good idea for her to be setting an example for the entire team?

By the way, there was this HOF SS who played for St. Louis--he is generally considered the best fielding SS of all time. He used two hands on everything.

 

[shockcoach]

If I catch any of my girls catching with one hand, they line up and run sprints. Whether it's at practice, pitching clinic or just playing catch in the yard. If I see a one handed catch, the team runs.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Howard Kobata Teaches Defensive Softball Skills If you want to understand fielding I think Kobata is kind of the guru of how to field a ball correctly. Most of the D1 schools are using his DVD's and training.