I had to give it up for the most part. Her speed is way up and though her accuracy overall is really good as she works on new pitches...well, it can hurt. And yes, she loves her Dad and gets upset when I get hit. My reaction time is still good but my vision ain't even close to what it was. Thankfully her twin sister runs the other end of the battery most of the time! But, I really loved every minute of catching her.
kudos to all those bucket moms/dads out there
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Yep, when she asked me it I would catch for her, I can't lie, I was thrilled. I was more than happy to do it, and missed the times when she was 10-13 and we spent time pitching. One thing that I used to hear from people that I thought were "old" was how time flies by. Well guess what, here I am 44 years "old" and time DOES in fact fly by. I remember the day she had spinal surgery like it was yesterday, and here it is 1 1/2 years post op.
Good luck with your DD's renewed passion to pitch and glad she's over (or hopefully completely over) her spinal surgery ! 44 years old...........you're a puppy !!
- Nov 29, 2009
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I caught for my DD from the time she was 11 till she finished college. Never used a mask or any pads. Parents used to ask me how I did it. She was throwing mid 60's during college. I just shrugged. It wasn't that fast to me. My reactions and ability to read the ball quicker got batter as she progressed, as well as her accuracy. It was a long, steady learning curve. I did catch a couple of balls over the years that hurt, but relatively few for the amount of time I spent working with her. Never ended up doubled over in the fetal position either.
The other thing I never used was a bucket. I had a couple of heavy duty kneeling pads that I used. My thoughts were; I've NEVER seen a catcher on a bucket in a game. Why should she practice like that?
The other thing I never used was a bucket. I had a couple of heavy duty kneeling pads that I used. My thoughts were; I've NEVER seen a catcher on a bucket in a game. Why should she practice like that?
- Jun 12, 2015
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You are much cooler than I am.
My hat is off to mom's and dad's who catch for their DD without a bucket....if I was to get down in a true catchers squat I may never get back up!
- Jun 12, 2015
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I could catch maybe 3-4 pitches in the actual catching position. I do yoga, I can get into and out of a squat. I can't sit in one for 30+ minutes of practice though, even coming out of it to return the ball or whatever. My knees would fall off. The bucket is my friend, & it doesn't bother me a bit. I'm not a catcher, I just do my best 
I could catch maybe 3-4 pitches in the actual catching position. I do yoga, I can get into and out of a squat. I can't sit in one for 30+ minutes of practice though, even coming out of it to return the ball or whatever. My knees would fall off. The bucket is my friend, & it doesn't bother me a bit. I'm not a catcher, I just do my best
I have learned the hard way to just pick up my feet and let the ball hit the bucket when my DD buries a drop ball 4' in front of the plate. If I was in a catchers squat the number of times I would get hit by pitches would go up exponentially.
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