Looking for help. Teaching catchers to call the game

[peter.kottke]

Not going to try to make any claims about how it should affect pitch calling … but have to correct the bad chemistry and physics. A water molecule is lighter than an oxygen molecule or nitrogen molecule (H2O - 18 Da, O2 - 32 Da, N2 28 Da). As a result humidity decreases density. See this plot

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[bmakj]

Not going to try to make any claims about how it should affect pitch calling … but have to correct the bad chemistry and physics. A water molecule is lighter than an oxygen molecule or nitrogen molecule (H2O - 18 Da, O2 - 32 Da, N2 28 Da). As a result humidity decreases density. See this plot

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everyone is right and everyone is wrong, kinda

further clarification, atomic weight of Oxygen is 16, Molecular weight of O2 is 32, Nitrogen atomica weight is 14, Molecular weight of N2 is 28

but humidity does not decrease density, because the moisture (ie H2O molecules) in the air are not replacing N2 and O2, the moisture is in addition to the gases already there. therefore, humid air feels thicker, because it is, there are more molecules bouncing around in a given volume.

balls fly further in COOrs field because there is less air resistance, this is known and demonstrated.

 

[radness]

Simple tools~
Catch for your pitchers. (no batter)
Go around the clock
Noon
3
6
9
= 4 locations

Then ~ 6 locations
Noon
2
4
6
8
10

Helps everyone recognize 'realistically'
Where control is at and goals to reach by looking at success %.

Now put a batter in the box
And see if that success % remains the same or not.

Learning reading batters is another subject.
That kinda doesnt matter without knowing control %.

Remember dont always want to throw strikes!

Enjoy!

 

[Rolling Hard]

The biggest mistake I see in pitch calling is thinking you have to throw a different pitch every pitch. If you start the crouched or wide stance batter off with riseball and she swings 4 inches under the ball. Throw another riseball. Same goes for batter swinging 4 inches over dropball outside. Throw it again. And maybe again.
Second biggest mistake is having too many pitches. Use the 3 or 4 pitches that are working that day and save that knuckle drop curve changeup for another day.

 

[625ender]

No need to complicated things. Keep it simple. Teach them to recognize what's working that day and what's not. Many many times I've not called a pitchers #1 because it wasn't working.

Location location location. If you're not hitting my spots you'll get sick of me being behind the plate

 

[CoachJD]

You are talking apples and oranges and introducing other variables such as atmospheric pressure. friction and resistance into the discussion. The molecular weight of breathable oxygen (o2) is 15.99994 x 2. The free Nitrogen in the air comes in at a few ten thousandths (.0007) over 14 again x 2. Water Molecule? 18.0152. This is true. That said, there is no true modeling of a ball in flight that takes into consideration all (just many/most) of the forces acting on it using any conventional science such as fluid dynamics. Once upon a time (years ago before DD started playing SB) when I still played golf, I drove the ball further in Arizona's high temperatures and low humidity than I did in Florida with it's high humidity. Either way, the overall effects of humidity according to science, in general, on ball flight should be negligible but for some reason I keep going back to my days of playing golf.

Every article I can find on this says exactly the same thing, so I'm really not sure where you're getting your contradictory information (other than the one time you golfed).

 

[radness]

Hmmm there it is
Geographics and weather conditions are imposing issue's

*add watching the weather channel befor games

 

[YOCOACH]

Every article I can find on this says exactly the same thing, so I'm really not sure where you're getting your contradictory information (other than the one time you golfed).

That humidity affects ball flight length and I've seen it with my eyes. Right or wrong, I believe that more water molecules in the air makes the air thicker. After all, it's not like the Nitrogen and Oxygen molecules suddenly disappear which means that the rise in humidity adds more water molecules to the mix instead of replacing the N2 and O2 molecules.

 

[gator5]

Looking for how ways to start educating catchers (14u) to start calling a game. I was a pitcher through college and understand strategy when calling pitches but I'm struggling to get my catchers to understand the bigger picture when it comes to calling a game. I'd really like to start working with them now so that come Sept/Oct they can start taking over.

Advice and ideas would be greatly appreciated. Whether it's reading material, tips for me as the coach, video, etc.

My daughter is a pitcher who had catchers call the games for her this past year.

Talk to them about strategies. Here are some basic ones

#1 They have to know each pitchers' strengths and weaknesses. You would not call the same game for two different pitchers. That means they need to work in practice with the pitchers and talk to them. They need to know favorite pitches. Least favorite ones. Know what is working that day.

#2 Don't get in a pattern. That is so easy to do. Not every first pitch should be the same. Don't call a change up every time there is 2 strikes.

#3 Work in and out or up and down. (unless they have all 4 zones. ) you have to make the batter guess what is coming next. Big one - look where the batter sets up. Did they set up differently after the last pitch? If so, use that. For instance, if you threw inside and they set up an inch or two off the plate the next pitch, then you had better be going outside on the next pitch.

#4 Then you have to coach them up too. "Hey, you had a girl who was fouling everything off to the right or was not touching the ball. Then you threw a change up that she hit. Why?" And what is interesting to me - of the two main pitchers on our team, one had an awesome change up so she could get away with throwing it to any batter. The other one did not so you would have to be a lot pickier on when it was called.

#5 When things are not going well, big error, a bad call or big hit, just not pitching well and the pitcher is rattled - call time out right then and go out and talk to the pitcher. They don't have to wait for a 4 pitch walk to do it either. Middle of batter when they can see the pitcher is not herself, go out.

So there were two catcher's that caught my daughter this past year. One had a rocket arm, blocked great, framed very well but she got predictable in the pitch calling and stuck to one side of the plate a lot. The other way was inferior in arm, blocking and framing, but she was like a chess master in calling the game. Strikeouts went up. She challenged my daughter.

 

[inumpire]

No need to complicated things. Keep it simple. Teach them to recognize what's working that day and what's not. Many many times I've not called a pitchers #1 because it wasn't working.

Location location location. If you're not hitting my spots you'll get sick of me being behind the plate

All good comment and I agree with almost all of them. But something that really don’t understand is why whoever is calling pitches gets 2 strikes on the batter they will go outside for 3 straight pitches, trying to get the batter to go fishing. Talk about predicting your pitches. Everyone know what is coming next. Not to mention you are making you pitcher throw a whole bunch more pitches than maybe needed. And those accumulate over a long weekend. May get you to your pitch count real quick.
I see a lot of coaches make pitchers throw a whole lot more pitches than needed.