The Combination Catching Drill

Jimmy Frost

Gilbert High School

Purpose of the drill: To incorporate receiving, framing, blocking, and throwing footwork into one drill. Once your catcher has mastered the basic skills of each drill, this will help simulate game conditions. I use this drill as a replacement of the individual drills once or twice a week.

Setup: A coach or other catcher serves as the pitcher for the drill. The pitcher stands approximately 30 feet from the catcher working the drill and works from the stretch. The catcher working the drill should be in his secondary (runner-on-base) stance. There is a base runner at 1st base.

The Drill: The pitcher throws balls to the catcher. He has several options:

1.     Throw a frame-able pitch with no runner stealing. The catcher should frame the pitch.

2.    Throw an obvious strike or ball (non-frame-able pitch) with no runner stealing. The catcher should work on receiving

the pitch properly.

3.     Throw a pitch in the dirt to be blocked. The catcher should block the pitch and recover the ball and get to a throwing position as quickly as possible.

4.    Throw a pitch and say "gone" to signify a runner stealing 2nd base. The catcher should get to his throwing position as quickly as possible.

Other options: The pitcher can throw balls in the dirt and say "gone" to emphasize blocking the ball first. The pitcher may also throw breaking balls or work on pitch-outs with right-handed and left-handed batters. The important thing is to teach your catcher to react to things happening around him. In game situations, you cannot predict when the ball will be in the dirt or when the runner is going to steal a base.

Bullpen sessions: Coaches can incorporate this drill during bullpens sessions. When the pitcher throws from the stretch, the catcher works the drill with the coach saying "gone" every 3rd or 4th pitch and blocking all pitches in the dirt.