Last weekend I watched 5 “travel ball playoff games). Of the 10 teams I saw 1 catcher back up first base on a routine ground ball. 12-16 year old teams. What are we teaching our catchers?
If social media existed in the 1960’s fo you think catchers that started using a hinged mitt would have received as much criticism as one knee today?
127catching retweeted
I sent this to every hitter I train. (You should do the same.)
It's a phenomenal example of what it actually takes and what it looks like.
Watch it. Save it. Send it to your hitters.
127catching retweeted
One of the biggest mistakes I made as a hitter...
I thought hitting was all about my swing.
- If I struggled, I'd fix my swing.
- If I hit a ground ball, I'd fix my swing.
- If I popped the ball up, I'd fix my swing.
Then I got to professional baseball.
After being around Major League hitters, I realized something.
The best hitters weren't obsessed with their swing.
They were obsessed with their operating system.
- They knew what pitch they were hunting.
- They knew what pitches they could drive.
- They knew what type of contact they wanted.
- They had a plan before they ever stepped into the box.
That completely changed how I practiced.
I stopped studying my swing.
I started studying myself as a hitter.
I did this by...
Going to Walmart, bought a notebook, and started tracking everything.
- Every pitch I saw.
- Every swing I took.
- Every ball I hit.
- What I was thinking.
- What I was feeling.
At the end of each week, I'd go back through my notes and look for patterns.
Then I'd build a plan to improve my operating system.
I wasn't trying to build a better swing anymore.
I was trying to build a better hitter.
Because here's one thing I learned from being around Major League hitters:
The swing wasn't the starting point.
It was the result of everything that came before it.
Thank you for reading,
Jermaine Curtis
P.S. - If you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful, please share it.
(This tells me you want more content like this.)
127catching retweeted
Reminder for catchers to PREPARE the umpire for the pitcher you are catching. Give the umpire a quick scouting report on your guys arsenal. FB movement, shape of breaking ball, what area of zone he is most effective, ect. Want to make sure umpire not caught off guard by a pitch because of how it plays. Example: “Hey Tim (Umpire) this reliever Nolan Ryan has an explosive FB at top of the zone. Where we plan to live. CB is a hammer 12-6 shape. Will use change vs lefties that sinks. Hasn’t walked anyone since he was 12 yrs old.” Exchange can be quick. Main thing is to make sure ump is not caught off guard by a pitch in a big situation.
127catching retweeted
Happy National Catchers Day
Underappreciated and undervalued masked leaders of the orchestrated chaos
2/2 ✌️
Tribe ❤️
127catching retweeted
I've LOVED having @ALLSTARSPORTS at CatcherCON the past 3 years...it's awesome to get to speak with the people behind the world's best catching gear.
It's also REALLY cool to get a first look at their new products!
Here's a preview of some of the gear they brought with them:
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Next up, Griffin Barnes from UCLA is diving deep into receiving! #CatcherCON25
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Up next we have Chase Andrews firing up the machine and showing us how it's done! #CatcherCON25
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Pirate coaches are always trying to gain knowledge to serve or players better. Coach Pat spent all day Saturday:
127catching retweeted
Pirate coaches trying to better ourselves to best serve our players. Coach Pat is at #catchercon25.
















