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• Pair up the players with a partner or coach and spread them out approximately 10-15 ft. away from one another.
• Put the catcher(s) in their stance behind a home plate.
• Have the partner or coach get on one knee and throw pitches underhand to the catcher(s).
• The catcher(s) should practice receiving the pitches and should frame each pitch.

Tip: Coach should make sure that the catcher(s) are using soft hands to catch and that they are framing the pitches properly. Have the catcher(s) “frame the window.” Which means to frame in a square of the strikes zone.
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B. Tennis Ball Drill
This drill is used to teach the catcher to catch with soft hands and to let the ball come in to them vs. them going to the ball.

Equipment Needed: Tennis balls and a home plate

Drill Procedure:

• Pair up the players with a partner or coach and spread them out approximately 10-15 ft. away from one another.
• Put the catcher(s) in their stance behind a home plate without a catcher’s glove.
• Have the partner or coach get on one knee and throw pitches underhand to the catcher(s).
• The catcher(s) should practice receiving the pitches and should frame each pitch using their bare hand.

Tip: Coach should make sure that the catcher(s) are using soft hands to catch and that they are framing the pitches properly. Have the catcher(s) “frame the window.” Which means to frame in a square of the strikes zone. Using tennis balls helps the catcher(s) develop soft hands and makes them wait for the ball to come in to them.
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C. Rapid Fire Drill
This drill will train the catcher to stay relaxed and react quickly to the ball. It also is a great drill for getting in a lot of reps and letting the coach watch the catcher develop. This drill can also be used as a blocking drill.

Equipment Needed: Balls, a home plate, catcher’s glove, and catching equipment

Drill Procedure:

• Put the catcher(s) in their stance behind a home plate.
• Have 4 or 5 coaches or players stand approximately 15-20 ft away.
• The coach and players take turns throwing pitches to the catcher. They should start out pitching from left to right and as the catcher gets better, start mixing it up.
• The catcher receives the pitches and drops them off to the side.

Tip: Coach should make sure that the catcher(s) are using soft hands to catch and that they are framing the pitches properly. The coach should make changes to the catcher as the drill progresses so no bad habits are formed. Do not wait until after the drill.

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