Toledo Union Journal

Kiddie Sport
By DAN PILOSENO
5th in Baseball Series

THE CATCHING POSITION:

The catcher receives the ball from the pitcher with a knee action as much as, if not more than, with arm and hand action. The fingers of his bare hand never point toward the pitcher when receiving the ball. The whole side of the hand, from the tip of the little finger to the bottom of the palm, should be the only part of the hand visible to the pitcher when the catcher takes the ball above the waist line. The thumb of the bare hand, as well as the thumb of the mitt, point toward the ground and the palms are held toward the pitcher when the ball comes below the waist line.

If these directions are followed, the ball will hit either the bottom part of the hand or the top of the thumb if the batsman tips the ball, thus rendering it improbable that the hand will be split or a finger broken. The knees, by bending or straightening from the natural catching position, are of great assistance in assuming the correct catching position.

The catcher stays at all times as close as possible to the batsman, directly behind the plate -- in fact, so close that the bat just misses the mitt as the batsman swings. The catcher must never interfere with the bat. Closeness to the plate gives a catcher's better opportunity to catch low pitched balls, especially the low curve ball.

The low ball is the most difficult to catch. Never get down for a low ball with only the open edges of the mitt and the hand ready to handle it. A broken finger, a split thumb, or a passed ball, can easily result when only these small parts of the mitt and hand are used. The face of the mitt, as well as the palm of the hand, should face the ball as it comes toward him.

Many balls delivered by the pitcher, especially low curves, hit the ground before crossing the plate. Such pitches are hard to stop. In fact, the catcher is lucky if he stops them. Dropping to his knees directly in the path of the ball gives the body an opportunity to act as a barrier. If a catcher does this, he has done everything in his power to stop the low throw or pitch.

The feet, as well as the arms, hands and knees, are used in receiving both inside and outside pitches. The catcher steps toward the place where the ball is to be received, keeping his mitt and bare hand in proper position. The arms are extended so that the ball does not rebound from the mitt and fall to the ground. Rigidness of the wrist and forearms can cause such a rebound.

The catcher should come into a throwing position as quickly as possible after receiving the ball. His throwing arm never drops below the wrist in assuming the proper throwing position. A high pitched ball should be caught with a downward motion and a low pitched ball should be caught with an upward motion, in order to obtain the proper throwing position.

The catcher seeks at all times to maintain a perfect balance.

SIGNALS

Signals or signs for the different balls to be delivered by the pitcher are almost always given by the catcher in a squatting position, by means of the fingers. For example, one finger showing may mean a fast inshoot or straight ball; two fingers call for a drop, out, or out drop curve, and the thumb calls for a waist ball.