Quiet Head, Quiet Body: Drills to Develop Superior Catchers

with Butch Thompson,
Auburn University Head Coach;
coached Casey Mize - the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft;
former Mississippi State University Associate Head Coach;
2014 Baseball America/ABCA National Assistant Coach of the Year

Catching is a tough position that requires a diversity of skills. The best catchers in baseball have to do it all - throw out runners attempting to steal, receive the ball to steal strikes from the umpire, and block anything in the dirt. This video from Auburn's Butch Thompson offers drills and instruction for throwing, receiving, and blocking to help you build a complete catcher.

Throwing

Decrease a catcher's pop time by going through a seven-step catcher-specific throwing progression. These drills begin with the transfer and progressively increase in difficulty, gradually building up to the full skill of throwing out opposing baserunners. Help your catchers stop opposing baserunners in their tracks with a quick transfer and explosive throw to second.

Receiving

Become the catcher that all pitchers want to throw to by implementing Coach Thompson's 12 receiving drills. In one challenging `catch and move up' drill, catchers decrease the distance to the pitcher or pitching machine with each ball thrown. This gradually increases the degree of difficulty of receiving by decreasing reaction time. When the game speeds up, this drill will help your catchers remain calm and slow the game down.

Blocking

Smother any pitch in the dirt with Coach Thompson's 11 blocking drills. Give your pitchers confidence to throw their breaking ball or work low in the zone, as they know your catchers will stop any ball they bounce. Learn how to get catchers comfortable blocking balls to their sides, and blocking and recovering quickly to prevent runners from advancing.

Coach Thompson will help you develop your backstops into well-rounded athletes. He provides 30 drills to build elite catchers who can block, receive, and throw out runners with ease!

52 minutes. 2019.