Catcher pop time and throw-downs

Setup

1. Catchers wear full gear: helmet with mask, throat guard, chest protector and shin guards. Every catcher does an arm warm-up and some long toss first.
2. A pitcher (or a coach throwing firm from the circle) delivers pitches. A stand-in batter in a helmet stands in the right-handed box without swinging, so the catcher learns to throw around a hitter.
3. The shortstop and second baseman take turns covering second; the third baseman covers third. Fielders without the ball stay off the base path.
4. A coach behind the catcher times each throw. Pop time runs from the pitch hitting the catcher's mitt to the ball reaching the fielder's glove.
5. Limit each catcher to about 20 to 25 hard throws in this drill, and count them like pitches.

How it runs

1. Round 1, transfer only (5 reps): the catcher receives, gets the ball into the throwing hand and shows it, without throwing. Look for a clean grip, ideally a four-seam grip.
2. Round 2, throws to second (8 to 10 reps): the pitcher throws; the catcher receives, pops up and throws to second. The covering fielder catches and puts a tag down at the front of the bag.
3. Round 3, throws to third (6 to 8 reps): mix in pitches inside and outside. Against a right-handed batter the catcher either throws through the gap in front of the batter or steps back behind the batter to clear the lane.
4. Call out each pop time and whether the throw was on the bag. A fast throw that pulls the fielder off the base does not count.
5. Rotate catchers every 4 or 5 throws so each arm gets rest between sets.

Coaching points

• Catch the ball out in front and bring the glove to the throwing hand near the throwing shoulder; do not drag the ball back to the chest.
• Feet first: a quick jump-pivot or replace step that gets the front shoulder pointing at the target.
• Throw from the knees only when the ball is low and the arm is strong enough; otherwise pop up.
• A pop time around 2.0 seconds is a solid senior club target; elite catchers get close to 1.6 to 1.7 seconds.
• Aim at the fielder's knees on the base side, so the tag comes straight down.
• Fielders: straddle the bag or set up on the side the runner is not sliding to, and give the runner a path to the base until the ball arrives.

Common mistakes

• Standing up before the ball is caught, so the pitch gets missed.
• Long arm swing on the throw. Catchers throw short, from the ear.
• Rushing the transfer and gripping the ball across the seams, so the throw tails.
• Throwing into the batter at third instead of clearing the lane first.
• Covering fielder blocks the base before having the ball (obstruction in a game).