How to do the drill
- 1
Get in your receiving stance. Your partner kneels 5–8 steps (10–15 feet) away and tosses tennis balls, 10 a round.
- 2
Hold every catch still for a second. Count every quiet catch (no bounce, no glove jump) out of 40.
- 3
Round 1: bare glove hand, fingers relaxed. Round 2: tuck a ball under your last two fingers; catch with the other three.
- 4
Round 3, glove on: tosses to the four corners. Catch the outside half of the ball.
- 5
Round 4: your partner mixes spots with no warning.
Coaching cues
- Soft hands, strong fingers.
- Catch the outside half.
- Stick it.
What good looks like
The ball dies in the hand or glove, the glove stops still, and your head stays quiet.
Safety
Use tennis balls for this drill. Once your partner throws real pitches, wear full catcher's gear.
Why this drill
Umpires call what they see. A catcher who catches quietly and holds the pitch at the edge of the zone gets more strikes, and a tennis ball tells you right away if your hands are hard.
Next catching drillCatcher Throw-Down Footwork →
