Catching Drill: Block and Recover (Baseball & Softball)
Catching drill combining blocking with quick recovery and throwing motion, simulating game situations with runners.
How to Run This Drill
- Catcher in full gear in catching position (home plate optional), with 4 baseballs spread out in front of them
- Coach/partner with tennis balls 30 feet in front of the catcher
- Coach/partner throws tennis balls into the dirt so that they bounce into the catcher on one hop
- Catcher drops and blocks the tennis ball and picks up a baseball to fake throw, working on getting to the ball and into the throwing position quickly
- Catcher places each baseball back in their spot in front of them and gets back in catching position to block the next tennis ball Partners switch after blocking 10 balls
Coaching Points
- Block the tennis ball in the dirt
- Immediately grab a baseball for throw
- Quick recovery from block to throw position
- Simulate throwing to a base
- Speed matters - runners are going
- Block first, recover second, throw third
Quick Actions
At a Glance
- Catcher’s gear
- tennis-balls
- baseballs or softballs
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