11U–12U
Catching
All positions
Beginner
No-Ball Blocking Posture Drill for Young Catchers
Catching Made Simple body-only drill that reverses the common high-butt / chest-out blocking posture into a rounded-shoulder, butt-back, chin-down position.
- Duration:
- About 5 min
- Setting:
- Indoor or outdoor
- Players:
- Solo
Coaching notes
Young catchers work without a ball first. They put the hands up and deliberately reverse the typical bad posture (high butt, up chin, out chest) into the correct blocking shape (butt back, shoulders rounded, chin down, eyes watching the imaginary ball hit the belly button). High-volume dry reps program the correct body movement before the ball is introduced.
Objectives
Install correct blocking posture early so young catchers stop sitting up high and start getting the chest over the ball.
Coaching cues
Butt back, shoulders rounded, chin down; eyes track to the belly-button contact point; reverse the high-butt/chest-out mistake on every rep.
Common errors
Still sitting tall with the butt high; lifting the chin; pushing the chest forward instead of rounding the shoulders.
Steps
- 1. Put hands up in a ready blocking posture
- 2. Deliberately reverse high-butt/chest-out into butt-back / rounded-shoulder / chin-down shape
- 3. Eyes watch the imaginary ball hit the belly button
- 4. Perform high-volume dry reps before adding a ball
