A Cleveland Indians farmhand works on blocking skills during Spring Training.

Tip of the Week: Blocking, an Oft-Misunderstood but Ultra-Important Skill for Catchers

By Amherst Mickey Mantle Coach Kevin Graber

July 8, 2005

AMHERST, MA - It sounds pretty simple - slap on a mask, squat behind home plate, flash some signs and catch the ball. But sound catching mechanics are often misunderstood and almost always under-appreciated, and using the proper technique to block balls in the dirt is a perfect illustration.

First of all, let me say that without a doubt, the catcher is the most important positional player on the field. He handles every pitch and impacts every play, from start to finish, for better or for worse. For this reason, we work endlessly on proper catching mechanics. Take for example the simple yet ultra-important act of blocking a pitch in the dirt. If a catcher is adept at this skill, it can change a team’s entire pitching philosophy and open up a whole new world of pitch selection.

Off-speed pitches, especially curveballs, are meant to break toward the dirt on a downward plane, not to mention the fact that fastballs, forkballs, changeups and sliders routinely find their way out of the strike zone as well. If a catcher isn’t willing or doesn’t know how to block, you can’t call a curveball (especially one in the dirt) with runners in scoring position for fear of a passed ball or wild pitch resulting in a run. In fact, you can’t even call a breaking pitch with two strikes and the bases empty, as strike three could result in the ball squirting away, allowing the batter/runner to reach first base. And this is aside from the obvious fact that a catcher who blocks saves runs and keeps runners from advancing.

Effective blocking begins with the proper mindset of NEVER TRYING TO CATCH OR SCOOP PITCHES IN THE DIRT. Our goal is to block and control, using the proper technique.

CATCHING STANCES
The first step is understanding the three different stances (or crouches) used by a catcher: (1) The sign-giving stance; (2) The stance with nobody on and less than two strikes; (3) The blocking stance (with runners on and/or two strikes on the hitter). In the Amherst Mickey Mantle program, we bypass Stance No. 2 because we want our catchers to work on blocking technique at all times, plus it’s a pain having to constantly remind the catcher that there’s a man on and/or two strikes on the hitter. So we go directly from Stance No. 1 (the sign-giving stance) to Stance No. 3 (the blocking stance) in every situation, even with nobody on base.

SIGN-GIVING STANCE
The sign-giving stance is a relaxed and comfortable crouch using a starting position slightly more than an arm’s-length behind the hitter. In this position, the catcher rests on the balls of his feet with his heels up and his butt sitting down on his heels. His knees are slightly closed and facing the shortstop, so his right knee blocks the first base coach’s view of any signs that are given. His glove-side forearm remains relaxed so his wrist is down, wresting on his left knee with the mitt hanging over, impeding the third base coach’s view of any signs. The signal hand is tucked tight to the cup, not below the thighs, and the signaling forearm remains relaxed, resting on the right thigh. While signaling, the fingers do all the moving, not the hand or forearm.

BLOCKING STANCE
After the sign is given, the catcher makes an aggressive “POP” from the sign-giving crouch directly to the blocking stance, using a simultaneous two-footed hop to the target zone. We use the two-footed hop rather than a right-foot, left-foot shuffle because the shuffle can be a dead giveaway as to the pitch’s intended location. The aggressive two-footed hop brings the catcher directly into his blocking stance, with his knees out on top of flat feet and his weight distributed equally toward the inside of his arches for optimum leverage. His hips are now raised and level with his knees, and he cheats his right leg back slightly. His glove-hand is extended just beyond the knees without locking the elbow, and he tucks his throwing hand behind the mitt with his fingers balled into a fist and thumb tucked inside it for protection. Keep in mind that the entire transition from sign giving to the blocking stance takes place in one simultaneous and aggressive “POP”.

BLOCKING
With the proper setup, the catcher is now ready for any pitch in any location, and he is especially ready to block pitches in the dirt. Once he recognizes a pitch’s downward trajectory, his mitt moves from the target area down to the ground in a semi-circular motion with his open bare hand behind it. Both hands are tucked back between the legs so the mitt doesn’t act like a scoop, which can deflect the ball up or away from home plate. At the same time, his knees drop to either side of his open mitt with his ankles positioned outside his hips. His shoulders are hunched forward and his chest collapses in, which loosens the chest protector to deaden the bounce, and his chin is tucked into his chest. The goal is to position himself so that when the ball hits, it drops directly in front of the catcher without ricocheting. It’s important to note that while the mitt should be the first thing to hit the ground, the entire movement should take place as quickly and as simultaneously as possible, and the catcher must gain ground toward the pitcher to try and catch the trap-hop, especially on a breaking pitch. At the same time, the catcher must be relaxed. A rigid body will produce a hard bounce, while a relaxed body helps soften the blow.

BLOCKING PITCHES OFF THE PLATE
Not every errant pitch bounces directly at the catcher. Blocking pitches off the plate is equally, if not more, important. When blocking a pitch off the plate, the hips go first, helping fling the lead knee over, down and around the ball. The upper body can now relax and hunch over easily, and the trail leg will drag enough so the body turns to face the plate and ball.

If the pitch is way off the plate, the catcher may have to make a quick jab step with his lead foot before driving the hips and lead knee in the direction of the block.

If the pitch starts outside and bounces even further away, he’ll have to step with his lead foot and sit down on his lead knee with the opposite leg dragging and extended out along the ground for balance. To keep his upper body square, it's important that he slides on his planted knee and uses his back leg for stabilization.

Finally, on a pitch that kicks so wide that it absolutely can’t be blocked, the catcher has no other option than to try and catch the ball. In this case, he should step out and drop in the direction of the pitch, but his mitt should continue past the body to a position where he can attempt to catch the ball. As he reaches, he allows his upper body to rotate while bringing his back leg forward.

AFTER THE BLOCK
Now that the catcher has successfully blocked an errant pitch, it’s time for him to spring to his feet, locate the ball and pounce on it to prevent the runner(s) from advancing. He does this by exploding his hands and arms upward in opposite directions (similar to a jumping jack), raising his lower body off the ground, replacing his knees with his feet. In other words, he uses the upward momentum of his hands to spring from his knees to his feet in one aggressive leap. He must be careful not to raise his hands and forearms in front of his body, however, as this can create undesirable contact with the ball he’s just blocked. After he’s on his feet, the catcher quickly rounds the ball with his chest over the top of it. Positioned properly, the glove and bare hand now work together to “rake” the ball into the mitt, never using only the mitt or only the bare hand. As he “rakes”, he should angle his body toward his intended target. He then sets his feet with his throwing arm in the cocked position, ready to fire.

BLOCKING DIFFERENT TYPES OF PITCHES
A big part of a catcher’s mental approach to blocking is getting to know his pitchers and what types of pitches they throw. Some pitchers’ fastballs tail or cut and tend to skip to the left or right. Others are dead straight and will produce a truer bounce. Curveballs, on the other hand, travel on a downward path from a much higher trajectory, which can create a high bounce in any direction. Pitchers' bullpen sessions and pre-game warm-ups provide excellent opportunities for catchers to perfect blocking techniques and grow accustomed to the many ways different pitches can carom.

CONCLUSION
Watching catchers at the youth level can be frustrating. I hear coaches all the time, with runners on base and/or two strikes on the hitter, praising their catchers for scooping or swiping at a pitch in the dirt without even attempting to move their feet or block. Whenever I hear a coach yell "Nice scoop!" to a catcher (and I hear it quite often), it makes me cringe. Young catchers may get lucky on an errant pitch here and there, but it will catch up to them - and their team - eventually. Learning, practicing and employing the proper technique for blocking balls in the dirt can transform an ordinary catcher into an asset, and everyone on the team will benefit.

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