2009 advanced FP camp

[ronald]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

More detail, please:
"one step to get set, knee is one fist back from the catch "
"no calling form the out side on a ball hit to FP"

Cecil,

The one step as I recall refers to getting set with the heel toe stance. On rh batter you put your right foot behind the catcher and then your left foot naturally swings around to where your toes should line up with the arch of the catcher's feet. It is important that the catcher is in the his/her final position. Once you do this, you should not reset your feet. GPA should be there and correct distance from catcher. That is what I think the poster means by one step. It is the initial get set.

Now once you have done this, go set. Your knee should be a fist or fist with the thumb out from the catcher's back. Also if your back is straight in a natural way, they do not mean straight up and down, then your shoulders should align vertically with your knees. If your head is where it is suppose to be, you will have an unobstructed view of the outside corner. Actually you have a really open view of every thing and if you track from release point to catcher's mitt, man what a view! If head is at right height, you will get the outside pitch at the knee right every time or 99% of the time.

Preaching to the choir, but, track the ball with your nose. Make it your eyes. The eyes follow the nose. You will see the ball cross the plate and go into the catcher's mitt. And on pitches that the catcher catches right at the ground, your head will move like Tracey's did in the WCWS. As a side note and may be a repeat, she got a call from someone asking whether she still wanted to do the big tourneys or just college ball cause she used the NCAA strike mechanic in her first game. She responded to the effect of I will fix it.


Side bar before next point.

Julie recommends the following for batters that crowd the plate and make it difficult if not block ump from seeing the pitch leave pitcher's hand. Stay where you are as if not blocked. You will be able to see where the catcher catches the ball up or down on the inside pitch. Call it a strike and by her reasoning the batter will back off. That is what she does on those insidious plate huggers.

No calling on outside. I think that is a typo. Think writer meant, could be wrong, 1b. Don't go foul territory unless absolutely, or 1 in a million situation where you have to. This is the best way, especially for 39,000 umpires, speaking ASA.

Hope that helps.

Ron