Mr. Burns wrote:Catching coach, if you are who I think you are, and I think you are, you advocate the catcher holding the mit with elbow down. This is contrary to what I've seen taught in a lot of place, that being the elbow out. Can you explain your philosophy?
Mr Burns,
Yes I indirectly teach that. What I actually stress is a glove position when setting the target with the thumb at 3o-clock, fingers to the sky. (rt handed catcher). This will indeed set the elbow pointing down as you observed.
When the elbow is pointing out the thumb must be between 5 & 6o-clock. In this position I find that most catchers keep the glove to close to their chests and tend to stab at the ball. I have also found that on the pitch to the glove side since the thumb is turned so far down it is very difficult to get the glove all the way over to the outside of the ball. This causes the catcher to catch the back half of the ball and now the left elbow is hanging way off the plate within the umpires view.
My goal in receiving is to catch all strikes so they still look like strikes. I want no part of my body hanging off the plate, even an elbow. If I start in the 3 o-clock position (elbow down) it is much easier to get to the outsdie of the pitch to the glove side. My glove will now be up and down and my elbow will be inline with the glove, not hanging off the plate outside of glove.
Did I make that clear?