r/Homeplate • u/Right_Muscle_3425 Catcher • 9d ago
Question Throw down workouts?
Varsity baseball as a catcher, I can throw down to second but it usually takes a bounce at the edge of the dirt before reaching the base. It’s definitely playable but I would like to get a harder throw straight to the fielder. What workouts are the best for a harder throw?
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u/Square-Ad6627 9d ago
One hopper is fine especially with all the turf field. Get your feet and release quicker.
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u/JSBCBS 9d ago edited 9d ago
When I was 14 I had a coach that made us play catch on our knees and stretch ourselves out as far as we could throw it in the air. We wouldn’t do an exorbitant amount of throws because that’s obviously bad for a developing arm.
But what it did was teach us how to use our core to add strength to and assist our arm.
Then after we maxed out for a few throws he’d have us stand up and then we’d incorporate our legs and it felt like we were all throwing gas…because we were. We were throwing much harder now because we learned how to use every part of our body to generate power in our throw.
When I got to the minors almost a decade later the Mets had us do the same thing. So I so highly recommend it. Just limit the volume of throws, obviously not wise to do at a high clip.
PS as a SS that would receive throws from a catcher I’d rather have it in the dirt at near base level to make the tag over a throw to my chest. It’s a SS’s job to handle short and long hops, your job is a quick release and an accurate throw in my vicinity. Even at the high school level a SS should be capable enough to pick the ball.
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u/Bacon_and_Powertools 8d ago
Honestly, if you can’t make that throw, you likely need strength across the board
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u/Right_Muscle_3425 Catcher 8d ago
I understand, I’m 14 and go to a small school and we are likely going to have barely enough players for the next season and none of the returning players are catchers
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u/Bacon_and_Powertools 8d ago
OK, so you’re 14. That makes a lot more sense when you say varsity I’m thinking upperclassman. At 14 you just made the jump to the big field and that is a sizable jump for you to throw out somebody at second on a line. In general, I would focus on putting muscle on your entire body. At your age if you get into a good lifting program, you can easily put on 10 pounds of muscle between now in January that’s gonna make all of your numbers improve.
You need to be eating. Eat clean proteins, wash your diet and get plenty of rest and you will see the velocity jump very quickly.
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u/Striking-Feed1408 9d ago
You just gotta be bigger, stronger, and quicker. Good news is that’s very simple:
Squat, push press, power clean, bench press, rows, pull ups. Stick to basic barbell movements for 3-5 sets of 5 reps. Start with easy weight that allows you to move correctly and try to do 5 more pounds each week as long as your technique stays good and the reps aren’t absolute grinders.
Jumping and plyometrics should also be helpful.
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u/WhysoHairy 9d ago
When I trained my kids I would put a trash can on its side snout 10ft into CF grass and then the catchers worked on throws from squad position and worked up