Baseballance

BALANCE and FRAMING STRIKES:

Many umpires rely on the movement of the catcher to determine balls and strikes. The catcher's goal is to keep his head and body, along with the glove in the strike zone. The catcher is often requried to reach for a borderline pitch. In the act of getting to that pitch, the catcher needs to be subtle in his/her movements to the ball. Using the BASEBALLANCE with the long rockers installed and set up so it moves from dugout to dugout, the catcher works to "frame" or receive pitches without allowing the BASEBALLANCE to rock left or right. Use at the Major League level to promote this subtle movement to "buy" more strikes from the umpire.

Using the LONG rockers and positioning the BASEBALLANCE sideways, allowing movement from dugout to dugout, the catcher squats into his stance and maintains balance.

IN THE PICTURE ABOVE, NOTE THE BASEBALLANCE OFF BALANCE/CENTER, PRODUCING A PROBABLE BALL RATHER THAN A STRIKE.

Front to Back Balance and Transitions to Throw

Seen in the picture below, the catcher takes his/her postion on the BASEBALLANCE with the long rockers removed. This allows him/her to work to avoid excessive weight distribution on the toes or heels. From this postion, the catcher will receive the pitch concentrating on a lack of movement forward or back to quiet the reception of the pitch. From here, the catcher can also work to transition into the throw to second base, minimizing movements and requiring an explosive, initiating movement from the right foot.