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Catcher Receiving Basics

Learn a relaxed catcher's stance and catch every pitch softly in the middle of your body.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Squat with feet a little wider than your shoulders and your mitt out in front.

Core: Medium. Beat your own best of clean plays out of 10.

Ages
11 and up
Time
12 min
Players
You and a partner
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Catcher's mitt, full catcher's gear, balls, partner
Level · skill
Developing · Fielding

The steps

How it works

  1. Squat with feet a little wider than your shoulders and your mitt out in front.
  2. Your partner throws easy pitches from 30 feet.
  3. Catch the ball with a quiet mitt and hold it still for one second.
  4. Do 30 catches.

Coaching point

Quiet mitt, stick it.

Safety: Wear full catcher's gear (helmet with mask, throat guard, chest protector, shin guards and a cup) whenever a ball is thrown to you. A chest protector that meets NOCSAE ND200 is recommended.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Fielding game: a partner rolls ground balls and you field and throw to a cone. The pair counts clean plays, then swaps.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (slow rolls), Core (medium), More (to your sides). Beat your own best of clean plays out of 10.

Story

You are the shortstop in the big game, and every clean play is a big play.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own best of clean plays out of 10. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

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