At-home baseball drills for 14 year olds and older: catcher

This is a free sample week of at-home baseball training for 14 year olds and older, for a catcher: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 15 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of baseball for 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Catcher: Single-Leg Catch and Hold 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Single-Leg Catch and Hold · 5 min
Stable leg, soft hands. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
Low Box Jump-Ups · 5 min
Land quiet, step down. Safety: Only with a coach watching. Use a low, steady box that will not slide; step down, never jump down. Stop if anything hurts.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Catcher: Reaction Ball Catch 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Reaction Ball Catch · 5 min
Ready hands, quick feet. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
Low Box Jump-Ups · 5 min
Land quiet, step down. Safety: Only with a coach watching. Use a low, steady box that will not slide; step down, never jump down. Stop if anything hurts.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Catcher: Slow Roller on the Run 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Slow Roller on the Run · 5 min
Field it off the front foot, stay low through the throw. Safety: Warm up first and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Follow your league throw limits. In softball, a fielder's face mask is recommended when you charge.
Pickoff Move to First · 5 min
Step to the bag, quick and firm. Safety: Warm up first, count your throws and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Follow your league throw limits. Learn your league balk rules with a coach.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 baseball plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Single-Leg Catch and Hold

Ages 13 and up · 10 min

Balance on one leg while a partner tosses a ball to different sides. Catch and throw back without touching down.

Stand on one leg facing a partner 3 yards away.
Your partner tosses high, low, left and right.
Catch and return without the other foot touching down.
Do 10 tosses per leg, 2 rounds.

Coach's cue: Stable leg, soft hands.

Bring: ball, partner

Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.

Low Box Jump-Ups

Ages 13 and up · 12 min

Jump onto a low, solid box and land softly, then step down. Trains power with low landing force.

Stand an arm's length from the box.
Swing the arms and jump onto the box, landing softly in a quarter squat.
Stand tall, then step down one foot at a time.
Do 3 sets of 4 with full rest.

Coach's cue: Land quiet, step down.

Bring: low, stable box or step (30 cm or lower)

Safety: Only with a coach watching. Use a low, steady box that will not slide; step down, never jump down. Stop if anything hurts.

Reaction Ball Catch

Ages 13 and up · 10 min

Catch a ball that bounces in odd directions. Trains fast hands and eyes.

Drop or throw a reaction ball to bounce off the floor.
React and catch it before the second bounce.
Move on to throwing it off a wall.
Count clean catches out of 20.

Coach's cue: Ready hands, quick feet.

Bring: reaction ball or bumpy ball, wall

Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.

Slow Roller on the Run

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Charge a slow roller, field it on the move and throw without stopping.

Start 40 feet from your partner, who rolls a slow ball.
Charge it and field it off your glove-side foot.
Throw on the next step.
Do 12 reps, then swap.

Coach's cue: Field it off the front foot, stay low through the throw.

Bring: glove, ball, partner

Safety: Warm up first and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Follow your league throw limits. In softball, a fielder's face mask is recommended when you charge.

Pickoff Move to First

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Learn a quick, legal step-off move to keep the runner close.

Come set in the stretch and look at the runner.
Step directly toward first and throw chest-high to the first baseman.
Mix in a hold and a step-off so the runner cannot read you.
Make 10 throws; they count toward your daily throws.

Coach's cue: Step to the bag, quick and firm.

Bring: glove, baseballs, first baseman, base

Safety: Warm up first, count your throws and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Follow your league throw limits. Learn your league balk rules with a coach.

Safety for ages 14 and up

Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: baseball

Batting helmet whenever anyone pitches or tosses to you, and on the bases.
Catchers: helmet with mask, throat guard, chest protector, shin guards and a cup.
Follow Pitch Smart pitch counts: 50 a day at 7-8, 75 at 9-10, 85 at 11-12, 95 at 13-16, with rest days after.
Never pitch three days in a row, and do not catch on a day you pitch.
No curveballs or radar guns for young arms; at least 4 months a year with no throwing.
Slide feet first. Head-first slides are not allowed in Little League Major and below.
Stop if the elbow or shoulder hurts, even if the pitch count is low.

For every sport and age (7)

Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 29 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Baseball: governing bodies, safety and development (9)

Youth athletic development and safety (20)