Catching and Catchers discussion What's too tall to catch

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I've seen threads asking if a lefty can catch or not. But I have a dd that will be a tall girl. She catches now and has a rocket for an arm. The thing is she is 12 and a head taller than most of the other girls. It's getting harder for her to catch against the shorter girls and it's just going to get worse. Is there being too tall to catch?

 

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Height should have no effect.

Either you can play the position, or you can't.

There's plenty of tall catchers in D1 colleges.

 

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Too tall to catch? Doesn't make any sense to me ...

 

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Heck no!! The tall girls can be quite intimidating behind the dish, especially if they have a strong arm. They just need to fold their grasshopper legs up a little differently than the shorter girls.

 

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It's funny because when I read the thread on lefty catchers I immediately thought, of course, of our Buckeye Heat 95 lefty but I also thought about one of my DD's teammates years ago who was both a lefty and pretty darn tall for her age. Kudos to Todd Bright of the old NWO Sting for putting aside stereotypes and giving that young lady time behind the plate.

As long as a tall catcher's knees can take the bend, I'm not sure why being tall would be a disadvantage. And the reality is that most, though not all, height differences at the early ages get smoothed out as the girls get older.

 

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@klump:

Am I wrong in thinking that a tall catcher actually has a much better shot at perfecting the throw from the knees?

 

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Now having had a catcher makes me think... It may depend how tall only to to the fact of a throw needs to be to second base at the tag location in under two seconds. If she is really tall a 1/16th of a second could make a difference if she has to stand and throw.... Just a thought is all, nothing more..... Great question, never put thought to it....

 

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... It may depend how tall only to to the fact of a throw needs to be to second base at the tag location in under two seconds. If she is really tall a 1/16th of a second could make a difference if she has to stand and throw.... never put thought to it....

Wow, it looks like you dove deep into the realms of possibilities!

Looks like a job for Sport Science. Or Mythbusters...

 

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Nah, I just watched Carrie Dever-Boaz take 5-10 minutes to work with a tall, strong catcher on throwing from the knees at an NFCA Coaches College course. And it was amazing how quickly the catcher caught on. I have to think that being tall as well as strong helps with this skill. Seems like the higher core center from the knees would allow for more of a line drive type throw than for shorter catchers.

Hadn't thought at all about HD3's point, which I believe is that a taller catcher should learn the skill of throwing from the knees because she has to take more time to get into the stand-up position?

 

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Yes cgs, it is most definately an advantage. In my experience, the taller girls tend to be able to throw from the knees alot quicker and can really hum that ball at the earlier ages. That can put a short leash on the running game when you have a 6 foot 12 year old who can throw frozen ropes from her knees.

As cgs mentioned before, most of the height issues tend to even themselves out by the time they hit 13-14 years old. You'd be quite surprised at how quick all the girls catch up to each other.

 

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Athleticism has more to do with it than height alone. Excellence comes from ability, not necessarily stature. Look at the best DI college kids.

 

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DD is a 6' tall catcher.

 

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My DD is 12, and is really starting to throw from her knees very well. She's only 5'7"... which isn't short but isn't that tall either. I remember playing Grand Slam last year when they were 12u.... there catcher was tall for her age. I'm guessing 5'11"-6'. Threw from her knees with authority! Good catcher, watching her got me interested in teaching my DD to do the same thing. I don't see where your DD being tall is a disadvantage. If she's tough enough to catch, I wish her the best.

 

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Stacey is six foot and she is decent
Player Bio: Stacey Nuveman - UCLA Official Athletic Site

 

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A raiseball over the backstop. Other then that there is not height requirement for that position.

 

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I want to thank you all for your insights. My DD is 12 and stands 5' 9" and still growing. She has never tried throwing from her knees, but what I have taken from here, she will start to learn.

 

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When you can not buy gear, because she is too tall, worry then. The growth cycle for girls is entirely different then boys. Once their monthly cycles begin, they normally are done growing.If she gets to that 6 ft mark, protect her knees. My daughters are 6' & 5' 11", and I often wonder if the years of TB and college ball were worth the knee problems they are experiencing.

 

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@macsdad:

What I liked about how Carrie Dever-Boaz communicated the technique was she likened using the knees as you would the feet. So the catcher doesn't just "stand" on her knees and throw the ball with a chest that is facing flatly front to second base. Rather, she moves from one knee to the knee that would be her stride foot if she were standing.

 

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That's exactly right cgs, you use your knees as your feet and still take that "step". Just because you are throwing from your knees doesn't mean you shouldn't be using your lower body, you still need that power and strength from your legs, hips, and butt to make the hard, quick throw.

 

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Not to jump off the subject, but I was once told just last year that a college coach won't even look a catcher that throws from her knees? Any insight on this? Personally I like it when my DD cuts loose from her knees.