The Key Role of a Softball Catcher
By Michelle Phalen
Head Coach - University of Pittsburgh
Although I have caught before, I still have a lot to
learn about the catching position. Many of you may have caught for your pitchers and many of you may have caught at one point in your career, but not everyone has been or could be a catcher.
At the risk of sounding dramatic, I will try to give my perceptions and ideas on the catching position. I know catching isn't a total mystery, but maybe the insight I offer will help a coach or a player see a different side to this position.
A catcher is so much more than a "backstop with arms?" or somebody that just gives the target for the pitcher. But, we all know that if we are willing to accept that, she will do only that. Many of us have had a catcher at one point in our playing or coaching careers that catches the ball and hustles on and off the field but doesn't or can't do much else. That is not enough. I want my catcher to be a catcher. Don't you? Who doesn't want a catcher that runs the game and keeps the team in every play? Most coaches I have worked with rely on that position to keep the game in control. She can play the role of the on-field administrator. If that is the role you want your catcher to play, you have to devote the time and energy to it. Coaches need to commit the time in practice to teaching their catchers the role of the catcher. If you don't do it in practice, don't expect it to happen in a game. Haven't we all told our players this hundreds of times? It is the same for the coaches.
