Myth #1: You Catch The Baseball With Your Glove

When I started coaching youth baseball players, whether individually or as a coach on a team, one of the things that I noticed was the players' and parents' focus on baseball equipment. The weighty feel of a new glove, combined with the sweet aroma of leather is pretty good stuff - I remember taking my new glove to bed with me when I was young. Or, how about that brand new bat? The sound it makes is, well, awesome. More importantly, when you step into the batter's box with it, you feel invincible.

But, all of the best equipment won't do you much good if you don't learn how to use them, effectively. So, let me offer an alternative to focusing so extensively on your equipment. The fact of the matter is that when it comes to hitting and fielding successfully, technique is EVERYTHING! Okay, let's not exaggerate, technique is probably 90%. In general, natural ability and equipment make up the rest. I ask a question of every new student I instruct: "What do you catch a baseball with?" They always answer "My glove." Let me dispel that myth as a way of getting you focused on technique vs. equipment...

Myth-Buster #1:  You Catch A Baseball With Your Feet, Not Your Glove
What percentage of the time does a player not have to step left, right, forward, backward in order to catch a baseball? Seldom. The fact is, the glove is a means of protecting and extending your hand. IT IS YOUR FEET that most often determine if, and how successfully you catch a baseball.

This photo of an outfielder making a diving catch serves as a perfect illustration of my point. Before his glove was ever used, he had to use his feet to get his glove in a position between the ball and the ground in order for this play to result in an out. Similarly, a fielder must use their feet to position themselves to stop a bounding grounder from getting past them. I will be posting instructional videos soon to help players learn how to maximize the use of their FEET in playing defense.

Conversely, I will say that gloves can be insufficient, and bats can be too big or too small and do wear out, or become "dead." But, more on that in future posts.

Keep on Swingin'!