Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

[Boris]

Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

Quite often in training there has been quite a lot of use of the baseball glove.

We use them more when doing throwing drills, so as to not put too much shock on the hands, but I figure that any catching practice is good practice.

Is using a baseball not an efficient means of practice? I love using the gloves because they are so easy to catch with (especially after playing 3 years of baseball as well) but I feel they need adjusting to, and then adjusting back. When using the gloves you are practically training to let the ball miss the hand and land in the pocket, then going back to catching barehanded it can feel awkward for me.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

Yeah I've always thought pretty much the same thing. There's an obvious technique in absorbing the speed of the ball when not using gloves and maybe the more you do it the better you get at it? Whereas with the gloves surely you get lazy and the gloves do a lot of the work for you and you miss out on the opportunity to improve on your catching technique? Then again who wants bruised hands and fingers when you're just trainiing?

 

[Boris]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

I actually stumbled on your thread from last year after I posted this and it seems to explain a lot. It's here

Those gloves that cushion the impact but still let you use normal technique are obviously the best idea there.

But refining the question: is using the gloves detrimental to your training experience? Even if you are training your throws would it not be better to go out catching with those other gloves?

Or is practicing to watch the ball into the glove, not actually the hand, good for co-ordination practice?

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

I'm not sure, but my kids aged 8 and 11 years old are both really wary of trying to catch fast balls off the bat as are many of their mates around the same age. I almost bought a glove last night to give it a go as it may just build up their confidence in their catching abilities, timing and using the absorbing the ball technique? I've asked questions before whether you get used to having your hands hurt all the time and basically the answer seemed to be no and it's a case of if you've got a good technique and timing the injuries are limited. I know this time last year I was put in a extra cover position and some bloke middled it out of the middle of the bat straight at the middle of my chest and I didn't have time to get the hands together and the ball hit me right in the middle of the chest at the bottom flat bit where your ribs make way for your belly. It made an awful noise that everyone around the ground heard, but luckily it didn't really hurt. A bloke here in England 2 or 3 years ago got a ball in the chest over his heart - about another 2'' from where I was hit and he died!!! It scares the living daylights out of me when my kids are bowling and the kid at the other end hits the ball straight back at them!!

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

...But refining the question: is using the gloves detrimental to your training experience? Even if you are training your throws would it not be better to go out catching with those other gloves?

Or is practicing to watch the ball into the glove, not actually the hand, good for co-ordination practice?

You're thinking too much about the catching aspect of the drill.

When focussing on throwing, you should focus on throwing. The act of catching, in this instance, is just an easy way to retrieve the ball.

When focussing on catching, no glove should be used.

So... when focussing on throwing, it does not matter how the ball is caught, if at all.

I do agree that there appears to be some misunderstanding of the use of these [any] gloves. Guys see them used on TV and think... "that's a good idea" without actually understanding the way they are used.

There is a lot to be said for isolating these two skills.

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

...It scares the living daylights out of me when my kids are bowling and the kid at the other end hits the ball straight back at them!!

This is why catching is such an important skill to own and practise. Too little time is spent, in training, on fielding in general but matches are more often won or loss 'in the field' than batting or bowling.

A C&B is such a plum .

 

[Boris]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

Every sport has the risks I suppose is the way to look at it.

I have gotten used to the hard ball, the only time my hands hurt now are if the ball has come off the hand awkwardly or I have caught it wrong, but the general thumping into the hands is of no worry to me anymore after having it pounded at me for quite some time. I have never really been troubled by it though... I guess I could have probably done with some fear of the ball because sometimes I scare myself with the distances I stand from the bat.

I've had a LOT of time with a baseball glove on simply because I play baseball and have found it the cheats method really. You can take some really astounding catches with those things without even meaning to, so I can't really see how they are helpful to training.

 

[Boris]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

You're thinking too much about the catching aspect of the drill.

When focussing on throwing, you should focus on throwing. The act of catching, in this instance, is just an easy way to retrieve the ball.

When focussing on catching, no glove should be used.

So... when focussing on throwing, it does not matter how the ball is caught, if at all.

I do agree that there appears to be some misunderstanding of the use of these [any] gloves. Guys see them used on TV and think... "that's a good idea" without actually understanding the way they are used.

There is a lot to be said for isolating these two skills.

I understand when focusing one part or the other, but generally you are throwing between yourself and a teammate. Surely it is more effective to not use the glove and do both at once? I can't see much point in the glove unless you are a coach.

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

I understand when focusing one part or the other, but generally you are throwing between yourself and a teammate. Surely it is more effective to not use the glove and do both at once? I can't see much point in the glove unless you are a coach.

I totally agree in this instance.

However....

The rotator cuff does need to be trained too if you are playing a lot. The forces, especially in the deceleration phase of throwing, are enormous c. 1000 N compression. The best way to train this is to throw and to concentrate on the throw .

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

As Liz said when you're practising throwing they are useful as you concentrate on what you're meant to be doing. When working on catching they're pretty useless simply because they're not used in games. If you want to protect the hands then use padded inners or the padded gloves that pro teams use.

In terms of a coach then they are very handy. I don't really want to be catching 100-200 balls per session as it kills the hands. Keeping gloves only soften the impact so much and still leave the hands battered and bruised to some extent. Better still get a mug player to take the return throws for you!

As for learning to catch with juniors, start them off with a tennis ball and build up. If anything a tennis ball is harder to catch as it's light and bounce out of the hands if not taken correctly. Next step is windballs and then incrediballs before practice with normal cricket balls. The confidence comes from them catching - doesn't really matter how hard the ball is. If you need to get them used to a cricket ball then easy catches are the way forward - just to get used to the feel of the ball and the impact it can have.

As it is, generally catches rarely hurt - it's only the dropped ones you feel!

 

[Boris]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

Agree with both of you.

I totally agree in this instance.

However....

The rotator cuff does need to be trained too if you are playing a lot. The forces, especially in the deceleration phase of throwing, are enormous c. 1000 N compression. The best way to train this is to throw and to concentrate on the throw .

If it were me coaching then I wouldn't waste my time... I would have one person concentrating on throwing, and one on catching. All the above criteria are filled and we get rid of the stupid gloves from our training sessions altogether. We use them for pretty much everything!

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

If it were me coaching then I wouldn't waste my time... I would have one person concentrating on throwing, and one on catching. All the above criteria are filled and we get rid of the stupid gloves from our training sessions altogether. We use them for pretty much everything!

If there are only two of you, then that's fine, although it is not 'ideal'.

Throwing and catching in pairs is a good warm up; for both mind and body, however, put yourself in the position of the thrower...

If you are working your throwing, the catcher does not have to think too much. They know where the ball is coming from and how it is going to come to them.

So, to give the catcher some 'real' catching experience, you try to vary it; lob it high, bounce it, bend it etc. but then you are not 'throwing'.

I do agree, get rid of the gloves, unless you are the coach working on fielding for several hours on the go but make the training functional; whilst training your throw, you need to be able to let rip, whilst training your catching, you need to also work peripheral vision, reaction time against the unexpected etc.

 

[Liz Ward]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

...As for learning to catch with juniors, start them off with a tennis ball and build up. If anything a tennis ball is harder to catch as it's light and bounce out of the hands if not taken correctly. Next step is windballs and then incrediballs before practice with normal cricket balls. The confidence comes from them catching - doesn't really matter how hard the ball is. If you need to get them used to a cricket ball then easy catches are the way forward - just to get used to the feel of the ball and the impact it can have...

This is why I am such a fan of kwik cricket, especially for the real little people. If they play with soft bats and balls from a young age, they learn how to catch without fear. They also learn how to send the ball with a bat before they start picking up pieces of wood far too heavy for them, inhibiting free flow.

Kwik [or inter] cricket should be played until [say] 11 years old to gain the fundamentals. So many clubs are starting the youngsters out with hard ball as if it is something to boast about. I have to be honest... it doesn't impress me much.

But then, I am one of those who believes we should be teaching movement before we even give them any equipment. We would have far fewer injuries and down time later on.

 

[someblokecalleddave]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

This is why I am such a fan of kwik cricket, especially for the real little people. If they play with soft bats and balls from a young age, they learn how to catch without fear. They also learn how to send the ball with a bat before they start picking up pieces of wood far too heavy for them, inhibiting free flow.

Kwik [or inter] cricket should be played until [say] 11 years old to gain the fundamentals. So many clubs are starting the youngsters out with hard ball as if it is something to boast about. I have to be honest... it doesn't impress me much.

But then, I am one of those who believes we should be teaching movement before we even give them any equipment. We would have far fewer injuries and down time later on.

I've played cricket with my two lads over the winter in an old double tennis court Wrist Spin Bowling: Paddock news and more 15038 using Kwik cricket bats and Readers wind balls and they have come on massively with some of their basic skills such as catching, both of them have taken exceptionally good Paul Collingwood-esque catches at indoor games using similar balls. They've also got a lot better and a lot more confident with batting too, their club coach mentioned this at the last indoor training session. Do you reckon this is due to the lack of fear with the lighter/safer balls and easier to use bats?

 

[Boris]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

If there are only two of you, then that's fine, although it is not 'ideal'.

Throwing and catching in pairs is a good warm up; for both mind and body, however, put yourself in the position of the thrower...

If you are working your throwing, the catcher does not have to think too much. They know where the ball is coming from and how it is going to come to them.

So, to give the catcher some 'real' catching experience, you try to vary it; lob it high, bounce it, bend it etc. but then you are not 'throwing'.

I do agree, get rid of the gloves, unless you are the coach working on fielding for several hours on the go but make the training functional; whilst training your throw, you need to be able to let rip, whilst training your catching, you need to also work peripheral vision, reaction time against the unexpected etc.

Ah yes, I didn't actually think of that...

At our club though I'm pretty sure that variety just comes with the territory though

 

[SteveyD]

Re: Baseball Gloves and Their Place in Trainingq

Hmm, interesting point. Last season me and my 3 mates who all played for the same team, would just head down to the park and practise fast catches, baseball like throw to someone with a bat and hitting it low. Practise that for an hour or so!
Also You can practise fast catches using a tennis ball and a tennis racket, good for practising the low catches as you can use the racquet far more accurately .