Blocking Tips for Catchers

Before we explore today’s tip, first let’s review a few requirements for the successful blocking a wild pitch.
Remember, blocking is really three things combined into one:

• First, the bounced ball must hit the catcher squarely in the chest area.
• Second, the resulting ricochet must stay close to his body.
• And to complete the play, the catcher must have enough athleticism to bounce on the block and throw out an aggressive base runner.

Staying Still

For today’s purposes, let’s take a better look at the second part--keeping the block close. If you recall, the reaction of two things moving towards and colliding with each other is going to be dramatic.
In other words, if a catcher is still moving when the ball strikes his chest, the ricochet is going to bounce too far from his body to be effective. To best control and predict the trajectory of a blocked ball, the catcher must have stopped his forward momentum by the time he and ball meet.

Gotta Get Down

I’ve seen a wide variety of blocking methods, but almost all the good ones share this common trait. That is, good blockers get down quickly and with violent conviction.
I’ve yet to see someone get the job done consistently with slow, soft movements. For some reason when you go at a block lethargically, the body never completes it’s movement and the ricochet becomes impossible to control.

Need for Speed

So to sum it up and to simplify, make all of your blocks one speed...fast. Regardless of the pitch’s velocity, be it a slow breaking ball or a fast ball, your reaction if it’s in the dirt is going to be violent and quick.
With that commitment, it just boils down to timing. Obviously, for an over-the-top curve you’re just going to wait longer than a hard slider to start the whole process.
Once comfortable with the timing, the violent blocking technique ultimately allows a catcher to stop body movement at the right time and control the ricochet of a wild pitch.
And when a catcher can do that, his pitching staff can go for the strike out and stay down in the zone with confidence.

History of The Slide in Baseball

Overview

You have many ways to help your baseball team win. One of them is baserunning. It's not just about speed. Great baserunners have instincts about the fielder who is throwing the ball and the situation his team faces in a game. He also knows how to get a good jump off the base and slide properly to avoid a tag. A proper slide can be the difference in winning and losing.

Early Slides

The slide was made famous before the 20th century by "Sliding" Billy Hamilton, who played for the Kansas City Cowboys, Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Beaneaters. Hamilton was an excellent hitter who used his speed to become the first prolific base stealer in the game's history. Hamilton finished his career with 937 stolen bases and once stole seven bases in a game.

Spikes High

In the early part of the 20th century, the game turned quite vicious and players not only tried to win games, they also tried to injure their opponents. John McGraw, the manager of the New York Giants, urged his players to go into a base with their spikes high and attempt to cut a fielder who tried to tag a Giant base runner out. McGraw's Giants were one of the game's dominant teams and they set a trend that others followed. Nobody picked up the "spikes high" sliding routine more than Ty Cobb. The Detroit Tigers' star center fielder may have been the best hitter to play the game and he finished his career with 892 stolen bases when he retired after the 1928 season. Cobb would sharpen his metal spikes before games to intimidate opposing fielders who attempted to tag him out. Baseball eventually stopped base runners from sharpening their spikes and attempting to injure competitors.

Head First Slide

While the practice can lead to injury, the head-first slide is often looked at by baseball players as one of the most efficient ways of sliding into a base effectively. The upside of sliding head first is that you can easily maneuver your body and your hands on a close play, and you have a better chance of avoiding a tag. The downside is that it can lead to injury. A fielder may slap a hard tag down and injure a player's wrists or fingers. That tag could miss the player's hands and end up hitting him in the head, leading to additional injuries. Many players have used the head first slide over the years but Pete Rose mastered it during his career with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos. Hall of Famer Ricky Henderson, baseball's all-time leader in stolen bases, also used the head first slide to dominate the game. He is baseball's all-time leader in stolen bases with 1,406.