Catching and framing the ball.

Why do we frame the ball? To make it appear that a ball is a strike versus a ball. How we catch the ball will determine what the umpire sees.

The basic fundamentals of catching and framing a pitch and catching the pitcher revolves around your approach. If you are behind the plate and looking out toward the pitcher the proper framing would be a sidways "U".

Start with your arm extended outward like you are catching a ball. Start out in the top right corner (high outside corner strike to a right hander). Now, take your arm and move it toward the left high in the strike zone. As it passes your mask and moves to the inside corner, your glove hand will start to rotate to the left. It will continue on rotating until your glove hand is facing up. Now you are going to pass the glove (facing up) from the inside corner and moving left to right across your body and over to the right outside corner (low outside corner strike to a right hander). You have now formed a sideways "U". This is what catching and framing is all about.

Why do we do it this way? Let's take a look at what the umpire sees for one moment. If your pitcher throws a low strike and you catch it with your arm motion going downward because your glove is facing down instead of up, it appears that you are pushing the ball out of the strike zone. The umpire only sees the back side of your glove and it appears to be a ball..

Now lets look at the right way of catching and framing. If you were to take that same pitch and catch it with the glove facing up, the umpire sees the ball in the glove and your hand motion is upward. STRIKE!!!! Do you see what I mean?

Same applies on outside corner pitches and inside corner pitches. Practice catching and framing pitches toward the plate and not away from the plate.

Another tip to use is your body position. If you know that you are going to catch a ball on the outside corner, don't keep your body in the middle of the plate. Why?

If I am centered on the middle of the plate and the pitcher throws an outside pitch, my arm and glove have to reach for it. Even though it may be a strike, to an umpire it appears that you had to reach for it and the motion of your arm and glove is moving away..BALL

Now let's look at the right way. If you were to cheat over to the outside corner (splitting the outside corner with the center of your body), and that same pitch comes , your glove hand and arm action is in front of you not to mention your body. To the umpire you did not have to reach for the ball and also the umpire will get a better look at the ball. STRIKE!!!!

As you can see, you can help or hurt your team and pitcher by the way you receive the ball. Apply these techniques and you will help your team out.