The catcher has the most difficult job on the baseball field. He must wear a catcher's mask, a chest protector and shin guards and get in a crouch to receive every pitch. In addition to blocking pitches and keeping the ball in front of him, the catcher must get out from behind the plate and field bunts, he must throw out runners and also block home plate on plays at the plate.
Soft Hands Drill
This will help a catcher block the ball and keep it front of him. Do this with another catching partner. Neither one of you needs a catcher's mitt for this exercise. Get about 10 feet away from each other. Roll, bounce or throw balls to one another and do it rather softly. The idea is to shift your body to get in front of these errant tosses. You are working on technique. As you get more comfortable blocking the ball and keeping it in front of you, you can put on your catcher's mask and throw it harder. The longer you do this the better you will be at making plays with your body and keeping the ball in front of you.
Bunt Drill
A catcher has to be very active on bunt plays. This is especially true on sacrifice bunts. The catcher has to jump out of the catcher's box and either field the bunt or direct the fielder to throw to first, second or third. The catcher has to take charge because he is looking out at the field and has the best view. In this drill, a coach will stand near the batter's box and roll a ball out in front of the play. On the first five balls, the catcher must throw to second base as if he were trying to get a force play. On the next five, he throws to first to get the batter. On the next five, the third baseman, pitcher or first baseman fields the ball and the catcher instructs them where to throw it.
Block The Plate Drill
A catcher has to be very active on bunt plays. This is especially true on sacrifice bunts. The catcher has to jump out of the catcher's box and either field the bunt or direct the fielder to throw to first, second or third. The catcher has to take charge because he is looking out at the field and has the best view. In this drill, a coach will stand near the batter's box and roll a ball out in front of the play. On the first five balls, the catcher must throw to second base as if he were trying to get a force play. On the next five, he throws to first to get the batter. On the next five, the third baseman, pitcher or first baseman fields the ball and the catcher instructs them where to throw it.
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