Catching a baseball is difficult enough for most young players. It is perhaps the only skill in sports where a player needs to use his weaker hand almost exclusively (a right-handed person catches with his left hand, and vice versa). When it gets cold outside, catching a baseball also becomes painful. Is there a player who can't remember the feeling of a baseball slamming into his glove hand on a frigid day -- it's not a pleasant memory. To ease the pain, two former major league players offer advice on how to make catching a baseball in the cold a little easier.
One Hand, Not Two
Forget about using two hands. "One of the worst pieces of advice coaches give young players is to use two hands," says Scott Bradley, baseball coach at Princeton University and a former major-league catcher. "You need to learn to trust your glove and catch the ball with one hand. Catching the ball in the web of the glove instead of the palm hurts a lot less on a chilly day."
Stay Warm
Keep your glove hand warm. While it can be easier said than done on a freezing cold day, if a player can keep his glove hand warm, it will make catching a baseball a lot easier. A pack of hand-warmers can be purchased at most convenience stores for about $1. Slide one into your palm on really cold days and that can help alleviate the sting. Blowing hot air into your hand also helps.
Snag It
Practice catching the ball outside the width of your shoulders. "When you play catch with a young player," says Oakland A's scout Chris Pittaro, a former major-league infielder, "force him to catch balls outside his shoulders." If a player improves that skill, he should be able to catch the ball more comfortably in web of his glove, where the ball is less likely to hurt the hand.
Get Over the Fear
Missing the ball hurts more. Most kids do not like catching a ball on a cold day because it hurts and is therefore more difficult. "The pain is momentary," says Bradley. "And like most things in baseball, it's important for a young player to get over it quickly. Encourage youngsters to move around, stay warm and do their best." A few good catches on a cold day and suddenly it won't seem so difficult anymore.
References
- Scott Bradley; Princeton University Baseball Coach; Princeton, New Jersey
- Chris Pittaro; Oakland A's Director of Professional Scouting; Hamilton, New Jersey
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