The Catching Made Simple Method: Learning How to Catch Quickly (CMSP 4)

Are you a catcher looking to improve your skills? Or perhaps a coach looking to teach your catchers how to get better? Look no further than the Catching Made Simple Method.

In episode four of the Catching Made Simple Podcast, we breaks down the five levels of learning that make up the CMS Method.

If you don’t know who I am, my name is Anj Bourgeois and I’m the founder of Catching Made Simple. I transitioned from infield to catcher my Junior year of college, having never caught before, and now have a passion for teaching other catchers the fundamentals of the game.

I’ve helped hundreds of catchers get into a better stance, learn the fundamentals of the game, and get their mindset right.

By the end of this article, you’ll learn why skill development is so important and the 5 levels of learning every catcher must go through in order to master their craft.

The Importance of Skill Development

At the heart of the CMS Method is the idea that skill development and proper movement are key to becoming a successful catcher. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, there's always room for improvement.

Anj explains that the first step in developing catching skills is to teach the body to move. This involves getting into a good stance and then learning how to move when you receive, block, and throw. Once you can move correctly, then you can add in a baseball and move on to other, more advanced drills.

The Five Levels of Learning

The five levels of learning that make up the CMS Method are as follows:

Level 1: Teach Your Body to Move

Teaching your body to move is all about getting into a good stance and then learning how to properly move when receiving, blocking, and throwing. It's important to get the fundamentals down before worrying about other aspects of catching.

Level 2: Add in a Baseball

Once you can move correctly, then you can add in a baseball. Every time a baseball is added, old habits will tend to resurface. That's why it's important to keep running through the performance pathway over and over until one can move correctly with the baseball.

Level 3: Increase the Variables

Once one can move correctly with the baseball, it's time to increase the variables. This might involve increasing the speed of the ball, changing the location, or making the ball heavier. Increasing the variables can challenge one to improve their skills.

Level 4: Sharpen Decision Making

Sharpening decision making is about making better reads and anticipating where the ball is going to go. This is particularly important in blocking, where the catcher needs to react quickly and make the right decision.

Level 5: Let It Eat in the Game

The final level of learning is all about letting it eat in the game. This means throwing out all the skill stuff and just competing and being present in the moment. It's important to be focused and to feel the feet underneath you.

Applying the CMS Method to Other Sports

While the CMS Method was developed for catchers, the principles of skill development remain the same for other sports. Whether one is a soccer player, a football player, or a tennis player, the principles of skill development remain the same.

Teach the athlete to move correctly, then progressively make it harder and maintain the correct movement pattern.

Then, once an athlete’s foundational movement patterns are rock solid, “let the athlete, athlete” in the game.

Or in other words, let them go compete.

Next steps in Your Catching Journey

You came wondering how to become a better catcher in less time.

Now you know the Catching Made Simple Method - the fastest way to get better as a catcher. Here it is one more time:

1. Learn to move
2. Add a baseball
3. Increase the variables
4. Sharpen decision making
5. Let it eat in the game.

Run this path over and over until you can’t get it wrong.

At Catching Made Simple, I create content, courses, and coaching programs to help thousands of catchers increase their mobility, strengthen their mental game, and develop the physical skills they need to catch at a high level.

Tune in to the Catching Made Simple Podcast for more tips, insights, and stories from Anj.

Interested in getting coaching from Catching Made Simple? Book a free 15-min Catching Consultation.

Or check out the store for other courses and coaching.

You may also be interested in these other helpful resources:

• 10 benefits of working with a catching coach
• Top 5 catching stances every catcher needs!
• 8 best mobility drills for baseball catchers (do every day!)