Learning to block with online catching lessons (Alastair)

Baseball is a game where every player has challenges to overcome. For Alastair, it was about blocking balls during games. This story shows how the right training can help.

The Problem - Why They Reached out to Coach Bougie

As Alastair gets older, the pitching mound moved back. This let to pitchers being more wild, which increased the importance of Alastair to be able to block. But he had trouble blocking.

So they wanted to get some help.

His dad, Kevin, is a runner but doesn’t know much about baseball. Their local team had only one coach with limited experience. So, Alastair needed more help with more depth.

Finding Help Learning to Block Through Social Media

They found a video of Coach RAC and Coach Bougie online. It showed the Coach Bougie’s catching skills and then they started watching more of the videos. Alastair and Kevin decided to ask him for help by booking a call.

The training in CatchCORE was simple but effective. They watched videos from the coach, practiced the skills, and sent their own videos back. Coach Bougie then gave feedback. They did this again and again.

The Results of Daily Practice with the Right Coaching

After training, Alastair got better at blocking balls. He also improved his stance and got more pitches called as strikes when he was receiving. Kevin noticed that Alastair was also more confident during games.

Kevin said “The number of past balls throughout this activity has continued to come down and that's something we've been able to see happen in the game. You see it, we do the drills and you can see like, okay, that should work.

And then it's been exciting to go to games and see like, ‘Oh, it works.’”

How Anyone Can Learn to Block When Catching

Alastair's story shows how focused training can help a player get better. With the right feedback and consistent practice, anyone can learn to block well as a catcher.

In the end, Kevin said, "It was exciting to see the training work during games." And that's what good training does: it works.

Next Steps to Becoming the Catcher You Know You Can Be

For budding catchers and their mentors keen to replicate Alastair’s transformation, consider checking out CatchCORE for advanced training.

If you’re not yet ready for that, dive deeper into Coach Bougie's expertise:

• Coach Bougie’s Top 3 Tips to Become a Better Catcher
• The Catching Made Simple Method (The Fastest Way to Get Better!)
• The Top 5 Blocking Drills for Catchers