Expert: Brian Flaspohler - 3/23/2009

Question
my son is a senior inhs. He has played baseball since he was 5. ALWAYS A CATCHERand very athletic. now he has stage fright. in practice he can throw with no problem.in the game he can not get it to the pitcher.please help me. it hurts me to see this.how can i help him. baseball mom

Answer
Lauri,

What you are describing is actually somewhat common and it has happened even to major league players.  A catcher named Macky Sasser for the New York Mets basically couldn't throw the ball back to the pitcher.  He was a professional player who developed this issue.  It also happens to pitchers who just no longer can throw a strike.

No one really has a good way to solve this because no one knows why it happens.  I talked to a catcher who had this problem in the minor leagues.  He eventually worked his way thru it.  His solution was that he had played baseball his whole life and it was rediculous that he couldn't get the ball back to the pitcher.  So he basically just mentally worked it out.

I'd suggest playing pitch and catch from the correct distance away.  Don't make him kneel down, just standing pitch and catch.  When he gets thru that, start kneeling down, but no batter.  Just have him work his way thru it bit by bit.

Hope this helps!

Brian