Everyone knows that pitching machines are good “assistants” during hitting practice. But, they are also of great value in fielding practice.
We have been using a Granada Whiffle Ball pitching machine for several years to help younger players learn to catch fly balls.
Young and inexperienced players as a general rule have little or no ball catching skills. Players who are not skilled at catching the ball are often at risk for being hit with a ball they are trying to catch. This can hurt and lead to the players being scared of the ball.
We use a Granada machine to toss whiffle balls to players to help them learn how to catch. If they are nervous about being hit with the ball (even a whiffle ball can sting a bit) let them wear a catchers helmet until they gain confidence and skill catching the ball. This eliminates the fear of being hit in the face and encourages the players to try and catch the ball without shying away.
Feeding the ball with the unit set level will “throw” the ball on a straight line, just like a ball thrown by another player. By tilting the machine back the balls go more like a fly ball. The farther back the machine is tipped the higher the fly ball goes. This gives the players practice at learning how to judge fly balls without worrying about being hit.
It is easy to get a player at least ten balls in a minute, lots of repetitions. And, by having the player move from side to side, or up and back, the fly balls can be caught on the run. And, with whiffle balls, a windy day makes it even more challenging.
Using a Granada Whiffle Ball pitching machine is a good way to greatly improve the catching skills, and confidence, of our players.
