Simon Says.....he is a good catcher

Peter Simon is an ordinary baseball catcher. He is skilled at his position on the field and proud of his accomplishments. Training with several professional coaches, trainers, and athletes have helped shape his catching techniques and establish many of his own.


Catchers have a tough position. Throwing and catching are only a few skills that catchers must perform.

Catchers lead the team and call all the shots- or, "pitches" that is. Simon says, “Leadership skills are a must. The catcher dictates the flow of the game, and every pitch.”

The catcher must have a good relationship with the pitcher as well. If the catcher does not get along with the pitcher it can ruin the flow of the game. The catcher has to be fully alert in order to make calls for his other teammates.

If the catcher becomes lazy, “a runner on third could easily steal as oppose to a runner on first of third and get a base run,” says Simon.

What makes Peter so great at catching? What has helped make him the all-star player that he is today? He believes that his training with professionals has helped better him. All good catchers must acquire technique.

Simon says, “Framing the ball, blocking the ball, and pitch calling are techniques that every pitcher needs to know how to do and do it well.”

Fooling the umpire, catching crazy throws, and knowing which calls to make for the other team’s hitters is only a few of the many techniques Peter knows.

Although, Simon is adequately skilled, catchers have to be fit. Simon believes catchers must be the fittest players on the team because of the constant up and down.

“Not just anybody can be a catcher, but with extreme training, conditioning, good balance, and good hand-eye coordination it might be possible,” Peter Simon declares.

Don’t be fooled, Peter is not Superman; he also gets exhausted sometimes. In order to overcome tired legs from squatting, it is ideal for a catcher to know tricks on how to ease his legs.

The legs can get tired, but so can a throwing arm. It is important to make good throws to the bases or your target. Throwing can be difficult for an unfit or fatigued catcher, so it is important that the catcher can endure the length of the game.

“Practice makes perfect. Catchers can improve their throwing arm by long tossing-warming up before a game-, techniques in throwing, footwork, and accuracy,” says Peter.

Catching is an important position in baseball. It takes a strong, fit player to perform all the skills that are required for the position. Peter Simon is an expert at catching, and plans to continue sharing his expertise to other athletes one day.