Drop knee catching technique

Catchers have many responsibilities. But, the most important responsibility is the job of receiving pitches and presenting them as strikes.

The strike zone as evolved over the years. Catchers used to almost bend at the knees instead of squatting. Take a look at some old pictures and you'll see catchers "standing" behind home plate. As the catchers have lowered their position, so have the umpires. In turn, the strike zone has become much lower. Gone are the days of the chest high strike.

As the zone become lower, it became an important characteristic of a catcher to get low and work under the ball. As the ball was received it was presented to the umpire as a strike at the knees.

A valuable method that every catcher should at least be aware of is the idea of drop knee catching. This method has the catcher drop his left knee to the ground to lower his center of gravity. This allows the catcher a chance to have his strength underneath the ball so he can work up through the ball presenting a better strike.

The worst thing that could happen to a pitcher is when he throws a strike but the catcher rides it out of the zone just trying to catch the ball. This drop knee technique shortly becomes a pitcher's best friend when implemented correctly.

The one caveat is obviously with a block as an option you must be aware not to drop knee too quickly. The drop knee is primarily a strike presenting position. It can prove dangerous if the catcher drops to a knee prematurely before recognizing if the pitch is in the dirt or not.