Here’s a YouTube video I came across that shows some Yankee catchers working out in Spring Training. It’s a long video so click through it to get the idea of the two drills. Here are a couple comments to think about as you watch.
1. Hitting balls into the dirt for a blocking drill is a great technique. It takes some practice on the part of the coach to be accurate with the bat/fungo but it works well. When kids are starting out learning to block, a small toss into the dirt or even a pitching machine set up to throw balls into the dirt are fine. However, it’s hard to mimic the unpredictable nature of how a pitch will be thrown during a game. Hitting the ball into the dirt provides that unpredictability. When the young catcher seems to have the basics of the block down pat, bring out the bat!
2. Use a stool or bucket whenever possible for receiving drills. Catching is a grueling position on the knees. There is no need to have a catcher squat down like normal on drills that focus on hand work. Give them a break. You are not making them soft. They will have plenty of work under normal conditions.
