Name of Drill: Block and Pounce.

Equipment Needed: Catchers in full gear, softballs.

Purpose of Drill: To give catchers repetition in pouncing on the blocked pitch around the home plate area and making a play at a base on an advancing runner.

Explanation of Drill: Softballs are placed in different positions around the home plate area, including foul areas. The catcher sets up in receiving stance behind the plate to begin the drill. She drops into block position, recovers quickly and pounces on one of the balls around the plate. She then finishes by throwing the ball to a base.

The catcher quickly sets up into receiving position again, drops into block position, recovers quickly and pounces on another ball, again finishing by throwing to another base. The sequence is repeated 3-5 times.

This drill helps catchers work on dropping into a good blocking position, using quick feet in their recovery and using a "scoop" or "shovel" technique in their pickups. The drill can be modified with a live block from a pitching machine or short toss from a coach.