Catching Drills for Footwork/Armstrength

Question
I am a freshman in high school with hopes of playing college level baseball. I am good overall defensive catcher with a decent arm, but i feel that my arm needs to get stronger to acheive my goals. This said i was wondering if you have any drills that could help me with my armstrength and footwork to get quicker and better throws to bases.  Thanks alot.
-Sean

Answer
The number one mistake players make for arm strength is improper weight training.  Curls are for the girls.  Yes this will make you look big and the girls will all fall in love with you, but this does not make your throws harder and faster.  It is imperative that you build up your stabilization muscles for both the acceleration and deceleration components.  The best exercises to do this is the Jobe exercises.

These are exercises performed with light weights (5-10 lbs) and the angles and precision you lift with is very important.  Go to your local library and look up Dr. Jobe and his exercises for a complete listing.

Footwork is a combination of both balance and quickness.  We have our catchers do a great deal of balance drills, and jumping rope.  Each catcher must jump rope a minimum of 10 minutes a day and most do closer to a half hour ( in 10 minute increments).

Best of luck to you this upcoming season.

Coach Stauffer
Macomb Baseball