One of the joys of catching is to be able to work with different pitchers. It's challenging because each pitcher has her own personality and style. Good catchers help the pitcher adapt to the style of game required to be called given the situation and the team they're facing. Many times this can lead to emotional conflicts between these battery mates. In these situations, the good catcher has the skill to handle the pitcher and get the most out of her skills and abilities under the circumstances. The ability to provide the pat on the back or apply the proverbial kick to the backside is required of the mature catcher and can be the winning difference.

The key to implementing this management of the pitcher's efforts is communication. Some techniques for doing this are:

1. Predictability: The catcher should know before-hand the pitcher habits and proclivities. She should know what the pitcher is inclined to throw when a strike is absolutely needed. A catcher should know what a pitcher is in the habit of throwing or feels comfortable throwing in various game situations.

2. Pre-game Knowledge: The catcher in the warm up process can get a feel for what's working on a given day. What the pitcher seems confident with throwing today, now! How she feels physically, emotionally, about the other team, nerve levels ect.. If a reliever comes in, the same questions should be answered before the first pitch is thrown.

3. During the Game Evaluation: Between innings, the battery needs to get together with coaches and evaluate what happened that inning and why and to whom. What pitches worked or didn't work, ect. what to expect the next time around ect.. . These teammates need to look ahead to the next three batters coming up to know how to pitch to them.

4. Post Game Debriefing: After the game, it is useful to rate your batteries performance. The pitcher and catcher need to answer basic questions: What pitches worked best today? Where? Why? When? Why/when was a certain pitch called? Where were their differences in strategy?

Catcher as a Coach: It is the catcher sees each pitch. The catcher should be able to tell the pitcher what her pitches are doing. Good catchers are taught to be looking for bad mechanics, spin on the ball, movement and unique problems each pitcher might have. The catcher being in charge, then coaches the pitcher and let's her coach in on the problems as well.

Student of the Game: There is never only one game plan to beat the opposition. The catcher needs to study the batters and remember what they do each time at bat as well as what they did the previous time according to that situation. The catcher needs to think and learn with every pitch thrown in the game Our responsibility as catchers is to make the pitchers job as easy as possible. The way the catcher call a game with pitcher "A" is going to be different than how she would call a game with pitcher "B," although both can be successful.

Helping Your Pitcher Find the Strike Zone

All pitchers, regardless of their skill, will help you lose ball games if they only throw strikes. Pitchers must learn to never-throw the ball down the middle of the plate. There are four places in the strike zone that a pitcher should work consistently in attacking the batter. These are on the edges six inches above and below the knees and the edges four inches above and below the armpits. Your pitchers must be skillful enough so that only a fraction of the ball catches the edge of the plate when thrown.

Calling the Game Tips:

1. It's more dangerous to miss high than it is to miss low. Your pitcher's high mistakes can be hit out of the park instead of on the ground.

2. A perfectly pitched game is one where the ball never crosses the plate. Pitcher's who consistently miss one inch outside see a lot of strikes called. Use the edges, their better than speed.

3. Most right handed umpires set up over the catcher's inside shoulder. Play the percentages, the inside pitch off the plate may be missed frequently, but the outside pitch called just off the plate-width glove held tight, is a strike 90% of the time.

4. The batter never really knows if a pitch is going to catch the corner or not. This doubt works in the batteries favor by having the batter swing at or hold back form pitches that percentage wise could be called strikes.