JT and Moreno are two of the best in the game
Not only are they extremely skilled and talented
But they’ve worked hard to develop their bodies to be explosive
The easiest ways you can do this is through weight training
Specifically prioritizing the squat pattern (back, front, zercher, hack, etc)
Personally as a catcher I like to squat flat footed, but I also incorporate a slantboard to get more ROM and make the movement more quad dominant
Either way, just make sure you ARE SQUATTING!
HEAVY TOO‼️
Varied tempos between slow and fast as well
Adding plyometrics to the equation will only give you better results
Being able to accept force, and then re-direct it where you want it to go is important
Not only for Type II fiber development and RFD
But also for joint health!
The forces we experience in the game are EXTREME
So if we aren’t prepared to experience those forces before we play in the game
That won’t end well for us in the long run…
Prepare your body for the demands of your sport
AND improve your performance too 🫡
Contreras & Realmuto are two of the best at blocking and cutting down runners
You can be too if you prioritize strength through a FULL range of motion‼️
Squats are the best way to go for lower body ROM and strength development
Paired with some DEEP RDLs makes it even better
But you can’t stop there!
Apply those same principles to your hips so you can actually move behind the plate
As well as for your upper body!!!
Mobility MUST be developed throughout your entire body if you’re trying to block & throw like a pro catcher
That means deep ranges of IR/ER for your shoulders
As well as for your pecs with isometrics at various angles
Deep ranges are what you should be prioritizing
Then additionally adding in various isometrics to fill in the gaps for each joint at different angles
It’s not one, or the other…
It’s BOTH!
That’s how you can block & throw like the best in the game 💪🏼
Let me know how you are developing your mobility as a catcher
Comment “Mobility” to get my 7-Day Catcher Mobility Reset completely for free to improve your mobility now‼️
Most catchers don’t need more random stretches — they need mobility that actually carries over to their game.
If your hips are tight, your thoracic spine is locked up, or your ankles don’t move well, it shows up everywhere: slower transfers, poor receiving positions, less power on throws, and more wear on your body throughout the season.
Mobility Monday is about building movement that translates directly to the field.
Better mobility means getting into stronger positions behind the plate, moving more efficiently out of the crouch, and creating more power through your throws without fighting your own body.
A lot of catchers focus only on arm strength, but if your body can’t move through the right ranges, you’re leaving performance on the table.
Move better. Recover better. Perform better.
That’s exactly why I created my 7-Day Catcher Mobility Reset — to help catchers open up the hips, improve rotational movement, and feel better behind the plate fast.
Comment “Mobility” below and I’ll send you the 7-Day Catcher Mobility Reset completely free so you can start moving better today.
One of the most underrated isometric variations is the overcoming isometric
You are actively trying to move an immovable object, as opposed to a yielding isometric where you’re fighting gravity and added resistance
The great thing about overcoming isometrics is that they are actually much less taxing on the muscular system than yielding
We utilize overcoming ISOs more so for rate of force development and recruitment of more high threshold motor units
This is a great way to prime your nervous system for a workout and overall develop a better engine
Your system as a whole must be able to work as a unit and that starts with your CNS
Having control of your CNS to be able to turn it on when you need to is crucial for athletics
I love to utilize them as part of my athlete’s prep work
Or even as part of a superset with plyometrics to improve efficiency and effectiveness of movement patterns
Train the system as a whole, not individual parts 👊🏼
Quality training is timeless and you don’t need to chase fancy, new movements to be a better athlete
It comes down to a few things
1) Play your sport and train your skills, even play other sports for fun conditioning & athleticism
2) Strength train HARD! Basic movements training near or at failure is necessary for adaptation
3) Add plyometrics to learn how to express the force you can create
There are the basics to improving performance and if you stick to them over the long term…
You WILL see results
Yes it’s good to change things up, hence why we incorporate different variations of the same movement pattern
And we add in fun plyometrics to stay athletic
But for the most part, stick to the basic stuff!
It never fails 💪🏼
Comment “Pop Time” to get my Drop Your Pop Program completely for free to throw out more runners ⚾🔥
Your arm strength matters — but your transfer, hip mobility, and how efficiently you move from glove to throw is what separates average catchers from game changers.
Whip It Wednesday is about building a faster, cleaner transfer so you can shave valuable time off your release and start controlling the run game.
Most catchers waste time because they’re stiff through the hips, slow through the exchange, and lose power from the ground up. If your feet, hips, and upper body aren’t connected, your pop time stays high no matter how strong your arm is.
Train the movement. Build explosive mechanics. Let your body work for you — not against you.
This is exactly what I break down inside my Drop Your Pop Program: strength, speed, mobility, and explosive drills designed specifically to help catchers throw out more runners.
Comment “Pop Time” below and I’ll send you the Drop Your Pop Program completely free so you can start cutting down runners faster.
Comment “Mobility” to get my 7-Day Catcher Mobility Reset that will help improve your strength & mobility to steal more strikes
Bailey is the best in the game at what he does
His skill work is unmatched behind the plate But he’s also developed the strength and mobility necessary to make him as effective and efficient as he is with stealing strikes
You can NOT neglect your skill work…
But you must still be training in the weight room to continue to get stronger & more mobile 💪🏼
Comment “Mobility” to get my free 7-Day Catcher Mobility Reset that will improve your mobility in just one week‼️
Welcome back to Mobility Monday where we talk about how to become a better blocking catcher
This starts with a strong foundation of strength
Getting strong through compound movements for the lower body is the main focus
And prioritizing a full range of motion in those compound movements is how you can also improve your mobility
As you build up your strength, you can start to add in accessory movements to improve specific areas of your mobility
You must first have the strength overall to become a better mover; to be able to produce more force efficiently
Once you’ve established that, you can start to branch off and add in specific movements for your hips, groin, hamstrings, etc.
Find your weakest links and target them first with your accessory movements
If your hamstrings are tight, specifically your medial (inner) hamstring into your groin…
Adding in a seated cable pancake can be a great option to improve the strength and flexibility in this area
Strength + Flexibility = Mobility
Build your foundation of strength in full ranges
Then utilize more of a stretch in your long ranges of motion, while still progressively overloading them
This develops your overall mobility 💪🏼
Comment “Mobility” to become a better blocking catcher today!
Crawling is an extremely underrated ability for athletes
Learning how to control your entire body as a system while it seamlessly glides across the turf is a skill
And you must understand how to move as one whole system
Learning how to build spinal integrity, while improving your shoulder & hip health at the same time
And working in multiple directions, moving slowly and intentionally is how you can develop this
It’s not just a random exercise, there is a purpose to everything we do
And in terms of a warmup for the entire body…
Crawling is a great place to start 🤌🏼
Plyometrics bridge the gap between the weight room and your sport
Building strength alone in the weight room with resistance training isn’t enough
Performance in your sport depends on how well you can express that force, and how fast you can do so
That’s where plyometrics come into play
They utilize something called the stretch shortening cycle
This is where there is an eccentric or lowering contraction that is immediately followed by a concentric or shortening contraction
It boosts power output by storing elastic energy and by activating the stretch reflex, which is where the primary (agonist) muscle is being contracted while the opposing (antagonist) muscle is being relaxed
The three phases of eccentric, amortization, and concentric all work together to improve how fast and efficiently you can produce force
Amortization is the transitioning between the end of the stretch and the beginning of the shortening
It must be quick or else you will lose stored energy
Sprinting is king!
From there, improving ground contact times and overall explosive ability is the goal with supplemental plyometric variations like hops, broad jumps, triple jumps, and even bounds
Give these a try and do them consistently to improve your overall performance 💪🏼
Comment “Pop Time” for a comprehensive plan that will get you stronger, faster, more explosive & mobile to throw out more runners, completely for FREE‼️
This program is designed to develop all of the physical qualities you need, outside of your skill work, to cut your pop time down and throw more runners out 💪🏼
Stealing strikes is a skill, which means it must be trained often
But outside of your skill work, you can continue to improve in the weight room
Improving your overall strength is important
It allows you to produce more force and helps protect against injury
On top of that, the weight room can build your reactive strength & ability as well
Utilizing the stretch shortening cycle and improving how we interact with different forces in different directions helps us improve how we move overall
Really helping us become more efficient and effective movers, which will enhance our receiving skills
Then you sprinkle in some mobility in long and short ranges and you really improve how you move
It’s not how much or how well you can move
It’s about how much AND how well you can move 💪🏼
