Teaching youngsters, in [tag]baseball and little league[/tag], to get in front of the ball is the first part to teaching them the catching position.
What you need – A set of catcher’s equipment for each [tag]baseball[/tag] player that wants to learn the catching position, or, players can rotate through the position.
How this drill works – Since the catcher’s position can possibly involve getting hit with the ball regularly (especially at the beginning levels), it is important for novice catchers to learn two things early: to not be afraid of the ball (because of the equipment), and that they should try to block the ball at all costs.
Once the [tag]coach[/tag] instructs the proper crouch position for a catcher (good balance, balls of the feet, glove in front, eye on the ball), then they can throw a series of pitches that challenges the player to move to get their body in front of the ball. The first object is to catch the ball, or trap it with the glove, but wild pitches need to be blocked with the equipment, while maintaining good body control.
Result – The player will understand the fundamental purpose of the catcher’s position.