Choosing a Catcher Training Mitt
Undersized Mitts
The Valle Eagle T25 is a 25 inch trainer small enough that receiving has to be perfect, and it takes machine-fed pitches at high velocity. The Eagle 27S is a 27 inch mitt that feels closer to a small game mitt while still exposing a lazy catch. Both are baseball trainers for players from about age 10 up; the 28 inch T28S is the softball version.
Half-Web Trainers
A half-web mitt removes most of the web so the ball cannot be caught in the webbing. The catcher has to receive in the pocket every time, which is the habit that keeps strikes looking like strikes. Half-web trainers are made in 27 and 32 inch sizes.
Weighted Mitts
Weighted 27 and 32 inch trainers add resistance to the glove hand for catchers who already receive well and want a stronger, quicker glove. Use them for short receiving rounds, not full bullpens, and finish every session with the game mitt.
Drills
Start with bare-hand and trainer-mitt receiving from short range, working the ball to the middle of the body and sticking the pitch. Add framing rounds on the corners, blocking with the trainer to keep the hands quiet, and throwing from the feet and knees. Ten minutes a day with a training mitt does more for receiving than an hour with a game mitt, because the trainer never lets a sloppy catch pass.
