The Catcher's Daily Essentials

Learn and follow along with an experienced professional baseball catcher as he walks you through the daily essentials of an elite catcher, including active warm up, arm care and catcher-specific stretching.

Inside The Catcher's Daily Essentials, you'll find...

#1 - A daily active warm-up routine

Warm up with Oakland Athletics' catcher Ryan Lavarnway.

Catchers put intense physical demands on their body. When a catcher's body isn't warm and loose, it increase the chances of injury and it hurts performance.

A good warmup routine is essential for...

1. Elite performance - Don't let people see you at less than your best. When your body is warm and loose, you'll be surprised at what it's capable of!
2. Injury prevention - Injured catchers can't play. And sometimes, injuries even end careers forever. Don't let that happen to you! Adequate warm-up is critical to keeping your body healthy.

Watch the 10 minute video and stretch along with Ryan as he does the same warm-up routine he does before Major League games and every one of his practices.

#2 - Catcher Mobility Stretching Program

To stand-out as a catcher, to get the playing time you want, to be noticed and recruited...

...proper mobility is a non-negotiable.

Without proper mobility in the hips, core, legs, shoulder and ankles, a catcher cannot perform his essential duties at an elite level.

The problem is, many players don't naturally have the required flexibility. Even if a catcher has good mobility when he's young, that natural bend will disappear as he gets older if not maintained.

As someone who has needed to pay particular attention to this issue, I've learned from some of the best trainers in the country how to improve my flexibility.

So, here's the good news.

My struggle is your gain. The same program that took me years of working with experts to craft, is now yours in an easy-to-follow video format.

My program was designed to improve hip flexibility, sway, posture and balance in the primary and secondary receiving positions.

All these things are critical for achieving better depth in your stance. As you get deeper in your stance, you'll enhance several qualities that catchers covet... better balance, and a lower target for your pitcher.

A flexible catcher is a better receiver, with quicker reactions, and will have a more powerful throw.

#3 - Arm care programs

Everybody knows that arm care is essential for a pitcher. The truth is, it's just as important for catchers..

According to Alan Jaeger, founder of Jaeger Bands...

"There isn't any reason why a player should have a chronically sore, weak, or injury-prone arm. Unfortunately, most baseball players neglect their arms or take them for granted.

The reality of it is that a baseball player needs to have a strong, well-conditioned and healthy arm to play baseball. Period. There is no substitution.

Baseball players can simply not afford to allow their arm to be a liability - it must be an asset. In case you forgot, you can't play baseball if you can't throw a baseball.

For example, how many players do you know that are drafted as Designated Hitters? How many pitchers do you know that are drafted out of a rehab facility?

Well I have news for you: your arm is your life line if you are a baseball player, no matter what position you play. If you question this at all, then why do you think that scouts have an entire section on their player information cards devoted to arm strength, accuracy, mechanics, etc. It's because it is an integral part of your package as a player. It can be the deciding factor as to whether your arm allows you to move on to the next level (by maintaining its skill level relative to your other skills)."

To be able to handle to the repetitive stress of throwing, and to be able to throw powerfully without injury, requires strengthening the supporting ligaments in your throwing arm.