Giving Signs & Setting Up For Pitches
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An area that is commonly overlooked when teaching young catchers is sign giving. It is just assumed that a player will be able to flash a few fingers and be on his way. This couldn't be further from the truth. I have seen many catchers that are not proficient at sign giving. A small problem such as this can lead to game time problems. 
A catcher should give slow, controlled finger movements. There is no need to rush. The pitcher should be able to see the signs easily and in a relaxed manner. The catchers hand should be placed back against the cup. The fingers should be pointing down. If the fingers are at an angle, it will hard to see from 60 feet 6 inches. The last thing you want to have happen is for a catcher to call a change-up and have the pitcher get confused and throw a slider.
Setting Up For Pitches
A sure give-away to a hitter is for a catcher to give their signs and immediately set up inside or outside. A catcher should give the sign and location for the pitch they want called and move to location as the pitcher begins his motion. An important point is for the catcher to get the glove up and give the pitcher a target as early as possible. Again, don't give away location too early. More so, give the pitcher a reference point to immediately focus in on.
When a catcher is setting up for a fastball to be thrown right down the middle, the catcher should cheat slightly to the backhand side. The reason for this is it is easier to move and catch an errant pitch to your glove hand side than it is to your backhand side. Unless you are calling for a pitch up in the strike zone, your glove should target the bottom of the zone. If the target is mid-thigh and your pitcher hits his target the ball may land 400 feet away, if the target is at the knee, the pitcher has a greater chance of success if they hit their spots.
Once the ptcher gets ahead in the count, the catcher should set up for pitches differently than if the pitcher is behind in the count. If an outside pitch is called, the catcher should set up off the plate about three inches. Having command of the strike zone will increase the chances of the umpire giving you the outer half. The same holds true for the inside pitch. The only difference is that instead of setting up three inches off the plate, you only need to set up one inch off the plate. It is important to remember one of the cardinal sins of baseball; never hit the batter when you have them down in the count.
Once a pitcher falls behind in the count it takes away some of the latitude from the umpire and the catcher. If the catcher calls for a pitch away, they need to set up on the plate. You want the pitcher to hit the outer third or the black. Again, the same holds true for the inside pitch. You don't want to fall behind even further. Set up on the corner and give the target on the plate.
When a breaking ball is called, the catcher can still cheat slightly to the backhand side. They must again target the bottom of the zone. The glove must be at the knees. Mentally, the catcher must assume the ball will be in the dirt. Always be ready to block all balls in the dirt.
When the pitcher gets ahead in the count and a breaking ball is called, the catcher will set up on the plate and want the ball in the dirt. You want to try to get the hitter to chase the breaking ball and get himself out. Again, be ready to block all balls in the dirt. When the pitcher is behind in the count, the catcher should set up on the plate and target the bottom of the zone. In this case we want a rhythm breaking ball thrown for a strike. An important tip to the pitcher and the catcher; if you are going to miss, miss down and toward location. You won€t get hurt if you miss down. However, if you miss up in the zone, bad things will happen.
By Bill Hutton
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