Catcher 1 knee stance – Right or Left knee down?

These days, catchers really should learn to be comfortable receiving in traditional stance AND with 1 knee down.

Certainly there are pros and cons to each stance – and a catcher might use multiple different stances throughout the course of a game. But catching on 1 knee arguably is the way of the future. In fact, some MLB organizations are using it exclusively in their catcher development at the lower levels!

But, when it comes to the new style of catchers receiving on one knee, how do you know WHICH KNEE you should be on…

…and when?

In this video, MLB catcher Ryan Lavarnway shares one important thing to think about when you are making this decision.

At the end of the video, you can watch from the umpire’s perspective as Ryan catches an 80mph pitch in the 1 knee stance – first with right knee down and then with left knee down.

Video Length: 3 Minutes & 57 Seconds

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Who is Ryan Lavarnway?

Ryan Lavarnway is a Major League catcher who has caught for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Miami Marlins, & Detroit Tigers. Lavarnway was drafted out of Yale in 2008. In 2013, he earned a World Series ring with the Red Sox. He also caught for Team Israel in the 2017 (named “Pool A MVP” ) & 2018 World Baseball Classics, and the 2020 Olympics.