Jen Schroeder was an All-Pac 10 honoree and three-time World Series participant at UCLA where she played from 2004 through 2008. Since graduating in 2009, she founded Jen Schro Catching and has become one of the top softball catching instructors in the nation.

She spends a majority of her weekends traveling the country doing clinics and speaking events, and also just signed with Dick’s Sporting Goods.  You can keep in touch with Jen’s training and traveling on one her social media outlets: Facebook: www.facebook.com/JenSchroCatching Twitter: twitter.com/jlynnschro and Instagram

Here are some insights into Jen’s background and what she thinks of how young catchers are doing today…

 

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: looking back at your great softball career, what are some of the best experiences that come to mind?
Jen Schroeder: I have to go with being able to play with sister Katie in 2008.  We are four years apart but we didn’t go to the same high school my senior year.  The very first time we got to compete with each other was in college at UCLA.  I was 21 and she was 18 and it was so cool to watch her play centerfield.  She had an amazing freshman year, we went to the World Series, and created life-long memories we will cherish forever.  My other sister, Michelle, was at Stanford the same year and we played against her so I got to play with one sister and play against another!

 

SSS.com: take us back to your high school and club days… what were you like as a player—were you ahead of the curve or still finding your game?
JS: In high school I was fortunate enough to play at a high level and with some of the top teams in the nation, attending ASA National Championships every year. However, I have to say that if recruiting was then how it is now I don’t think I would have been a Bruin.   From my freshman year in high school to my freshman year in college I grew four inches and I didn’t even start catching until my junior year of high school.  If recruiting happened as early as it does now back when I was going through the process who knows what college I would have attended, what position I would have played, or where I would be right now!

 

SSS.com: you travel the country working with young catchers, what do you see as being the top mistake or two that the backstops tend to make?
JS: I think catchers across the country don’t dive into a leadership role soon enough.  They are hesitant to be vocal and to lead their defense. I think if kids were more confident in themselves and in their abilities, they’d realize the impact the catcher-role can have.

A couple years ago I shot out a text message to 15 of the top 25 college programs in the country at the time and asked them two questions: 1) What is the No. 1 thing you don’t see enough of in young catchers 2) What is the No. 1 thing you want to recruit in a catcher?

All of them mentioned leadership and vocal abilities. Not one mentioned physical skills. In women’s sports it’s so important to develop confidence— If you have confidence in your ability, your training and who you are you will be successful in both sport and in life.

 

SSS.com: comparing catchers today versus when you played, where do you think today’s crop has improved and where do you think they have perhaps fallen behind your generation?
JS: Catchers today have so many opportunities with lessons, weight lifting and speed training; 10 years ago that didn’t exist pre-college.  I have girls that start catching lessons at age eight or nine, it’s all they know.

However, I believe the same things that are helping them are both hindering them.  They are so set in their ways, they play robotically and they do not trust themselves.

When you’ve been told the same things since the age of eight, it’s hard to continuously grow.  I wish athletes would be more instinctual with their play.  I wish they would trust in themselves and their training and be able to react to whatever situation is thrown their way.

 

SSS.com: When you talk to a group of players, what’s the No. 1 thing you teach or try to convey to them?
JS:  I want to make athletes passionate about life.  You only get four years to impact the softball world in college, my goal is to give them tools that will allow them to impact the real world for their entire lives.  I want to help mold both better athletes and better people.  I want players to take the lessons they learn through sport and apply them to their future lives.  I want my girls to allow their passion to lead them and their conviction to drive them.

 

SSS.com: What are some of your favorite drills to help catchers improve their athleticism, separate from their position skills?
JS: My workouts are very fast paced and have been a hit on both YouTube and Facebook. I believe in circuit training and alternating catcher specific drills with speed and strength drills or meshing the two together.  My workouts are extremely unique and not easy, but the challenge only makes my catchers better athletes.

 

SSS.com:  Having played the position at a high level, what advice do you give regarding injury prevention?
JS: Listen to your body! You’re going to get sore, that’s a given.  Learn how far you can push yourself without breaking your body down.  When you are sore, make sure you ICE.  If you’re really hurting ask yourself, ‘If I push now, is this going to hurt me in the long run?’

 

SSS.com: Finally, what in your opinion are the top features that make for a great catcher?
JS: My favorite catchers are those that command their defense; the ones that create their own spotlight.  They’re vocal, in charge, and stand out.  They are the leaders.  They are in synch with their pitcher.  They make their pitcher look and feel invincible.  The greatest catchers create electricity within the battery unit.