Priority skills for catching

There are five key factors for catching the ball, but if you had to concentrate on just one, here’s which would make the most difference to your players.

CORE FACTOR

Catching the ball with your hands away from your body and most importantly off your chest.

It’s important for all players of all ages to work hard on their ability to catch the ball off their chest, as it will give the catcher more time to execute their next action. Catching errors usually happen when players try to catch the ball into their chests allowing the ball the opportunity to bounce off the body.

With defences becoming increasingly more organised with greater line speed, the time an attacker has in possession of the ball is decreasing.

Therefore, in order for players and teams to execute opportunities to pass the ball under pressure, an early catch off their chest provides the attacker with the more time to decision make and execute.

Below are a couple of activities to put catching skill under pressure, use the key factors as coaching points for individuals.

STATIC CATCHING

1. One player is works in the middle of a triangle.
2. A receives small passes from P before passing the ball to the catchers next to them. Work player (A) in the middle for one minute with the catchers varying their width and depth for the pass.
3. The catchers must pass the ball back to the distributor (in white) as quickly as possible who in turn puts under pressure by speeding the delivery up.
4. Players score points for clean catches and lose points for any catches where the ball touches the chest.

IN MOTION CATCHING

1. Player (A) is works in the middle, receiving a powerful kick pass from pressurising their catching skills.
2. From the kick one of the defenders will put player (A) under pressure to catch and pass to one of the catchers.
3. Player A must look to move forward for the catch and keep moving forward during the pass.