The High Catch

Key Points

Adopt a starting position down the line of the oncoming ball.
As the ball reaches its highest point assess where the ball is going to land
Approach the ball as it begins to descend
Moving forward plant the jumping foot and extend upwards, swinging the opposite leg forward
Extend the arms fully above the head.
Head up, keep eyes on the ball.
Reach to field the ball at the highest safest point.
Spreading the fingers to form a ‘w’ shape behind the ball, catch the ball slightly in front of the head
Cushion the ball and secure to the chest with both hands

Practice the Technique

Drill 1 - Basic Throw and Catch

Divide the group into pairs, one football per pair.
The players stand approximately 3 meters apart.
The player with the ballthrows the ball underarmto their partner to catch overhead, who repeats.
Move the players further apart as their technique improves.
Count the number of successful catches in 30 seconds

Drill 2 – Intermediate – Move and Catch

Divide the players into groups of 8, one football per group.
Mark out a distance of approximately 8 to 10 meters using cones.
Place a marker half way between the outer cones.
4 Players line up at either cone.
The player in possession throws the ball underarm for the opposite player to run forward and catch at the halfway marker.
The player in possession then runs on and hands the ball to the next player to repeat the drill.
Each player follows on to line up at the back of the opposite line.

Drill 3 – Intermediate - Move and Catch

Mark out a channel as shown
Divide the players into groups of three, one ball per group
Beginning at one end of the channel Player A jogging backwards throws the ball for player B to move forward and perform the high catch
On landing Player B fist passes the ball to Player C who in turn fist passes the ball to the Player A to serve again for Player B and so on until the group have reached the end of the channel
Rotate the players and repeat the drill
To increase the difficulty of the drill the pace should be increased.
Adapt the drill by making Player B the server who must throw the ball up for Player A to catch as they jog backwards
A further progression is for Player C to provide token opposition to Player B as they attempt to perform the high catch

Drill 4 – Advanced - Opposition Catch

This is an advanced drill to practice the high catch technique
Mark out a grid approximately 10m x 10m
Divide the players into groups of 4
Two players are positioned within the grid
The other two players act as feeders and are positioned one to either side of the grid with a ball each
Each feeder is designated a partner
Each feeder in turn throws or kicks the ball for their partner to perform the high catch while the other player provides token opposition
As the players become more competent allow both players to contest for the ball
Ensure that opponents are equally matched

Develop the Technique

Fun Game 1 – Freeze Ball

This is a fun game to develop the high catch
Mark out a grid approximately 30m x 20m
Divide the players into two equal teams of 5 to 10 players
Each players begins with 3 lives
The player in possession kicks, fists or throws the ball up in the air and shouts a number or name.
The player called has to catch the ball overhead while the other players scatter in all directions.
On catching the ball the player shouts ‘Freeze’ and all the other players must stand still.
From a stationary position the catcher must attempt to hit another player with the ball by fist passing the ball at them
If the player is hit that player loses a ‘life’
The game continues until one player has lost 3 lives.

Fun Game – High Catch Volleyball

Mark out a court using cones
Place a net or dividing line to mark the court into 2 sections
Divide the players into two equal teams
The objective of the game is to field the ball after it has been kicked into your section of the court by the opposing team
The team who reaches 20 high catches first is the winner
Alternatively if a player drops the ball they must move to the other team
Introduce a second ball to increase the intensity of the game