The Body Catch

Key Points

Head up, keep eyes on the ball.
As the ball approaches, move to receive it between the arms and the chest.
Extend the arms out in front of the chest with the elbows close together and the palms of the hands facing up.
Spread the fingers of both hands to cushion the ball.
Relax the chest on impact to cushion the ball into a secure positionwith 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 body catch, 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 runson 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.

Developing the Technique

Fun Game 1 - Piggy in the Middle

Mark out a grid 5m by 5m using cones.
Position one player along each length of the grid.
Position the fifthplayer in the middle of the grid.
The outside players must move along the lengths of the grid throwing the ball to each other to retain possession.
The ball must be caught using the Body Catch technique.
The middle player attempts to intercept the ball.
If the ball is dropped or intercepted, the outside player responsible moves to take up position as the ‘piggy in the middle’

Fun Game 2 - Over the River

Mark out a grid or ‘court’ using cones.
Divide the players into two teams of 4, separated by a line of cones or a net.
The objective of the game is to throw the ball into the opposition team’s ‘court’ making it difficult for them to catch.
The opposition team must use the Body Catch technique.
Teams can score 1 point if the opposition fail to catch the ball using the body catch.
Award 1 pointif an opponent drops the ball after catching it.
Award 1 point to the opposition is if the ball is thrown outside the court.