How to Improve Your Catching in Any Situation
Catches win matches. You’ve probably heard it said and seen it demonstrated hundreds of times. If you and your team are reliable in possession, you can open up far more opportunities on offence. It means the defense you’re up against have to work a lot harder to get it from you.
Catching may seem simple, but there are a lot of factors that go into making the safest catch in a given situation. In the catching modules of The UAP Skills and Technique Membership, we look at everything that goes into deciding how to catch and how to train yourself to make the right decisions automatically.
First up, we’ll look at the six different types of catch and when they’re best. Certain styles will work better for you depending on the throw you’re receiving. We’ll be taking notes from high-level play to see what the most effective strategies are.
Delving deeper into each form of catch, we’ll work on how velocity, angle, and spin can influence how we’re positioning our hands, which hand to use if we’re going one-handed, and where on the disc we should be aiming to catch.
Experimentation is going to be key throughout the module to determine what’s comfortable for you, as well as what you can do to make sure you’re happy using the most appropriate method in any given situation. We want to make good catching a reflex.
Finally, how do you train yourself for the variety of situations you’ll face when you don’t have time to think and evaluate, or when you don’t have the opportunity to make the safest catch? We look at how spending time exploring the “wrong” techniques, even if it’s only when we’re casually throwing around, can be hugely beneficial when it comes to the versatility needed for high-pressure situations in games.
The focus at each stage of the progression is going to be on practical application—what can you get out there and do to make a difference to your catching percentages?
For more tips from Felix and our whole host of expert coaches, covering everything from throwing and decision-making to defense, cutting, and mentality, check out the Ultimate Skills Project! Learn more and sign up today!
Felix has 18 years of playing experience and almost as many coaching. He has played and coached at every level of the game, from university to international, and is the creator of innovative offensive and defensive strategies Mex and Flex. You can read more from him at felixultimate.com.
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