How to catch a soccer ball: 7 tips to become a star catcher
Catch a soccer ball? That’s easy, you say. You just put your hands up and catch the soccer ball out of the air, right? Not so fast! All that matters in the end is that you catch the ball, right? Well not exactly. If you want to be a good catcher, you need to learn not only how to catch the ball, but also the proper techniques to catch it. Here’s why. Catching the ball with proper technique will make it easier to put it away for running. Missing the ball could result in a fumble. Not only that, but if you use improper technique to catch the ball, you won’t be doing it consistently. You will drop a lot of passes that should have been caught.
Here are some tips for catching a soccer ball correctly.
# 1 – If you are facing the ball when it approaches you above waist height, form a triangle with both hands, palms out, placing the tips of the thumbs on the opposite hands together and the tips of the index fingers on the hands opposite together. . Your pinkies and other fingers should be slightly extended, but pointing in the direction of the ball. Reach out to the ball and grasp it with your fingers away from your body. Make sure to use your fingers and not your palms. A soccer ball that is thrown hard often bounces directly off your palms. When the ball makes contact with your body, squeeze the ball and in a quick motion tuck it under your arm. Preferably, you want to tuck it under the arm that is closest to the sideline and away from defenders who will try to remove it. Yes, there is also a proper way to get the ball. More on that in a later post.
# 2 – If the ball was thrown low and you will need to catch it below waist height, your pinkies should go together, palms up, thumbs out. Again, squeeze the ball and put it in.
# 3 – If you are catching the ball on the run and it comes over your shoulder, spread out both hands, palms up with the little finger touching, the thumbs out and the other fingers extended. Squeeze and hit the ball as soon as possible.
# 4 – Always watch the ball down to your hands. When you can see a defender approach with your peripheral vision or hear footsteps, it is tempting to look away, but you have to strain to focus on catching. You can’t run with the ball if you don’t catch it first.
# 5 – Always use both hands whenever possible. Sometimes the only way to catch is by diving or using one hand. Most of the time, however, it is possible to put both hands on the ball. Don’t try to be the hero by making a one-handed grab when it was possible to use two hands. No one will think you are the hero if you drop a catchable pass.
# 6 – Be mindful of side lines. You don’t have to take your eyes off the ball to do this. Just know where you are in relation to the sidelines. The more you play, the better you will feel about this.
# 7 – Practice, practice, practice. You know what they say … practice makes perfect. No. Perfect practice makes perfect. Have your dad throw you some passes. Ask him to make sure he is catching the ball in the correct way. The more passes you catch, the better you get. As he improves, have him throw the ball out of reach so you can dive. Have him throw it at you from different angles and at different speeds. If you really want to get better, have your dad or a friend throw you 200 to 300 passes a day, every day.