Catch with two hands
Ready when: Grip and throw at a target (b1) started.
What you are learning
Catching: watch the ball into the hands, meet it, cup it, and pull it in softly to the waist. With a glove, catch in the glove and cover the ball with the other hand. Every out in the field starts with a clean catch.
Words on this card Catcher, Glove, Ground ball
- Catcher
- The fielder crouching behind home who catches the pitches, in a helmet, mask and pads.
- Glove
- The padded leather glove fielders catch with.
- Ground ball
- A hit that rolls or bounces along the ground.
Set up
A soft ball (tennis ball), a glove if available, 3 m between partners. No ball? Roll a sock into a ball and wrap it in a little tape.
Weather: dry ground
Show it first for the one teaching
- Hands out in front, fingers relaxed, ready.
- Watch the ball all the way into your hands.
- Meet it, cup the hands round it and pull it in softly to your waist.
- With a glove: catch in the glove, then cover the ball with your throwing hand.
Your part while they practise
Toss gently underarm to the chest; call "ready" before each toss.
Step by step
- Alone first: toss to yourself and catch, 10 times.
- 10 gentle tosses from you to the chest.
- 10 higher tosses.
- Each catch: meet, cup, pull in to the waist.
How much: 30 catches a round, 4 rounds 6 min a session 3 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Catch streak
Count the catches in a row with a partner and beat your best.
Who plays: two players, 3 m apart.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- Say "ready" before each toss and wait for the catcher to look
- Toss underarm to each other
- Count each clean two-hand catch aloud
- A drop ends the streak; start again from 0. Play for 3 minutes
- Fair play
- The grown-up tosses gently to the chest; the child may toss anywhere the grown-up can reach.
- Points
- Your score is your longest streak of catches in a row.
- Fouls
- The streak ends
- A drop
- A one-handed catch (without a glove)
- A toss out of reach
- Winning
- Beat your best streak.
- 5 catches for 1 star
- 10 catches for 2 stars
- 20 catches for 3 stars
Easier or harder
A bigger, softer ball, closer.
Toss higher; ground balls rolled to the child.
What you will see, and what to say
- the ball bounces out of the hands
Soft hands, give a little
Let the hands move back with the ball as it arrives. - the child turns away
Watch the ball into your hands
Eyes on the ball until it is caught.
Self-check
7 of 10 tosses caught with two hands.
Stop and get a coach when
The child flinches from every ball; slow down and use a softer ball.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains hand-eye coordination, catching.
awiseathlete.com/sports/baseball-softball/baseball-softball-b2