Close Catching
Practising close fielding can be great fun and you can do it with a tennis ball, windball or a cricket ball. Tennis balls are best for catching and throwing off a wall but if you do this off the wall of your house your parents will almost certainly shout at you as it makes a lot of noise and can be very annoying. Better to find a garden wall instead if you can.
Better still – practise with someone else by throwing the ball to each other at waist height standing no more than a few feet apart. Start off nice and slow then gradually stand farther apart and quicken the pace of the return throw – count how many you can do without dropping any catches.
As you get better, try throwing the ball at different heights and catching with one hand only, first your best hand (depending whether you are right or left handed – for right handers this will be your right hand) and then with your weaker hand.
Once you can catch consistently, try ‘catching penalties’ where one of you tries to ‘score’ between two cones and the goalie has to save the goal by catching the ball. This drill introduces the diving catch which requires fast reactions and really good co-ordination.
Make sure you play on a soft surface such as grass or sand and make sure the diving area is free from clutter before you play. Â
