Head on
Why it works
A ball closing on you arrives faster than a ball you are chasing, and the flinch it produces is the single most common cause of a drop on a slant or a crossing route. Three lanes at once means nobody stands still long enough to think about it.
Run it
8 MINSix each, then swap ends so everybody throws and everybody catches. Eight minutes.
Say this
“Eyes open and hands early.”
The flinch happens when the hands are late and the ball is already close.
“Do not slow down for it.”
Decelerating to catch is what a kid does when he is unsure, and it makes the catch harder.
“Thrower, firm and flat.”
A floated ball here teaches nothing, because the whole point is the closing speed.
Good looks like
- Nobody flinches, blinks or turns the head away.
- Both players keep jogging through the catch and past each other.
- Hands are up and out at least two strides before the ball arrives.
- The ball is caught in front of the body, not trapped against it.
The mistakes
Blinking or turning the head at the last instant, which is fear and not technique.
Say: “Eyes open and hands early.”
Stopping dead a stride before the ball arrives.
Say: “Do not slow down for it.”
Lobbing it to be kind, which quietly removes the drill.
Say: “Thrower, firm and flat.”
Walk it, and throw underhand from closer. Speed is the thing that scares them, so take it out first.
Both at full speed, and the thrower can go early or late so the receiver cannot time it.