High ball security

With more kicking a likely consequence of the ELVs, players are going to have to be more secure catching the high ball. This session looks at the different styles for the catch and leads towards a kicking game to test players in a variety of scenarios.

What to think about

• Regular catch The player keeps both feet on the ground, turns his shoulders and draws the ball into his body.
• Jumping catch (see the picture overleaf) To gain some height, the player leaps before receiving the ball. He cannot be tackled in the air.
• Aussie rules catch (see the picture overleaf) As he leaps, the player turns his palms outwards to the ball to get his hands above his opponents.

set-up

1. Move towards the likely dropping zone of the catch and claim the space before the opposition.
2. Get your hands above your eye line, before bringing the ball in towards your body.
3. If you can, turn your body to make yourself less of a target. If you drop the ball, then it will go backwards with this method.
4. Pass the ball away if possible.

What you get your players to do

Put a player on each corner of the square, one with a ball. Get the ball carrier to run towards a corner before throwing the ball up towards the player there. The player on the corner catches the high ball and passes it out to another corner. He follows his pass.