How to Teach Kids to Catch a Football
Playing catch with a football can be a great bonding time for parents and children. Teaching a kid to catch a football can be made easier for both the player and the coach by taking things step by step.
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Instructions
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Use a Nerf football at first to eliminate the fear of pain. Pigskin can sting if hurled too fast. The child can practice catching the Nerf ball first to master the mechanics and gain the hand-eye coordination required to catch the leather ball with confidence. Use a bright-colored ball such as orange, lime green or red to assure visibility after the sun starts to set.
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Practice in the yard or in a park with plenty of open space. Make sure there is enough room so a missed pass does not result in a broken window. This lowers the anxiety level of the child. Invite another child, perhaps a brother or neighborhood kid, to play catch in a three-way game. Warm up by having each player toss a ball in the air slightly to himself. Have the children take the ball in their own hands. Then have them toss the ball up in the air about one foot. Have them use the underhanded "basket catch" technique to catch their own tossed ball several times. This gives them the feel of the ball and the sensation of the impact of the ball leaving their possession and coming back down into their hands.
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Form a triangle of the three participants. Stand about two feet away. First hand the ball off to the person on your right. Step two steps away and do an underhanded toss. Increase the distance by one or two steps. Continue to toss and catch the ball underhanded until you are about 10 feet apart.
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Now switch the throwing to an overhanded lob. After every three times around the triangle, take a step back. Whenever a player begins to miss three times in a row, take a step back in and repeat the three-throw procedure until the player can catch at that distance three times successfully. Add velocity to the throws once confidence and consistency are established.
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Return the next day and repeat the process with a leather ball. Work through the steps at a comfortable pace and increase distance and velocity as the players' catching skill improves.
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On the third day, do the drill with only two participants. Continue to practice until throwing and catching become natural.
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Tips & Warnings
If the ball consistently gets away from the player, have him relax his arms and guide the ball into his body. Model the technique and practice at different levels of distance and velocity.
