Catch and Balance
Coordination & Body Control
Legend
- player
- cones
- ball
- movement path
How it works
Develop basic hand-eye coordination and body control by catching passes while maintaining a balanced stance.
What you need
- football
- cones
Your focus
Catching a moving ball while staying balanced requires young players to coordinate eyes, hands, and feet simultaneously. Isolating the catch-and-balance skill early prevents the common habit of watching the ball instead of securing it. Body control learned in low-pressure catching drills transfers directly to live route running.
Players stand 5 yards from the coach in an athletic stance.
Coach throws soft passes to various heights (high, mid, low) requiring different body adjustments to catch.
After each catch, player holds the balanced landing position for 2 seconds before resetting.
Run 10 catches each player; coach praises body balance and catching technique equally.
Goal
You've got it when you catch three in a row without your feet shuffling or your body lurching to reach it, feet planted, hands do the work.
Helpful cues
- Eyes on the ball all the way into your hands
- Bend your knees when the ball is low, don't reach with straight legs
- Squeeze it, then hold your balance
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Use a foam ball and throw at very soft pace.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Player catches while taking one lateral step, requiring coordination of movement and catching simultaneously.No account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.