I Can Learn This Catch
Mindset
Legend
- player
- coach / parent
- movement path
How it works
Introduce growth mindset by celebrating improvement on a difficult catch rather than celebrating only successful completions.
What you need
- football
- cones
Your focus
Young players who develop a growth mindset treat missed catches as learning opportunities rather than personal failures. Celebrating closer attempts teaches players that improvement is the goal and effort in the face of difficulty is valued. Growth mindset habits formed at this age create athletes who are resilient to the natural mistakes of sport.
Coach throws passes slightly outside the comfort zone of each player (challenging but catchable).
After each attempt, coach asks two questions: what did you do differently that time, and what will you try next?
When a player catches one, celebrate both the catch AND the effort that led to it.
End by having each player say one thing they learned about their catching in the session.
Helpful cues
- I cannot do it yet is a growth mindset starting point
- What did you learn from that miss?
- Every catch that was hard was easy before you practiced it
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Use a foam ball and throw only to the comfortable zone initially to build initial success.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Player must catch 3 in a row of a difficult route before moving on, requiring sustained growth mindset through repeated attempts.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.