WHY IS CATCHING THE BALL SO DIFFICULT?

It never fails fails to amaze me how many times during a game a player will be wide open and asking for the ball, and yet when the ball is delivered to them... they fumble the catch. Needless to say, it doesn't do any good to be wide open if you aren't ready to catch the ball when it is delivered.

A great passer reads when you are prepared to catch a ball and delivers it in a timely fashion. However all too many passers, think just getting the ball in your vicinity completes their mission. Because you have the responsibility of catching the pass (even a bad one) it pays to know how to catch them.

1. Deccelerate the Ball on the Catch for Soft Hands

The most common cause for catching error in basketball are stiff hands and arms. The hands and arms must serve as shock absorbers to take the energy out of the ball. The best passers zip the ball which means if you try to catch it with stiff arms the energy has to go somewhere. Commonly, this energy remains in the ball causing it to tumble through your hands or glance off them. As the pass arrives anticipate the energy and take the energy out of the ball.

2. Catch the Ball with the Finger Tips

You shoot a basketball off the finger tips because this is the area you have the most sensory receptors and you have the greatest ability to adjust or control the flight of the ball. So what is so different when it comes to catching a ball. If you expect to be a great "catcher" remember you have to literally feel it. Let the ball come into your finger tips and feel the ball.

3. Watch It Hit

You can't go anywhere without the basketball so be sure you watch the ball clear into your hands and secure it prior to attempting to initiate any move. A great number of catching turnovers are the result of simply trying to initiate your move prior to having the basketball firmly in your possession. Just as you lock on the basket when you are a great shooter, lock onto the ball until it hits your finger tips and secure that gem prior to attempting to do anything else with the basketball.

4. Catch It and Snatch It

Once the ball hits the finger tips, snatch it like a rebound with strength. If the ball is not caught in your natural shooting spot or triple threat position snatch it immediately to this position. Good defenders recognize when you are not in position to pass, shoot or dribble, and pressure you accordingly. If you must catch a pass to advance the ball in your half court or full-court offenses where you are not an immediate threat to score, then snatch the ball under your chin to this position of strength until you can pivot and put yourself into the triple threat position without unnecessarily exposing the ball to a defender.

- Alan Lambert