Dodgeball Training: Catching Tips

[acefire65]

im good at dodgeball like throwing and dodging but i cant catch for crap lol my friends say keep your hands dry and try let the ball go to your chest, but since i was a wide reseiver so i try to catch it with my hands outstretched and use the daimond like catching a football >.< so im trying to find a position for me to try catch a ball from my chest. any help with that?

[frgt10drgn]

@acefire65 - You need to break that habit first when you play dodgeball. Since your opponent is trying to hit you, you don't need to reach after every ball thrown, especially when it's thrown above 60 mph. That's how players sprain or even break fingers when they're reaching for balls. Let the thrown balls that won't hit you fly by. Catch the ones that are thrown at your torso, by standing your ground and timing your hands to grab the ball before it hits and bounces off your chest.

[gazza4543]

im good at dodgeball probaly cause im a goalkeeper i usally just chuck myself to try and get i know its not the best idea but its fun considering im the first person in my school to catch a ball with my hands and feet

[Confusedfurry]

i remember a really awesome catch i did on a dodgeball game a while ago, jumped infront of a guy with the ball coming right for him, only just caught it.

[0mgWtfBbq718]

I suck at dodgeball, only because I can't throw. We use those pathetic nerf balls and they're too lightweight for me to throw. I was playing dodgeball once and somebody on me team said "Give it to the guy who cant throw" later that day I threw a tennis ball at him; it hit his chest and he actually fell back on his ass from the force that I exerted with the throw.

[frgt10drgn]

@0mgWtfBbq718 - You just need the right sized dodgeball. However, you should work with an 8.5 inch diameter dodgeball to improve your throw since that ball size is more widely used in the game.

[SasukeIsPwnage]

@0mgWtfBbq718 Try thinking of your arm as a slingshot, instead of the kind of baseball-throw. With dodgeballs, you need to use a completely different technique. I can get someone out across the gym so hard he can't catch it, but I can't do shit with a baseball compared to that.

[551enjoi]

I cut him

[thecrazyfullness]

:) it's my last year at camp and your vids have helped me tear it up. We have a daily tournament and I have only lost once with a pretty bad team. Keep up the great vids

[CaptainLlamaOwns]

so i can throw the ball about 73 mph, but i cant catch worth a damn, and theres a lot of asians and mexicans that i play with that make fun of me (i throw sidearm because i have almost no muscle at all). do you have any other tips to help out on catching?

[MichaelJacksonpoop]

hey, i entered a dodge ball competition with my team, and we are gonna face probably other and stronger teams, and it will be a high chance that we will lose, any tips on making it fairer?

[frgt10drgn]

Use your team's strengths to your advantage. If you guys are good catchers, goad players into throwing at your chest. If one of your teammates has an arm, let him or her pick people off and protect him.

Double-team shots work much better than 1 cannon-arm as long as you both are really coordinated.

Teamwork goes a long way to increasing your chance to win a game.

Finally, staying alive overall will always give you a chance to win even if you're facing a stacked team.

[UbnubGirl96]

I can dodge the dodgeballs better than anyone at my church, but I can't throw anything. and I'm usually the last one in on our team, and every person on the other team throws the dodgeballs around 40 to 60 mph. so I can rarely catch anything. Got any tips for someone with a weak arm?

[frgt10drgn]

Aiming and timing will be your biggest assets then. They have to be at a high level to compensate for your lack of power. Try holding on to a ball for a majority of the time to protect yourself and ALWAYS throw either at their feet or just out of their reach. Also try not to throw unless they're close enough in which they have no choice but to try to catch.

Usually get close to them and wait until they throw first, block or dodge it, and that should give you the opening to take em out.

[didworth]

I'm white and I play Dodgeball with a lot of Asians. Should I stop playing dodgeball?

[frgt10drgn]

Lol never.

[551enjoi]

There this mexican and he throws like sixty miles perhour what do i do?

[frgt10drgn]

When encountering opponents who throw relatively fast, use tip #4 to the best you can.

You won't have enough time to make second guesses once your opponent throws a 60+ mph ball so choose a defensive catching stance right before he releases the ball and only attempt a catch if it's in your range.

Oh, also don't take your eyes off the ball AT ALL. This way at least you'll have a chance to somewhat predict where it'll land so you can attempt to catch it.

[chrisbear08]

@551enjoi Send him back to where he came xD

[bgrunberg]

Hi, what about when you have 2-3 balls thrown at the same time towards you. It's hard to keep your eyes on all of them and try to dodge them. Any tips on that? tks

[frgt10drgn]

Good question "bgrunberg"...

When that happens, a general rule of thumb is to not stand still. Start running because hitting a moving target is always harder.

Also, while running, right at the moment before they throw, change up your movement and juke the other way to avoid people who lead their throws.

Finally, while you're doing all of that and if you think you're good enough, pick out someone you can handle and go for their catch; all the while dodging the other balls.

[frgt10drgn]

If you're still having trouble keeping track of all of the balls, try selective visioning. As they throw, there's a moment right before they make contact where you can see where each ball is going. Train your eyes to see which ones will hit and which ones will miss. This takes a lot of experience though, but it's possible, so keep practicing.

Remember, this moment is usually only a 4th of a second so your brain only has "one chance" each time to tell your body what to do.

Hope this helps. :)

[bgrunberg]

Thanks for the tips.... I've been playing for a few months now (1-2 times a week), and I'm a lot better than when I started. A lot of it is learning strategy, when to throw, when to catch, etc... but looking to improve my game with my weaknesses (dodgeing more than one ball thrown at me at the same time, etc..). thanks again

PS, I also throw side arm (vs. like a baseball pitch), as my arm does not hurt that way, get more power, and able to put a spin on the ball).

[frgt10drgn]

Good to hear. Let me know how you do when you start putting it to the test in tournaments.

Side arm is nice for getting a good spin off the ball (curves in particular) and doesn't run out of gas as much like overhanders do. However, keep trying to improve a baseball throw too because when you adapt to the pain with overhand throws, you'll realize that you actually get a lot more power than with side arms. Plus having 2 types of throws is beneficial overall.

[bgrunberg]

Sounds good, thanks for your advice and getting back to me. The more I play the better I get. Like you said, training my brain to react faster and faster,.. (faster reaction time).

[imwustrau1]

thx

[riotbyangel]

Sweet! Thanks!