Basic catching techniques

Image credit: Boon Ping Chua/SportSG

Catching is often a technique that is taken for granted as compared to throwing. However, for anyone to be a good Ultimate Frisbee player, they’ll need to be proficient in both aspects of the game.

There are two basic catching techniques that every Ultimate Frisbee player must master - the two-handed and one-handed catch. The former is the more versatile of the two techniques because there are more variations. Once mastered, you can proceed to tweak these basic techniques into more advanced ones that give you more leverage and flexibility on the field. Before reading further, always keep the two most important rules of catching in mind:

1.    Always keep your eye on the disc and the people around you.

2.    The two-handed catch is always more preferable and easier than a one-handed catch.

Two-handed catching
Much like it’s name, this technique calls for the use of both hands to capture the disc. They are very helpful especially for throws that are just below the knees, just above the head or those that are about a foot either side of the body. They are also very versatile with many styles.

1.    Pancake Catch
The most basic of the two-handed technique is the Pancake Catch. This is good for straightforward throws because all you have to do is to catch the disc safely with your palms facing each other like a pancake. When attempting this, keep your hands in front of and close to your body with both hands at right angles to gather the disc.

2.    Crocodile Catch
This catch uses the exact same technique as the Pancake Catch but with the arms far out in front of the body. Get your arms and body in line with the direction of travel of the disc and keep your arms slightly parallel. The Crocodile Catch is useful for capturing fast moving discs.

3.    Rim Catch
The Rim Catch is normally only used when the disc is well above the head of the player or low around the ankles. Use both hands to grab on the leading edge of the disc, with one hand on either side.

However, by catching the disk by the rim, you might allow it to have a tendency to spin out of control and out of your hands. So try not to use this catch, unless necessary because it is often regarded as risky and dangerous.

4. One-handed catch
These are useful for throws around the ankles, well above the head, or far to either side that require you to stretch more. An example would be when the disc is skied way above receivers and defenders heads in the air. Here’s a tip. When the disc is above the elbow, catch it with your hand thumb down, otherwise execute it thumb up.

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