Picking up the ball clean and making an “effective” handball (a handball the reaches its intended target) are skills that can play an important role in determining which team wins.
Skill: Ball Handling
The best way to get used to how a ball feels in the hands and how to transition it for delivery by hand or foot is to constantly have one in the hands moving it, throwing it, catching it and in different positions.
Activities: Ball Handling
- Lying down pass ball from hand to hand
- Progress with bigger through from hand to hand
- Standing up pass the ball in a figure between your legs: go 10 – 20 one way and then change direction
- Pass the ball around your back: go 10 – 20 one way and then change direction
Skill: Picking up the ball
- Use 2 hands to pick up the ball
- Attack the ball – meet the ball rather than waiting for it.
- Get low (bend at the knees)
- Maintain your momentum – don’t stop at the ball, move through it
- Palms facing up and get under the ball
A good analogy to think about when trying to pick up the ball is to “chase the chickens.” Imagine you are trying to catch chickens and how you would get low to the ground to do so.
Activity: Ground ball Pick up in a triangle.
- Players in 3.
- Roll the ball out to one who then picks up and handballs to the next person
- 1 -2 balls per group
- Focus on getting body-line right.
- Player receiving must get in the right position to receive the handball
Skill: Handball
- Cradle the ball in the bottom hand
- Make a tight fist with punching hand (thumb on outside)
- Bend the elbow of the punching hand
- Make contact just above the “x” of the ball
- Catch your fist after you make contact with the ball
- Move towards your target
Activity: Handball triangle
- 3 players set up in triangle.
- One person at the “head of the triangle”
- 2 other players take turns handballing to the “head of the triangle”
- (2 to 3 balls in each group)
