USA Ultimate

Anticipation & Focus

by Gwen Ambler

I am a firm believer that anticipation and focus are the most important elements for successful catching. I'll leave it to others to discuss the finer points of catching techniques. 

For anticipation, not only do you want to anticipate where the disc is headed, but you have to prepare your body for an anticipated catch. Anticipating the disc's path is basically reading the disc. You need to be able to judge accurately how fast the disc is traveling and along what trajectory so that you can meet it at the best point possible, which is usually the earliest point possible. 

One tip that has proved invaluable time and time again for reading a high disc is to position yourself so you can see an edge along the side of the disc. The plane that the edge of the disc is on will determine where it lands once you factor in how fast it's moving, so make sure you can see the line the edge forms so you can predict where it will travel. 

It's important to practice reading a disc so that you know when to jump to catch a huck at your higest point possible. Even more important (because it applies to more catches during a game) is to practice reading the speed of low passes so that you can change the angle of your cut while the disc is in mid-air so you meet every pass as soon as you can. Attacking the disc by taking the shortest path will enable you to keep your defender on your back and shield the disc from D bids. 

Preparing your body for a catch is an often overlooked element of catching. I've seen a number of players drop passes because they were concentrating so hard on running to the disc as fast as they can (which involves pumping your arms to your side) that they hadn't prepared their hands for a catch (which involves your hands out in front of you) by the time they reached the disc. You have to anticipate when and where you're going to reach the disc and already be ready to catch the disc when that time/space arrives. 

This does not mean stopping to wait for the disc to get to you. Instead, it often means propelling yourself through the air with your last step so that you have time in the air to concentrate on the watching the disc into your hands. I am always a fan of catching the disc with both feet off the ground, mid-stride whenever possible. This gives your body, hands, and eyes the appropriate time to prepare for the catch. 

Focus as it applies to catching is simple. Watch the disc all the way into your hands. All the way. And never try to assess where you're going to throw your next pass before you have the disc firmly in your hand(s).