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Big Ball Catch

A grown-up tosses a big soft ball gently from close by, and the child catches it with hands and arms. Catching is a skill for every ball sport.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Stand 2 big steps apart with a big soft ball.

Ages
4 to 6
Time
3 min
Players
Just you
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Big soft ball or beach ball
Level · skill
Beginner · Hurdles

The steps

How it works

  1. Stand 2 big steps apart with a big soft ball.
  2. Show “ready hands”: arms out, fingers spread.
  3. Toss the ball gently, underhand, to their chest.
  4. They catch and toss it back. Step back a little after 5 good catches.

Coaching point

Praise the try: “You watched it all the way!”

Safety: A big soft ball only, tossed gently and underhand from close by.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Let the child be the coach for a turn: show the grown-up how to do “Big Ball Catch”, then swap.

Story

You are a superhero in training, and “Big Ball Catch” is today’s mission.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free track and field week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

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Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.