Catching is an underrated skill in ultimate. Some very experienced players are lazy and display poor catching techniques, and this is reflected in frequent drops. A good catcher makes difficult catches look easy and impossible catches look gettable. It is often said that if you get a hand to a disc you should catch it. More correctly, if the disc is thrown to you, you should make your best attempt to catch it. Desperation wins games. On the other hand, poor catching can often lose games.
Using two hands is essential for catches from just below the knees to just above the top of the head and at least a foot either side of the body. There are a few different styles of catching, used under different circumstances. Most straightforward catches will use the pancake style, while harder passes, particularly those when the receiver is running at speed may use the crocodile style. Only catches that are too high or two low to be caught safely with palms facing each other should be caught with both hands on the rim.
Whenever possible, catches should be attempted two-handed, with the palms facing each other. The pancake style is close to the body, with hands at right angles to each other. The receiver should attempt to get their body behind the direction of travel of the disc. It has the advantage that if the catch is mistimed, there is a good chance that the disc will hit the body of the receiver and still be caught between the hands. This is the style that should be used for the majority of throws as it is least prone to error.
The crocodile style is out in front of the body with arms almost parallel, and often with some of the impact being absorbed by the fore-arms. As for the pancake catch, the receiver should attempt to get their body behind the disc. The reason in this case is to get the arms in line with the direction of travel of the disc. The main use for this type of catch is when the disc is travelling at speed relative to the receiver. The forearms provide a longer area to decelerate the disc over, and hard throws are less likely to be dropped. The disadvantage is that because the arms are roughly parallel, the disc has a tendency to flip out sideways if the arms do not move directly up and down towards each other.
Catches with both hands on the rim are risky and rarely necessary. They should only be used if the disc is well above the head or the around ankles, and in the latter case only when it is not possible or reasonable to dive or slide to catch it. The disc should be caught with both hands on the leading edge, one hand on either side of the disc. The reason rim catches are risky is that they have a tendency to spin out of the hands sideways, a tendency which is stopped by catching the disc on top and bottom.
Often, it is necessary to layout in order to get near enough to the disc to attempt a catch or to get away from striving defenders. The style should be either a "crocodile" catch or a rim catch, preferably the former. Two-handed layout catches may well be more difficult than one-handed because it is harder to cushion the impact with the ground. This impact often dislodges the disc, and is called a ground strip. To avoid being ground stripped, the catcher should try to keep the arms from hitting the ground, and use the rest of the body to take the impact. This is one time when a rim catch has the advantage, because once the disc is in the hands, it is much harder to dislodge.
A one-handed catch should be attempted anywhere where it is difficult or impossible to catch with two hands. Having to stretch a bit or avoiding falling on the ground is not an excuse for catching one- handed. Catches around the ankles, well above the head, or far to either side must necessarily be caught with one hand. When the disc is skied above receiversŐ and defendersŐ heads in the air it is usually most advantageous to contest it with one hand. If the disc is above the elbow, it should be caught thumb down, otherwise thumb up: experience will show the difference.
One handed catches are attempted on the rim of the disc, but should preferably NOT be on the leading edge. The "sweet spot" for catching is to one side of the most leading point on the edge, depending on the direction of spin. This is because both angular and linear momentum must be absorbed by the catch. Experimentation will help most in understanding this.
For more information on the physics of catching, see Chris "Cork" Corcoran's article Tip of the Week 5 via Jim Parinella's Ultimate Frisbee Testosterone Page.
One-handed layouts are easier on the body than two-handed layouts, since there is more flexibility in the position that the receiver can land in. The fingers will be underneath the disc with the thumb on top. A tight grip is needed once the disc is caught to avoid being ground stripped. As for the two-handed layout, the receiver should try to keep the arm with the disc, or at least the elbow, off the ground.
There are two types of jumping in catching a disc. The first is simply getting the body off the ground to make a catch easier. The second is where the receiver needs to get as high as possible to even have a chance of catching the disc. These are looked at in separate paragraphs.
The most comfortable place to catch a disc is just above waist height. If the disc is above this height, the receiver should jump. There are two good reasons for jumping. The first is to make the catch more manageable and at a more convenient height. The second is that running along makes the body jolt up and down noticeably. Jumping provides a more stable temporary catching environment as it stops this jolting movement during the catch. The body travels smoothly and regularly through the air, so the receiver only has to anticipate movements of the disc, and not their body as well. Both feet should leave the ground to make the catch. Most catches above the waist, and even some below will be made easier by jumping.
Sometimes it will not be possible to catch a disc unless the receiver jumps. In these instances it is in the receiverŐs interest to get their body as high as possible. Jumping is a skill, and something that can be practiced and improved upon. Following are some suggestions and comments on jumping technique.
Two-legged jumps are used whenever the player is standing still. They get less height than a running one-legged jump because there is no forward momentum to be converted to upward drive. Their advantage is that once a player has established a position they can still make a leap for the disc without having to move elsewhere. In terms of technique, both legs should be extended, not tucked, so as to keep the centre of mass (COM) low, and the non-catching arm should be down, both for balance and again to keep the COM as low as possible.
Any form of training which develops power in the legs will help improve jumping ability. Tuck jumps and squats are probably the most applicable. Improvement can be measured by jumping against the same wall each session, and marking the maximum height reached.
A one-legged jump should be used anytime the player is running for the disc. The advantage of a one-legged jump are the greater height that can be attained and greater ability to adjust to changes in the disc's flight since the player is already moving, but the disadvantage is that other players may already have position, and this may negate the advantages gained.
The main points to note in a one-legged take-off are :
Much of the same training from two-legged jumps can be applied, but emphasis should be put on the driving through and up of the trailing leg. Jumping for basketball hoops is a good way of measuring progress.
Reading the disc is a topic poorly served by discussion. The way to get better at reading the disc is to get out and practise. Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out a few things which may make the disc easier to catch. There are two main aspects of reading a disc - the flight of the disc itself, and positioning relative to other players. The influence of one will often act on the other aspect, and generally they are both important.
The best players can tell what the flight of the disc will be almost as soon as it has left the hand, barring external factors like wind changes. They will be quickly in position and be able to make small adjustments as they continue to read the disc. This ability is one gained by experience, but a few generalisations are worth making. All these are with respect to a right-handed thrower:
In competing for a skyed disc, most players will try to establish a position early, and then rely on their ability to have read the disc right. As a result, much of positioning is reading the disc in the first place. However, catching a contested disc is quite different to catching an uncontested disc. In catching an uncontested disc, the aims are to make the catch as easy as possible and possibly to catch the disc in the endzone, or in the field of play. In catching a contested disc, a receiver should try to take the disc as early as possible, since the longer it is in the air the more likely it is to be D'd.
Positioning should generally set up a receiver to catch the disc as soon as it is in reach. The main factors to consider are the height and jumping ability of both receiver and defender. If the defender is short, the catch can sometimes be delayed a little to bring the disc more within reach and make the catch easier. If the defender is taller or better at jumping, possible tactics include :
A good way to practise both disc reading and positioning is to play Five Hundred.
As mentioned above, contested catches are much harder to make than uncontested catches. The receiver has to actually catch the disc, while the defender usually only has to get a finger to the disc to make the D. As a result, the defender can often be in a slightly worse position and still be able get the block. For example, a defender can jump from behind and often get a hand in on the disc, although they would never be able to catch it from there. To avoid this, the receiver can try and occupy the position that the defender wants to be in while still preventing the defender from getting the best position for catching (and note that they are not necessarily the same).
Lastly, be aware of the rules, and what constitutes a foul or a strip. If you have the disc in your possession, and it is knocked out, either by the defender knocking the disc or any part of your body, that is a strip, and you retain possession of the disc if the strip is not contested. If you do not have possession of the disc, but you are prevented from making a play on it by the defender hitting your body, that is a foul. If the foul was in the act of catching, you get possession of the disc. Otherwise it goes back to the thrower. Also, remember that while most fouls are against the defence, you can just as easily commit a foul as receiver. You only have the rights to the space which you occupy, and directly above you, and contact with people outside that space can be called as a foul. Read the rules for more elaboration, and only call fouls which are actually fouls.