Head catch is a fun and an easy game or soccer drill to end a day of hard work and practice. This drill is not a suitable one for younger players that aren’t capable of heading a ball just yet. It is more of a drill suitable for players who are 14 years old and above. The setup of the game is very basic and simple and involves the players forming a circle around their coach. The coach has a single soccer ball with him. The lighter the ball the better it is as players will be required to head the ball. The players should be standing just a few steps away from the coach, approximately 5 yards away.
The coach will start with one player and then works his way around the entire circle by tossing the soccer ball underhand at each and every other player standing in the circle. As he tosses the ball and while the ball is in mid air, the coach yells “catch” or he yells the word “head”. If the coach were to yell “catch“, then the player must catch the soccer ball and if the coach were to yell the word “head” then the player must head the ball. If a player was to make an error, he is out of the game and is asked to sit out. The coach then keeps going around the circle till there is only a single player standing at the end of the game. This player will be the winner of the game.
Head catch is primarily just a different and fun way to end a soccer training session. It is important to note that the less time the player is given to react to what the coach says, the more the drill helps in working on their reaction time. The coach can assign 5 minutes after practice for this soccer head catch drill or game.