Playing Catch and Beyond
by M.C. Cohen

Betsy, a bright seven-year old had been diagnosed with a learning disability by her school. Her disability not only affects her as a student, but also on the playground, as students who have trouble with reading and other academic subjects can also be clumsy.

Betsy’s mother looked into a variety of professional help and chose me, an athletic tutor specializing in hand-eye coordination, as one of her mentors. Working with Betsy was challenging. She had trouble putting more than one movement together, catching and throwing a ball was almost impossible for her. Through developing her coordination, she would increase her confidence, thus making more friends, all of it translating into a more well rounded child.

After two years of hard work, Betsy has in fact made great strides. She plays goalie on a soccer team—recently her mother was raving about what a great save she made in a game, how she has improved her schoolwork, and how she has lots of play-dates.

So what did Betsy do to increase her skills? First and foremost she did a lot of repetitions—or reps as it is known in the sports world. In other words, practice, practice, practice. Keep on throwing, catching and moving.

Using the right products is very important as well. A variety of companies produce equipment that claim to improve hand-eye coordination. The following are a small sample of the products that I have found to be highly effective.

“Ballmerang” (Bunjeez, www.bunjeez.com) is the best of the many self-catching balls (attached to a string) on the market. With its adjustable Velcro wristband, the ball bounces back to the player and can be caught with either one hand or both. This has been a terrific teaching tool for kids like Betsy because they don’t have to worry about chasing the ball all over the gym.

Yomega (www.yomega.com), best known for its high-performance, centrifugal force yo-yo, has produced an innovative new ball called the “Quickball.” Slightly smaller than a Wiffle ball, this “new age” plastic ball is really a blast to catch. The ball’s best feature is the way it jumps off the bat. So, for someone like Betsy, just tapping the ball can seem like a great hit. Yomega also has a great new adjustable paddleball called the “Extreme 180” with a cord that can be adjusted based on skill level.

Another neat and creative way to teach catching and tracking skills is by using the Aeromax 2000 (www.aeromaxtoys.com). This cool-looking, neon colored toy paratrooper attached to a miniature parachute is not only fun to look at, but works as a great skill-builder as well. Just throw it as high as you can and catch it while it descends slowly.

Saturniani (Plymouth MI. 1-800-653-2719) makes a super line of products to help kids improve at the introductory level. With easy to grip, soft, multi-colored items such as a bowling set, a flying disc and a variety of balls, Saturniani has equipment that seems to invite kids to just “ jump right in.”

Gymnic (www.newmed-gymnic.com), the company best known for it’s large size balls that stretch the back, also has a line of smaller balls that have great tactile feel for beginning catchers and throwers.

Still, the best may be the simplest; Spalding’s high-bounce rubber ball is easy on the hands and tough on skill development.

M.C. Cohen runs his own sports tutoring business, specializing in children with learning disabilities. He can be contacted through the newspaper.

Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel: (212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
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