Impulse= Force • Time
Momentum= Mass • (change in) Velocity
F • t = m • (change in) v
When an athlete catches a ball they are told to have “soft hands”
How do they accomplish this?
- Understanding the impulse momentum relationship behind catching
The ball has a certain mass and when the athlete goes to catch the ball, the ball is also moving at a certain velocity. Therefore, the ball has momentum.
This change in momentum is equal to the impulse of the catch
What do we do with this information?
We manipulate the change in velo to our advantage by an increasing time & reducing force of the catch
This is where “soft hands” come in
When catching with soft hands the athlete will accept the ball by slightly moving their hands with the ball during the point of contact
This slight change in the positioning of the hands to accept the ball slows the velo, increases the time of the catch and reduces the force of the ball as it hits the hands making it easier to catch the ball
This is “soft hands”
The catch the coach can’t hear
This does not mean let the ball travel all the way into the body, you still have to go out and attack the football, but at the point of contact during the catch their is a slight change in the positioning of the hands to accept the ball
Guys w/ brick hands don’t accept the ball
There are many other sensory motor neuromechanics that go into catching as well, but this thread is simply about the impulse momentum relationship between catching and soft hands
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