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[Mr Cricket]

morning all

im looking for ways to practice my slip catching as i am being groomed as the next first slip in the first team so its important to take as many as possible.

i put a relatively easy one down yesterday which was low and to my left although i took a good one off the spinner diving behind the keeper.

my catching ability is good, but id like a few simple routines to sharpen up and ensure nothing goes past.

all suggestions welcome, thanks in advance

[Howzat]

A good one for a group of people is get the slips in position along with a keeper.  Get someone to overarm throw the ball at a batsman who just angles the bat so the ball is deflected through to the slips.

[stevie_94_]

One I do to try and replicate edges is get an old plastic box with ridges on the top and get someone to throw a ball onto it, you get some ridiculous movement but it does help sharpen reflexes I feel 

[Tumo]

Saving yourself from having to run in the field Lemmy? have you got a katchet or anything at Stamford? We use one at Uni, it's very good. Helps because you get different angles and different pace on the ball. Can't argue with anything that's been said already either!

[ianbuchanan]

Katchet boards are brilliant, we use one during our warm up before the game, it works really well.

[Blazer]

The two most important things for a slip fielder is having soft hands and quick reflex. try catching a tennis ball bouncing off the wall for soft hands, and a golf ball for reflex training.

[Liam-SCCC]

We have a cradle and a crazy catch. Hopefully getting a katchet board

[tommo256]

We have a katchet, cradle and we do the group one all good stuff

[johan95]

Get someone to lace tennis balls at you from a distance. They travel at the same speed as the balls do at slip and if you can catch a quick moving tennis ball you'll definitely catch a cricket ball...

[Nickauger]

Get someone to lace tennis balls at you from a distance. They travel at the same speed as the balls do at slip and if you can catch a quick moving tennis ball you'll definitely catch a cricket ball...

Apart from a tennis ball not being solid 5.5ozs and the same size. Imo, that's not going to help. 

[johan95]

Apart from a tennis ball not being solid 5.5ozs and the same size. Imo, that's not going to help. 

Admittedly it will not help with the feel of a cricket ball - but it dramatically improves your hand-eye...

[Nickauger]

Very true

[Buzz]

nothing like dredging up a really old thread!!

however there is a nice video on slip catching from Matt Prior today which is worth a view (probably UK only)

http://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12172/10026882/pakistan-v-england-matt-prior-demonstrates-the-art-of-slip-catching

[ilanz_bess]

Apart from a tennis ball not being solid 5.5ozs and the same size. Imo, that's not going to help. 

Actually bro, catching tennis balls helps alot! While it may not mimic a cricket ball (ie being hard and the weight and so on) it helps massively to work on catching balls with soft hands, which is paramount for anyone especially slip catchers. While with cricket balls you can go with hard hands and the ball may stick, with tennis balls, the balls will contantly bounce out of your hands. Both have there place in training.

[rickjames]

Don't watch Ian Bell is the best advice I could give you