This article is going to take a look at close catching for cricket. Close catching is normally associated with fielding in close to wicket; a great example is in the slips or around the bat, such as silly point or short leg.

Often the ball will be coming at pace and so it's vital to have the correct technique in order to not only give yourself the best chance of taking the catch but also to minimise the risk of injury. The technique can be broken down into four main areas, of which we'll work through from feet to head.

Stable Base

The ideal base is to have your feet around a shoulder's width apart with your weight evenly distributed. Having the weight on both feet is crucial as is not only means you're in a good position for the catch but you will be able to make quick movements in any direction. 
Some coaches will also recommend that you're up on the balls of you feet but this is less critical - the key is to be balanced.

Hands

Hands should be together with fingers spread and pointing downwards. It is important to do this as it helps to reduce the likelihood of the ball hitting the ends of the fingers, which is pretty painful - trust me on this one.

Hand position will change depending exactly where you're fielding but the general placement is either around the knees or waist. If fielding a little further out from the wicket then the hands may be a little higher.

It is also important to learn to 'give' with the hands once you have the ball. 'Give' (it can also be called 'soft' hands) means bringing the hands back into the body in an attempt to cushion the ball. This helps to stop the ball bouncing back out and also some of the stress on the hands.

Head

The head needs to be over the hands at all times. By doing this it ensures that you're in a good position to take the catch and able to watch the ball all the way into the hands. 
Watching the ball into the hands is critical; the cause of many dropped catches is down to people taking their eye off the ball and losing it. Even if other things aren't quite right if you're watching the ball you have a good chance.

Body Position

Again this may change depending upon where you are in the field but for most close catching p you'll be adopting a low body position. By low we mean with a slight bend in the knees and the head leaning forward.

Getting low gives the best chance of reaching low catches as well giving an added spring should you need to make a dive one way or the other. Remember - it's a lot easier to go upwards than it is to go down.

Practice

The way to practice is to have catches hit at you but there are ways to make it more interesting. It's important to also put yourself under pressure when during practice as this will help to prepare for match days. Pressure can be added by making the drill competitive or simply by having distractions around you (one we use is to have people coming up and talking/shouting/being annoying and generally trying to put us off) for example.

Try facing a wall with a partner behind you who will throw the ball at the wall for you to catch the rebound. This will help with reflexes as you'll be 'blind' to the actual throw so have to rely on watching the ball of the wall and into your hands. Move closer or further away from the wall to increase/decrease difficulty.

Another drill of similar vein is to face away from your partner, who then calls 'turn'. On this call you turn around and then attempt to catch the ball which is thrown at the same time. This drill can easily be turned into a general fielding drill.

I would recommend that the majority of practice is carried out with tennis balls, as they not only reduce impact on the hands but the bounce of the ball encourages the use of the all important 'soft' hands. If you can catch a tennis ball consistently then a cricket ball will be a breeze. Of course it is also important to train with a hard ball, so swap between the two. You may want to consider a third option of a windball for a bit of variety.

Summary

Feet shoulder width apart (stable base) 
Knees Flexed 
Hands together, fingers pointing down 
Head over the hands 
Eyes watching the ball 
Soft hands (or give)