In this installment of Let’s Talk Strategy, we’re going to address the ol’ Dump and Catch. This is when someone is in possession of a ball, they quickly get rid of it, and then successfully catch another ball; all while remaining live in the game.
A few ways of dumping the ball includes:
- Sending it over the centre line;
- Passing to another teammate;
- Passing to yourself or dropping the ball.
I know that last option sounds a bit crazy, but stick with me and I’ll explain more!
1) Sending it over the centre line is pretty straight forward and is likely the easiest to try. In this example, a player will throw or drop the ball they are holding over the centre line just before catching a ball that their opponents throw at them.
Pro tip: No matter where you are on the court, you can use this strategy to ‘bait’ your opponents into throwing at you. Your opponents are far less likely to catch your dump if you’re closer to the centre line, however this may make a catch more difficult for you, so watch out!
2) Passing to a teammate is a bit more risky, but as long as they’re prepared for the pass and successfully catch it (within the allotted 10 second span of an active ball), they can help keep you in the game and co-operatively eliminate your opponents.
Pro tip: The more arc you can put on the pass, the more time they will have to react and help you out.
3) Passing to yourself is by far the most risky and challenging strategy, but if done successfully, it’s sure to wow the crowd! This is done by tossing the ball high into the air right before your opponent throws towards you, catching their ball, dumping that one, catching your first ball, then either dumping or playing that one. You have to move quickly because you only have a 10 second time limit with each ball, not to mention gravity working against you!
Pro tip: Dropping the ball likely isn’t going to work out for you; however, if you catch your opponents ball before the one you drops touches the floor, you’ve successfully caught them out, and you’ve just sacrificed yourself in order to do it.
You can easily win a game of dodgeball while playing a ‘catcher’s game’, it might just take some practice and teamwork. Use these strategies to improve your defensive game and dump your opponents!
