Cricket isn’t just limited to batting and bowling. They both are primary skills, no doubt, but fielding also plays an important role. And we have seen some of the finest fielders in the sport.
A team with better fielding efforts can turn the momentum of a match. And among those efforts comes the catching.
Fielders perhaps practice catching the ball for hours. Now it looks pretty simple from the outside, but it isn’t.
There are so many technical things involved. And one common thing you will notice is fielders pulling back their hands while completing a catch.
But why do fielders move their hands backwards while holding a catch?
Well, let’s find out the answer in this article.
Fielders Pulling Back Hands to Catch the Ball
As it turns out, there is some physics involved behind the fielder’s reaction. Here Newton’s Laws of Motion come into the picture.
You must have studied them during your school days. Now without going back to the school days and much into physics, we’ll explain the reason behind the fielder’s hand movement in simple terms.
You see, the cricket ball is quite hard. And we have seen bowlers delivering it at a high pace while batters thrash it at double the speed.
So if you try to get hold of a ball coming down at 150 kmph with hard hands, it’s gonna hurt really bad. The ball after landing in your hands will have a huge impact, which may leave you with bruises or even serious injuries.
We have seen players dislocate their fingers and split their webbing, among other worse hand and finger injuries. No one wants to get injured. So taking a catch with hard hands is a direct invitation for it.
Plus, if you keep your hands still, then the fast-approaching ball may pop out of the palms, resulting in a dropped chance. And this may cost your team dearly.
So to avoid getting injured and dropping the catches, players often move their hands backwards while grabbing the ball. This technique is often termed ‘soft hands’.
By doing so, the fielders reduce the speed of the ball gradually with their soft hands by giving it more time. This means that your hands will face less impact as you pull them backwards in the ball’s direction.
It will save you from any bruises and, of course, reduce dropped catches. Now that you know the reason, don’t forget to apply it during your fielding drills. Happy catching!
Read Next | How Does a Player Draft Work in T20 Cricket Leagues?
Leave a Reply