Final answer:
For a successful catch, it's important to 'give' with the ball by moving your hands towards your body to absorb the impact and maintain strong eye-hand coordination to time the catch efficiently. Stiff hands increase the likelihood of the ball bouncing off, while 'giving' and eye-hand coordination decrease it.
Step-by-step explanation:
When attempting to make a successful catch, two key performance cues can greatly help: giving with the ball and maintaining eye-hand coordination. First, 'giving with the ball' means moving your hands slightly towards your body as you catch the ball, which helps to absorb the impact and reduce the chance of the ball bouncing out of your hands. Second, keeping your eyes on the ball and coordinating this visual information with your hand movements is crucial for timing your catch effectively.
Let's use an example. If you catch a ball with your hands still and rigid, there's a greater chance the ball will bounce off your hands and you will drop it. In comparison, if you 'give' with the ball by pulling your hands toward your body, you absorb some of the ball's momentum, and it is less likely to bounce away. Similarly, when you hit water with your full palm versus diving fingers first, the palm creates a larger impact, similar to a belly flop, which is less efficient and more painful than a streamlined dive. This principle can be applied to catching by using a more streamlined hand position to minimize impact force.
Therefore, for a successful catch, one should avoid stiff, unmoving hands and instead focus on 'giving' with the ball and maintaining strong eye-hand coordination.