Catching is an underrated skill in ultimate. Some very experienced players are lazy and display poor catching techniques, and this is reflected in frequent drops. A good catcher makes difficult catches look easy and impossible catches look gettable. It is often said that if you get a hand to a disc you should catch it. More correctly, if the disc is thrown to you, you should make your best attempt to catch it. Desperation wins games. On the other hand, poor catching can often lose games.

Two-handed catching
Using two hands is essential for catches from just below the knees to just above the top of the head and at least a foot either side of the body. There are a few different styles of catching, used under different circumstances.
Most straightforward catches will use the pancake style, while harder passes, particularly those when the receiver is running at speed may use the crocodile style. Only catches that are too high or too low to be caught safely with palms facing each other should be caught with both hands on the rim.

Pancake Catch
Whenever possible, catches should be attempted two-handed, with the palms facing each other. The pancake style is close to the body, with hands at right angles to each other. The receiver should attempt to get their body behind the direction of travel of the disc. It has the advantage that if the catch is mistimed, there is a good chance that the disc will hit the body of the receiver and still be caught between the hands. This is the style that should be used for the majority of throws, as it is least prone to error.

Crocodile Catch
The crocodile style is out in front of the body with arms almost parallel, and often with some of the impact being absorbed by the forearms. As for the pancake catch, the receiver should attempt to get their body behind the disc.
The reason in this case is to get the arms in line with the direction of travel of the disc.
The main use for this type of catch is when the disc is travelling at speed relative to the receiver. The forearms provide a longer area to decelerate the disc over, and hard throws are less likely to be dropped.
The disadvantage is that because the arms are roughly parallel, the disc has a tendency to flip out sideways if the arms do not move directly up and down towards each other.

Rim Catch
Catches with both hands on the rim are risky and rarely necessary. They should only be used if the disc is well above the head or the around ankles, and in the latter case only when it is not possible or reasonable to dive or slide to catch it.
The disc should be caught with both hands on the leading edge, one hand on either side of the disc.
The reason rim catches are risky is that they have a tendency to spin out of the hands sideways, a tendency which is stopped by catching the disc on top and bottom.

Layout Catch
Often, it is necessary to layout in order to get near enough to the disc to attempt a catch or to get away from striving defenders. Two-handed layout catches are more difficult than one-handed ones because the impact with the ground often dislodges the disc.
To avoid being ground stripped, the catcher should try to keep the arms from hitting the ground, and use the rest of the body to take the impact. A one-handed catch should be used wherever possible, otherwise a two-handed rim catch is best, because it is less likely to dislodge.

One-handed Catch
A one-handed catch should be attempted anywhere where it is difficult or impossible to catch with two hands. Having to stretch a bit or avoiding falling on the ground is not an excuse for catching one- handed. Catches around the ankles, well above the head, or far to either side must necessarily be caught with one hand. When the disc is skied above receivers’ and defenders’ heads in the air it is usually most advantageous to contest it with one hand. If the disc is above the elbow, it should be caught thumb down, otherwise thumb up: experience will show the difference.

Sweet Spot
One-handed catches are attempted on the rim of the disc, but should preferably NOT be on the leading edge. The “sweet spot” for catching is to one side of the most leading point on the edge, depending on the direction of spin. This is because both angular and linear momentum must be absorbed by the catch. Experimentation will help most in understanding this. One-handed layouts are easier on the body than two-handed layouts, since there is more flexibility in the position that the receiver can land in. The fingers will be underneath the disc with the thumb on top. A tight grip is needed once the disc is caught to avoid being ground stripped. As for the two-handed layout, the receiver should try to keep the arm with the disc, or at least the elbow, off the ground.

Practicing
Although two-handed catches should be used whenever possible in a game, the more difficult catches will all be one-handed, so you will need to practice one-handed catching more than two-handed. Just remember to use two-hands when it counts.

Jumping
There are two reasons for jumping to catch a disc.
The first is simply getting the body off the ground to make a catch easier.
The second is where the receiver needs to get as high as possible to get to the disc. These are looked at in separate paragraphs.

The most comfortable place to catch a disc is just above waist height. If the disc is above this height, the receiver should jump. There are two good reasons for jumping. The first is to make the catch more manageable and at a more convenient height. The second is that running along makes the body jolt up and down noticeably. Jumping provides a more stable temporary catching environment as it stops this jolting movement during the catch. The body travels smoothly and regularly through the air, so the receiver only has to anticipate movements of the disc, and not their body as well. Both feet should leave the ground to make the catch. Most catches above the waist, and even some below will be made easier by jumping.

Sometimes it will not be possible to catch a disc unless the receiver jumps. In these instances it is in the receiver’s interest to get their body as high as possible. Jumping is a skill, and something that can be practiced and improved upon. Following are some suggestions and comments on jumping technique.