This is Lesson 4 of the Cricstars Under-10 Cricket Starter Plan. By now, children have hit, caught, bowled and started fielding. This lesson sharpens one of the most important cricket habits: gather the ball cleanly and throw with control.
At under-10 level, a good fielder is not the child with the strongest arm. A good fielder is the child who moves to the ball, picks it up safely and sends it towards the right target.
What children bring from Lesson 3
Lesson 3 introduced stopping, picking up and throwing. Lesson 4 adds more control. We want children to gather the ball while balanced, then throw without rushing or panicking.
Session goal
By the end of this lesson, children should be more confident gathering a moving ball and making an accurate underarm or overarm return.
Recommended setup
- Duration: 45 to 60 minutes
- Equipment: soft balls, cones, stumps, buckets
- Space: safe fielding channels or stations
- Best format: small groups with many repetitions
Warm-up: Cone collectors
Place cones or bean bags in the middle. Teams collect one item at a time and return it to their base. This builds running, bending, changing direction and awareness.
Activity 1: Gather and freeze
Roll the ball to the child. They move, gather it and freeze in a balanced throwing position. This slows the action down and helps them feel control.
Coach cue: Get low, gather, freeze.
Once they can freeze well, allow them to complete the throw.
Activity 2: Underarm return relay
Children stand in lines. The first child rolls or throws underarm to the next, who gathers and returns. Make it a race, but only clean gathers count.
This teaches children that speed without control is not enough.
Activity 3: French cricket
A batter stands in the middle and protects their legs. Fielders throw underarm with a soft ball. The batter tries to hit the ball away. Rotate roles quickly.
French cricket is excellent for this age because it mixes batting, fielding, throwing, reactions and laughter.
Overarm throw progression
Once children can gather calmly, introduce overarm throwing.
- Stand side-on.
- Point front shoulder towards the target.
- Step forward.
- Throw and follow through.
Do not ask for power first. Ask for direction and balance.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Rushing the pickup: slow down before speeding up.
- Throwing off balance: balance comes before power.
- Only using overarm throws: underarm is important for close returns.
- Long queues: create multiple stations so children stay active.
Progress markers
- The child gets lower when gathering.
- The child uses two hands more often.
- The child can throw underarm to a partner.
- The child steps towards the target when throwing overarm.
- The child stays calmer after fielding the ball.
Home practice
Roll the ball to the child from different angles. Ask them to gather and throw back softly. Add a bucket or wall target when they are ready.
How this prepares for Lesson 5
Once children can field and throw with control, we return to batting in Lesson 5. This time, batting becomes smarter: hitting into space, not just hitting anywhere.
Previous lesson: Lesson 3: Fielding and Decisions
Next lesson: Lesson 5: Hitting Into Space
Back to the full Under-10 Cricket Training Plan
Minute-by-minute session plan
- 06 minutes: Cone Collectors warm-up.
- 618 minutes: gather and freeze drill.
- 1830 minutes: underarm return relay.
- 3042 minutes: French cricket.
- 4252 minutes: overarm throw progression.
- 5260 minutes: team relay and confidence recap.
Why gathering matters
A lot of fielding mistakes happen before the throw. Children rush, pick up off balance, then throw wildly. Gathering teaches them to control the ball first. Once the ball is controlled, the throw becomes easier.
The slow-fast idea
Teach children to be fast to the ball but calm at the ball. That means they run quickly, then slow down just enough to gather cleanly. This is a very useful cricket habit. It also reduces panic.
Underarm and overarm both matter
Many young players want to throw overarm every time because it feels powerful. But close fielding often needs a quick underarm return. Teach both. Underarm for short, safe returns. Overarm for longer throws. The child should learn that the right throw depends on the situation.
How to adapt for ability
For beginners, roll the ball straight to them and allow a pause before throwing. For stronger children, roll the ball slightly wider, ask for one-motion pickup and throw, or add a target. Do not make it harder by throwing the ball too fast at them. That creates fear rather than skill.
Coach checklist
- Does the child move early?
- Does the child get low before gathering?
- Does the child stay balanced?
- Does the child choose underarm or overarm sensibly?
- Does the throw go near the target?
Parent take-home version
Use a soft ball in a hallway, driveway or backyard. Roll the ball, ask the child to gather it and return it to your hands. After a few rounds, place a bucket beside you and call either hands or bucket. This keeps practice playful and useful.
Continuity note
After children can gather and return the ball, they are ready to understand batting placement. Lesson 5 teaches them to hit away from fielders and into open space.
The difference between stopping and gathering
Stopping the ball means the child prevents it from passing. Gathering means the child controls it well enough to use it. That difference matters. A child may block the ball with the foot or body, but if they cannot pick it up cleanly, the next action becomes rushed.
In Lesson 4, we want children to feel that the pickup is part of the skill. Move to the ball, get low, collect it cleanly, then throw. This sequence becomes one of the most valuable habits in cricket.
Building the throw from the ground up
Throwing is not only an arm action. It starts with feet. If the feet are facing away from the target, the throw usually becomes wild. Teach children to step towards the target before they throw. This small habit improves accuracy quickly.
Use cones as feet markers if needed. Place one cone where the child gathers and another cone pointing towards the target. Ask them to step through the second cone before throwing. This turns body alignment into a game.
Relay games that actually teach cricket
Relays are useful when they are not just races. Add quality rules. A team only scores if the gather is clean and the throw reaches the partner safely. This stops children from rushing badly just to win.
Good relay cricket teaches teamwork, clean hands, controlled throwing and recovery after mistakes. If a child fumbles, encourage them to recover calmly rather than panic.
Coach observation notes
Look for children who throw well but gather poorly. Also look for children who gather well but lack confidence to throw. These two players need different support. The first needs calmness and cleaner pickup. The second needs smaller throwing distances and more success.