One-handed catching of an object : literature review from infancy to adulthood

Sport such as basketball and handball, cricket, baseball, and rugby involve interception of a ball, which requires skilled and coordinated performance. The ability of catching a ball have different relation with the orientation of hand with the line of projection of the ball and is differentiated depending on the age as well as on the constant changes that imposed from the environment in that the action is taking place. Infants 18 weeks old begin to discover which objects are affordable to catch and when they are 40 weeks old, they begin to acquire the relative information that is available to them and that can help then to intercept a moving object. From this age up to 5 years old the ability in catching an object depends mainly from the object's speed. The children up to the age of 5 years old appear to start discovering the basic principles of successful catching. By the age of 12 years old, the children have mastered the skill of catching. For the adults the ability of catching a ball depends on the way with which the individual that attempts the catching is placing himself in the right place in the right time as well as by the co-ordinated movement of the hands in relation with the approach of the ball.