Crazy Catch where is it its future in the Coalition Governments Competitive Strategy- except from an article in Schools Sports Magazine
Which is your most successful Product?
Initially the unique rollout Flicx Pitch, but now Crazy Catch is our market leader. The Crazy Catch is a double-sided rebound net reaction trainer. One side provides a predictable rebound, the other, an “insane” side, produces an unpredictable ball return, making it fun and challenging.
This Spring we launch the new Crazy Catch Double Trouble. This Crazy Catch has two insane sides. There are two new models: the Crazy Catch Wild Child Double Trouble for schools and the Crazy catch Professional Double Trouble for the professional athlete. It has already gone down well in Australia and New Zealand.
Why do you think the Crazy Catch has proved so successful?
It’s so flexible. You can use it in PE lessons, after school clubs, at lunchtimes, even before school. Children of all abilities can get something out of Crazy Catch. Boys, and girls, primary or secondary – everyone can use it.
Schools use it to get reluctant kids doing physical activity and to provide an alternative to traditional team sports. Its part of the Youth Sport Trust’s Your Activity pack and has appeared on BBC News with Mike Bushell. Many teachers use it together with large soft balls to support children with learning and physical disabilities. Others take advantage of the unpredictable insane side to extend their gifted and talented performers.
We’ve also invented a fast-paced invasion game, Crazy Ball, where kids score points by taking catches off two Crazy Catches, from their own, their team mates or the opposition’s throws. Dan Edwards, Director of Sport at John Hampden Grammar School in High Wycombe, whose students played Crazy Ball with Mike Bushell told me that his students only needed basic skill levels to take part. He explained that Crazy Ball is something youngsters who feel threatened with more traditional sports, can cope with and enjoy
With the introduction of more competitive sport where do you see the role of the Crazy Catch in Schools?
Crazy Catch helps you improve your game in sports such as cricket, football, hockey, tennis or badminton, anything where you need fast reactions and good hand-eye coordination. It’s used at all levels from professional to grass roots.
England’s Ashes winning fielding coach Richard Halsall uses Crazy Catch to sharpen slip catchers’ reactions. The South Africans use it to make fitness sessions more competitive and enjoyable. Leicester City FC and GB Hockey use it to sharpen goalkeeper reactions as do Britain’s leading badminton players Gail Emms and Nathan Roberts. Their coach, Andy Alford, has recently introduced Crazy Catch to Dan Bloxham of the All England Tennis and the initiator of the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initaitive ( As mentioned in the Queens Speech 2010). Dan is keen to get it into grass roots tennis not only as a reaction net but also skills development. Together with Dan we will be donating a few Crazy Catches to a few schools within the programme.
Dr Zoe Wimhurst of Performance Vision Ltd uses the Crazy Catch to help assess eye performance in top sports teams including the British Olympic team, as did Sir Clive Woodwards’ 2003 World Cup winning rugby squad.
The new Crazy Catch Double Trouble is ideal for schools as its purpose-built for use across all ball sports. The larger mesh side provides an erratic rebound for larger ball sports such as football. netball, dodgeball and rugby; while the smaller mesh size is ideal for cricket, tennis, hockey and rounders. We see it as a natural extension from the current Classic Range and fitting in well with the new competitive sporting programme as set out by the Coalition Government.