Wide Receiver Catching Drills to Do Alone (Bad Ball Drill)

By Abigail Gannaban · Last updated October 28, 2026

Quarterbacks miss. Young ones miss often. Receivers who only catch perfect throws in practice drop the imperfect ones on Friday night. The Bad Ball Drill exists to fix that, and it's one of the few wide receiver catching drills you can adapt to do alone: a football rebound net, or ball rebounder, sends your own throws back high, low, inside and outside, so you have to adjust your hands to every catch.

What is the Bad Ball Drill?

The Bad Ball Drill is a catching drill in which the passer throws deliberately off-target so the receiver has to adjust. USA Football published it in a piece by Mike Kuchar of X&O Labs as a simple drill Clemson uses that can be run every practice. The receiver faces the passer, who stands 10 yards away and throws four kinds of bad balls: high, low, outside and inside. The same piece names "not adjusting to the ball" as one of the three main reasons receivers drop passes.

How do you run the Bad Ball Drill alone?

Use a ball rebounder as the passer, and control where the return goes by where you throw:

1. Set the frame at a middle height with the net near upright.
2. Stand where a firm throw comes back to you with time to react. Start close and back off as you get comfortable.
3. Throw at the upper part of the net for high balls, the bottom for low balls, and the left and right edges for outside and inside balls.
4. Catch with your hands away from your body every time, reaching for the ball instead of waiting for it.
5. Mix the order once you're comfortable so you can't predict the next ball.

Be honest about what changes. Clemson's version has a quarterback 10 yards away throwing to a moving receiver. On a net you're both passer and receiver, so the ball arrives sooner and you're usually set when it does. You trade realism for volume.

Why use a rebound net instead of a wall?

A rebound net gives you more control over the bad ball. A wall returns most throws at one angle off a flat surface, and it can't be moved to grass. A ball rebounder has adjustable height and screen positions (4 plus tilt on the Varsity, Premier XL and Elite XL), so you can make the high ball higher or the low ball skip. All Ball Pro makes steel-frame, multi-sport ball rebounders, also called rebound nets, for lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball and basketball; the larger units give a football the most room to land on the net.

What should you focus on each rep?

Focus on hands and eyes, not on making it look clean. Keep your eyes on the ball until it's in your hands; USA Football's piece cites coaches who tell receivers to "take a picture" of the ball. Reach for it rather than letting it reach you; body catches are the habit this drill breaks. After every catch, tuck it and take two hard steps upfield, because the same article lists not running through the catch as another drop cause. If you want to add a decision layer, our field vision drills pair well with this one.

Drill setup

Which ball rebounder works for a wide receiver?

The Elite XL fits best; the Premier XL is the choice when garage storage is tight. Throwing on purpose at the edges of the net needs edges far apart. The Elite XL (EXL) Multi Sport Ball Rebounder has a 7' x 9' net frame, a 63 sq ft target, and adjusts from 6.9' to 8.5'. The Premier XL (PXL) Multi Sport Ball Rebounder has a 5' x 7' net, 35 sq ft. That's 1.8 times the target on the Elite XL (63 ÷ 35), more room for four distinct throw zones. The trade-off: the Elite XL is 9.14' wide set up, wider than a standard 9-foot single garage door, while the Premier XL is 7.5' wide.

FAQ

What is the bad ball drill for receivers? It's a catching drill where the passer throws deliberately off-target, high, low, outside and inside, so the receiver learns to adjust. USA Football describes it as a drill Clemson runs, with the passer 10 yards away.

How can a wide receiver practice catching alone? Use a wall or a ball rebounder as the passer. Throw to different parts of the net to create high, low, inside and outside returns, and catch with your hands away from your body.

Do you need a JUGS machine to practice catching alone? No. A ball machine and a rebound net are different tools; a rebound net gives quick, varied returns at close range. Neither replaces catching from a real quarterback.

Catch the throws that aren't perfect

Make every bad ball a catch. See The Elite XL (EXL) Multi Sport Ball Rebounder.