Hi, I’ve asked the same question on FHF, but wondered if anyone esle on here had a view or indeed OBO had some specific “official” advice as this seems fairly funderrmental bust isn’t covered in the user guide on this site:
I’m having a bit of bother with my new OBO high rebound RHP (same I’m assuming applies to similar models from TK, monarch etc).
I’m quite keen on attacking the ball with my hands (as camel and Spartan advises), trying to move towards the lifted ball and to control the rebound either by deflecting or slapping the ball away where I can. Mostly I’ll bring my LHP across as it is just easier, but I’m making a conscious effort, since my Spartan coaching in the summer, not to reach too far across my body and over rotate, putting me off balance.
In the summer I swapped to the Obo HR RHP due to its increased blocking area for this kind of stuff. However I’m still really struggling to get the flat face of the RHP to the ball. In my ready position I have both hands held identically (as I believe is correct) which means the LHP is flat side out and the RHP is flat side towards my body.
The problem is that as I reach forwards and out towards a wide ball to my right, stick vertical, the face is never flat to the ball in the way the LHP is and I often end up saving the ball with the smaller area designed for penalty corners or deflecting the ball back across my-self with the angled face? It is not such a problem for balls that are below the waist, (as it is flat to the ball when the stick is horizontal) or very wide, as I’m generally not taking these as far in front of myself due to the dive.
I know it has been suggested previously to drop the hand guard back in your stance and hold it wider, but I don’t really want to change what I think it one of the only areas where I am technically correct to accommodate my equipment! On the other hand (pun intended) I don’t want to go back to the HC RHP as it is so much smaller and I really like the HRs extra something in slide tackles (which is surely the wrong way round)!
Sorry for length of post, wanted to give as much detail as possible. Advice appreciated?