Two from Two

Two games down and the Hockeroos are in a great position at the world cup. Yesterday we beat India 6-3 and our first game was 2-1 against Japan.

Some really good performances in the chilly Argentinian conditions. Today we will all rest up for our big game against the Dutch tomorrow. Usual plan on a rest day is to sleep in, have a few meetings, see the physio if necessary, get the goalie gear washed of course and then start looking towards the next game. Keep an eye out as it should be a tight battle.
Rach

World Cup 2010

Hey All,

It is the eve of the World Cup. I am looking forward to both the challenge and the experience. I feel we are well prepared and ready.

We don’t play our first game until Monday, we play Japan. We are going out tomorrow to watch the first game (Argentina v’s South Africa), which should be a good start to the tournament.

Cheers

Toni Cronk

World Cup Rosario 2010

The Hockeyroos have arrived in Rosario and after a very long few days of travel we all can’t wait to get into the hockey. Our hotel is great and we have been for a bit of a walk around to suss out the area. This afternoon we have training and then tomorrow is our first game which is the ‘Audi Cup’ against Argentina. It is a one off game as a bit of a warm up before the World Cup. Ill be putting regular posts on here once the tournament starts so keep an eye out.

Communication

qna
Question:
I’ve been playing for three years and all my skills have developed, all but my communication. Every team I play for has said that they look for a keeper with strong communication skills and I feel that if I can improve my communication I’ll improve my shot of making the teams I tryout for. I ask all the coaches I ever have what they want me to say, but I never get a clear answer. I was wondering what things I should be saying. I will yell at my players when I need them to mark someone or to call a ball “MINE” but other then that I’m lost.

I’m hoping to get into the Junior National Program and eventually represent Canada at the Junior Worlds in 2013 and if I can improve my communication skills it’ll help a lot.

Thanks,
Madeleine

Answer:
Hi Madeline,

I wrote a tip about Team Defense that has a section on Commuincation. Below is the link:

http://blog.obo.co.nz/2004/01/13/decision-making-and-team-defense/

In addition, there is a recent article in the Keeper’s Resources section that also covers a little on the topic, here is that link:

http://blog.obo.co.nz/2010/07/22/acting-analysing-deciding-and-decision-making/

Communication is essentially organizing your defense. It’s recognizing the position of your opponents in relationship to the ball and your goal and communicating to your teammates where you want them to be and what you want them to do. In my mind, that’s Team Defense and Decision-Making.

I’d start with reading the articles and please feel free to e-mail me if you have additional questions. I’ll add that I’ve played with a number of teams over the years and my experience has taught me that there is no one style of communication. I’ve played with teams where defenders do a lot of talking around the ball and my job is basically to keep them aware of upfield forwards or what I’m doing and then I’ve played with teams where I have to take charge and organize who is on ball and who is marking who. It will all depend on your team. Communication is about results and if players aren’t doing what you ask them, then it’s time to rethink how you’re saying things.

As you work on communication, conversations about situations on the field are very useful. Walk throughs where you place a ball on the field and move opponents and have to organize where you want people to go and what you want them to do are useful. It’s good to have common terms so that your teammates are all on the same page.

As I said, there is no one style of communication. The key is recognizing danger as an attack is developing and taking that away through positioning your help,

good luck,

Jon

Belen Succi

The photo below of Maria Belen Succi, OBO sponsored player and goalkeeper for Las Leonas, the Argentinian Women’s National Team, appeared over the weekend in newspapers with wide circulation throughout Argentina. The photo can also be viewed on the Adidas site.

Belen Succi

Belen’s achievements include winning a bronze medal with the national women’s team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. You can view Belen’s profile at the Confederacion Argentina de Hockey website.

Acting, Analysing, Deciding and Decision Making

Decision Making, Analyzing, Deciding and Acting are key concepts in hockey goalkeeping. You may have the right attitude, speed, concentration, agility, power, reflexes and yet goals still go in that should not go in due to many different reasons! Goalkeepers must have the ability to correctly analyse, decide and act in crucial situations. Lack of this or incorrect analyzing, deciding and acting will most likely lead to goals being scored. The Fact of the matter is that even if the goal was not your fault you always feel a sense of responsibilty, which isn’ t a bad thing as it shows determination, passion and the desire to suceed!

Good goalkeepers must have the ability to learn from their mistakes by watching the play leading up to a goal being scored and decide were they made the wrong decision. Making one wrong decision or making one mistake in the goal can change the entire outcome of the match, (but that’s what also makes this one of the best positions on the pitch) If an outfielder makes one mistake or one wrong  decision in a match it would most likely not cost the match as they have the time to redeem themselves and make up for the mistake straight after, while the next chance for the goalkeeper to redeem or make up for their mistake is during the next scoring opportunity making analyzing a crucial part of a goalkeepers game! It is important not to over analyse the goal during the match as it will distract you and your concentration will not be on the next shot which is were it needs to be. It is important to get the balance of how much to analyse during the match and how much after the match! This will usually come with experience! Simply acknowledge to yourself that a goal has been scored but the match is not over, you must then forget about the goal and focus on the next shot!

Calling is a very important skill and is used when the goalkeeper has realized what the opposition are going to do. Calling should not  be under estimated. Call the defenders name first and then the action you require them to make; e.g. Ailbhe, move right, player leading behind, or mark player leading in front etc. Calling and talking in matches is a very useful skill that could also get you more match time as it encourages, gives direction and supports the defenders! Often goalkeepers will come off the pitch after only touching the ball a few times but without good communication the rate would be much higher and although you may have preferred to get more action the less action you get the less goal opportunities there are!

It is important for goalkeepers to build up their knowledge about how team mates play, where their strengths lie, watching where and how they distribute the ball, identifying how they tackle and approach players, how they manage pressure and how they react to calls. This is very important to the goalkeeper’s game! It helps goalkeepers to make the correct calls to different players and to know when the players might make  mistakes and be ready at all times to make up for their mistake and be able to react to it. Do not always assume that the defender will get the ball or that they will make the tackle as they might not and you will then have to make the decision to step up!

The goalkeeper should also watch the opposition, watch the strikers, know how and where they lead, the types of shots taken and from where, one on one maneuverer, short corner set plays. All of this will help in the goalkeepers game and also help the goalkeeper to make calls to defenders and prevent mistakes from happening which may lead to a goal scoring opportunity.

The goalkeeper should also build their knowledge about other goalkeepers, their weaknesses, strengths and skills they may have that they can learn from to improve their own game. This will help a goalkeeper to learn new skills and  techniques, if a goalkeeper watches and learns from other goalkeepers mistakes it will help to improve their game as they’re most likely not to make the same mistakes as they may have made! It is also important to learn from your own mistakes and to use the skills and techniques that come naturally to you as you are more likely to use them and remember them as opposed to skills or techniques other people try to teach you! Although it is also important to take the advice and coaching that other people give you as it will help to improve your game!

Maximising Focus and Concentration During a Game

What do we know about focussing on the ball just before a shot at the goal ? A goalie will have little or no chance of a successful save unless there is total focus on the ball as it is travelling towards the goal.

Obviously you want to focus (or concentrate) 100 % on the ball just before the push or shot is executed. But if you try to apply this 100% focussing during the 70 minutes of the game, you’ll find your ability to focus or concentrate will decline after only a few minutes. Another problem of too much focussing on the ball (or at the wrong moments) is that you won’t have an idea where the (offensive) players are on the pitch.

So … how can you maximise your focus and concentration at critical times of game and maintain offensive player awareness?

I have used a technique similar to the DEFCON codes used by the US forces. This focussing aid will help any goalie to optimally distribute his focus and concentration during the game and it will lower the chance you will be left without concentration or focussing abilities halfway through the game.

It is very easy to remember and doesn’t require a lot of thinking or learning. Here is the technique:

While your team is attacking in the 23 meter area at the other end of the pitch, think CODE GREEN, which means you focus about 5 % on the ball and about 95 % on the pitch, like what is the position of the players, your own position in the circle etc. In other words: your ball ‘radar’ is turned on for 5% and the remaining 95 % is applied to ‘pitch radar’. The average intensity level (like the total strength of your radar) is low. The angle of your view is as wide as possible.

When the opponents are attacking and the ball is played around the centre of the pitch, think CODE YELLOW, you increase the intensity a bit and you apply 50 % ball radar and 50 % pitch radar, i.e. you distribute your focus equally on the ball (where is it going, how fast etc) and the pitch (which players are where and how are they moving). Angle of view is wide.

When the attacking team is playing the ball near your circle, switch to CODE ORANGE. Again you increase your intensity. Focus for about 80% on the ball, the remaining 20% focus on the position of the players within your view. The angle of your view becomes narrower.

Just before the shot or push is released towards the goal, switch to CODE RED. You maximize the intensity and you focus for 100% on the ball. The angle of your view is super narrow.

If you are prone to ‘overconcentrate’ you can use this technique to lower your concentration levels. Just stay longer in a lower code, for instance apply CODE YELLOW instead of CODE ORANGE when the ball is near your circle.

Applying this technique is easy. Read this article about 5 times and during the match you just give yourself the commands (just loud enough for yourself to hear, otherwise players may leave the pitch 😉 After several matches, you will find yourself adjusting to the right code, without thinking about it.

Let me know if you find this useful or have any additional comments to make

Cheers

Jack van Messel
Goalie Trainer
The Netherlands