4 Nations Update

After two days we are leading in the four nations tournament in Germany. Yesterday we beat Ireland 4-0 in quite a good match. Nic Arrold scored 3 goals which was a very good effort, with two of them being drag flicks straight over the top of the short Indian Keeper. Today we had another hat-trick in our 6-2 win against India. Megan Rivers scored 4 goals so Im not sure if its still called a hat trick or if she gets another name for such an achievement. It was very much an end to end game but we did well to score 6 goals past the indians tight defence. I only had a few saves to make but was beaten by a PC shot and a quick shot in the second half. The weather is still hard to believe. In the first game, at 7pm, I had trouble as I was looking into the sun, then today the girls we all getting some nice body suit tan lines from our afternoon game.

The tournament is set up really well with shops, a bar, activities and a dj. We have been spoilt with some beautful food at the ground, although somehow we manage to miss out on the big bratwurst sausages that the coaching staff demolish while we are warming down. I would have thought its on natural that we too would want to embrace that part of the german culture.

Last game tomorrow against Germany then we fly out to Ireland. Our game tomorrow is just before the England v Germany game at the world cup so we wont be surprised if no one comes to the game. Hopefully we can go and watch the last half in a pub someone.

Rach

Game 1 v Germany

 

Guten Morgen!

It is very quiet in our section of the hotel this morning as all the girls wake after a late night of watching the the post game video. Yesterday we played our first game against Germany here in Essen and it certainly wasn’t pretty. A very important game for the Germans as one of their players Natasha Keller was playing her 350th game for Germany. An amazing achievement and certainly a big motivator for their team to do well. We started very well scoring in the first 5 minutes of the game. We then managed another goal about 20 minutes in….But…things went downhill from there. The Germans scored 3 goals in 10 minutes and another just before half time so we went into the half 4-2 down. Not the best start given we had 3 players making their debut, including our goalie, Kate Hubble. Our second half was a tough one for the girls and they all came away feeling quite exhausted. The final score line was 6-2. We came home and watched the game in groups with the defenders going first. We finished up at 10.20 pm  then the attackers started their meeting after that. My roomie came home about midnight.

We play Germany again today so hopefully we can turn things around and come away with a more positive performance. No one likes losing like that. I think Ill be watching from the side again but the tournament starts in a few days so will hopefully get to play then. India have arrived and Ireland should be coming soon so we can get into the main event.

No other news for now but hopefully I will be sending through some good news next time.

Take care

Rach

 

4 Nations Tournament Germany

 

The Hockeyroos have been travelling Europe for the past week in a warm up series before the 4 Nations. Today the 4 Nations tournament begins for us in Essen Germany. We play 3 games in 3 days starting with Ireland tonight at 7pm. The group has had some exciting adventures since arriving in England over a week ago including a contiki style bus ride through 5 countries in 36 hours from Bisham to Germany. We are all very excited to work towards winning this tournament and the job starts tonight. Until next time. Rach

Decision Making

qna
Question:
Hello, can you tell me what should I do, when the attacker is coming closer to goal and I come out but he shoot in this time before the 1-1 is there?

Greetings

Alex

Answer:
Hi Alex,

your question is a tricky one and a lot will depend on where the breakdown you’re describing happens. What you’re talking about is basically decision making. One of the biggest problems goalkeepers have is coming out for the sake of coming out. The two choices a keeper has is to either stay back and react to a shot, or come out and engage the 1v1. If you’re getting caught moving before being able to engage in the 1v1 you’re either coming out too late or should stay back in the goal. I wrote a tip on slide tackling a while ago and I think many of the same themes still hold true, below is a link to it:

http://blog.obo.co.nz/1999/10/20/slide-tackling/

good luck,

Jon

Commonwealth Games Preparation June

Many thanks to solubleduck who asked what sort of training and preparation is needs for the Commonwealth Games.

Well solubleduck, due to the Commonweatlh Games being directly after the World Cup in Argentina most of our preparation is focused around the World Cup which will lead us nicely into the Commonwealth Games.  Currently the Hockeyroos are on tour in Europe. This tour will include focused training sessions and also extra fitness work. As we get closer to the competition trainings will be tailored to more game scenario drills.

Our normal week includes roughly 6 on field sessions as well as a number of strength and conditioning sessions followed by recovery sessions each week.

Teams are always looking at ways to stay on top and ahead of the others. The world of women’s international competition is fiercely competitive these days. Teams need to be fit and resilient to be competitive.

Hope that goes someway to answer your question solubleduck.

Please keep the questions coming.

Cheers

Toni Cronk

Hockeyroos 2010 to date

 

The start to 2010 has been a busy one for us and it is not looking like slowing down soon, but that is great. You only get to play at this level for a reasonably short time, and I have recently learnt that you shouldn’t take this for granted. So I say every moment should be enjoyed or at least something should be gained from every moment. I have found a new level of desire and gratefulness for the position that I am in.

In Australia we have just finished our National League, which took on a new format this year. I grew up in NSW so that is the team I play for. We finished 3rd this year. Not the best result but the best we could do with the cards we were dealt.

What do you out there want to hear about?? Make comments and I will try to reciprocate.

Cheers

Toni Cronk

Make every moment count

Inbetween Seasons Training

With this years season finishing in April and the next season not starting till September I am looking at various drill/training that I can do to keep my fitness up whilst keeping my reactions up to scratch, footwork still fast and etc.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips on how they keep themselves going over the break or any drills/training sessions that they would recommend I try?

Thanks

The Mental Aspects of Goalkeeping

A great resource download for all you amazing people on staying sharp between the ears!

Here is a great resource for all you amazing people….its written by Francesco Staps who’s tried to help all goalkeepers “stay sharp between the ears!”

Francesco’s 18 page PDF has been written in Dutch and also translated with some help from Keepers Resources writer Dan Pilgrim and Marjolein Kamstra.

This great resource even has its own website – www.mentalgoalies.com and some download links to the PDF’s are below…

Downloads

Great work Francesco!

Dealing with sunlight

A simple tip, but taping your helmet above the eye line will help block out the sun, which can otherwise be a distraction.

If you play in a distinctly hot and sunny climate, glare is going to be a continuous problem and bane to your playing abilities. Rather than standing around with your glove put over your eyesight to try and block out the sunlight, it’s better to have something to maintain the coverage against glare. With summer hockey now upon most western european countries (like the UK), the sun becomes more of a prominent issue when trying to perform at your best. The basic method of blocking out sunlight is to tape the top of the helmet you wear. You will often seen internationals doing it when it is particularly sunny (like Australia’s goalkeepers did in recent tournaments), so even the best use its simple methodology!

Taping the helmet

A simple, but really effective way of keeping the sun out of your eyes is to tape the top of your mask, above the eye line. By doing this, you cut off the light showing down on you, eliminating the sunlight that would otherwise get through to your eyes. You want to tape over the bars of the helmet, to make sure it blocks out the light, before taping the ends onto the sides of the helmet, to keep it on.

‘Gaffer’ tape (which is cloth based tape used for stage production) will give your a bigger coverage, so you do not have to do multiple layers in order to block out the sun. Insulation/duct tape (used to insulate electrical wires) makes a great alternative (it is less likely to leave behind a gooey stain!), but due to its thin width, it often requires a few layers to get good coverage (just simply tape below the original line to get another). It is also good to know about the colour you use. Taping with white tape will reflect the sun light, rather than absorbing it (like black or a dark colour), making it easier to see.