Tag: Q and A

Question:

I have difficulty getting power into my kicks unless they are cross kicks. I was wondering if you have any tips of how to increase the power. I think it is a technique thing not a big lack of strength in the legs.

Answer:

Take a look at the kicking tip I have on the site if you haven’t already. If you have, a couple of points to reinforce, first kick through the line of the ball, rather than kicking to the ball. Weight transfer through the ball gives power. You get more weight transfer by pushing off from your non-kicking leg when you go to kick also.

You’re right, it is a technical thing and it cones with being aware of your mechanics. Make sure that your head is forward and that your kicking foot isn’t out in front of your kicking leg knee when you make contact with the ball. Practice makes perfect.

Question:

I really enjoyed your sliding tackles tips this month. As an ageing goalie who plays at a very low level of game, I have great difficulty in putting myself on the floor. I just cannot get the technique right. What would you suggest would be a good exercise to do? Apart from having too much beer before the game, whereby naturally falling over!

Answer:

Slide tackling is one of the hardest skills to practice because rarely do you get anyone who wants to practice for the sake of helping the keeper. Forwards want to score, which doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to do things repetitively or at slower speeds. Things that help a keeper master a skill.

As far as getting used to sliding, it is something that takes getting used to. I think the biggest thing is repetition. When I first work with keepers, I focus only on the technique. We slide to a target and focus on footwork and body positioning. Once the keepers start to get confidence we’ll start to work with field players and a ball at half speed. Like any new skill, you work on things in practice before you try them in a game, and probably overdo them in training so you get the reps you need.

Question:

Can you please give us some advice on ball machines that are suitable for hockey goal keepers.

Answer:

The ball machine I’m most familiar with is available from:

The JUGS Company
P.O. Drawer 365
Tualatin
Oregon 97062
USA Phone – 503 340-9997

They have a machine that is designed for field hockey, called the Jugs Jr. Pitching Machine. You can also find them on the net at:

http://www.thejugscompany.com

Question:

One of our goal keepers dives to the left as an instinctive reaction, rather than the right. Even when logging at a short corner he will dive left.

Is this something which I should attempt to coach him out of and, if so , how.

On the positive side, he has a much higher success rate at reverse side tackling and regularly surprises centre forwards.

Answer:

Next month’s tip is on slide tackling so stay tuned. Your keeper is going to have to learn to slide tackle to his strong stick side. Usually when a keeper has the problem you described, it’s because he has a dominant foot, left or right, and is way too comfortable going to a side. Work on your keeper’s footwork leading up to his slide. If he’s slide tackling to his strong stick side, his last step will be with his left foot and he’ll throw his right foot/leg down, getting his right hip down. This forces him to slide tackle on his strong stick side. As for laying down on corners, he really has to be on his stick side. He puts his post player at risk laying out the other way. Like any new skill, be patient. Don’t expect instant results, but know that there will be payoff.

Question:

I was wondering if you had any drills or simply advice on how to train my keepers. They are young, freshman (college) and they have some basics. They are definitely improving but they are not very aggressive or quick…mostly not aggressive. I was a keeper myself and was a natural. They are not. How can I teach aggressiveness? Can I? Do you have any suggestions? I have tried to talk with them about the mental aspect but talk doesn’t seem to be doing it. Help!

Answer:

Aggressiveness is a problem, especially if it’s not natural. I think the best way to develop it is to put keepers in situations where they see a reward to being aggressive. We use a lot of man down situations, 2v1, 3v2, etc where we encourage the keeper to try defend passes as well as shots. There are a couple of things that encourage keepers to be aggressive, one is making sure that they’re adequately protected. A keeper isn’t going to be very aggressive if she’s afraid of getting hurt. In addition, make sure your keepers are athletic enough to play an aggressive style. The biggest thing that will draw a keeper to a more aggressive style is having success playing that way.

Question:

I have to compete in the nation club champs for premier league this weekend. I have just been informed that I can’t play in white pads. At IPT I had to paint my pads and they looked terrible and just about all the paint flaked off before the first game, so I had to repaint after every game. I was wondering if OBO had come up with any effective way of painting the Robo pads and kickers, if so could you share with me the details?

Answer:

Keepers that I know that have had to paint their pads have had most success with a spray paint designed for plastic. Check with your paint or hardware store and see if they have suggestions. OBO’s are the easiest to paint because of the material the foam is made of. If you do get a nice paint job that you want to keep, spray the pads with a clear lacquer. I know the Trinidad national keeper used automotive paint to do his pads and he had them painted like their national flag. That might be more than you want to do, but he’s also had his paint stay on for a full season.

Question:

Could you please advise as to the "recommended" way to deal with a two on one situation, i.e. two attackers versus the goalie. 1) two attackers approaching outside the circle 2) two attackers inside the circle. This situation is nearly always difficult to defend.

Answer:

I’m not clear whether you’re talking about two attackers against a defender and a keeper, or two attackers straight up against a keeper. With a defender helping, you’re basically trying to encourage the attackers to take a shot from a bad angle. You best do that by positioning your defender just below the player with the ball and in a lane between the ball carrier and his team-mate. As long as you don’t allow the ball to cross from one player to the other, you can usually slow down the attack and reduce the shooting angle.

Two attackers straight up against a keeper is a different matter. My next tip will be on slide tackling and a lot of that pertains to this situation. You need to keep a couple of things in mind when you make a decision on how to play these situations. How much time and space the two have, where your help is coming from and where the attack is coming from all impact how you can be successful in the situation. I won’t say there is a “recommended” way. You can play these situations eighty different ways and be successful with all of them, but I have a couple of things I try to do.

If the ball is outside the circle, I’ll play about ten yards off my line. I’ll try to force the ball carrier to make a decision to take the ball to a side. If I can do that, I’m going to try keeping myself in a position where I’m near the line between the ball carrier and his team-mate, while still being near the goal. If they’ve got time and space, my focus is defending the circle and trying to pick a spot where I’ve got my best chance to play the ball. For me, that’s when the ball carrier has his head down and is moving at speed with the ball off his stick, preferably, just as he enters the circle. Another good time is when his focus is on his team-mate. The biggest thing I want to avoid, is taking him on when he’s got the ball on his stick and can see me coming. I don’t want to be all the way at the top of the circle when the attack is coming in, as I won’t have any momentum if I do want to slide tackle. I’ll let them get in so I can use my whole body, and then take them within a yard of entering.

As I said, there’s no right or wrong way to play these situations as long as you keep the ball out of the net. Keep track of what you do and the result. That should give you your best “recommended” way of playing these situations.

Question:

I am a keeper at Rugby School in England. In a week’s time, I am going to South Africa for a month and I was just wondering if you could advise me on a type of acclimatisation training programme I could do before I start training properly when I get back in August from South Africa.

Answer:

The key to acclimatisation training is trying to recreate the conditions you’ll be training in. There are a lot of variables, time, temperature, humidity, etc. I don’t know that you can reproduce them all. The key is to reproduce what you can. If you know generally what the temperature is going to be like when you get back to England, try to train at a time of the day where they’re comparable. Obviously time is going to be a tough thing to replicate. With jet lag and time differences, it may not even be worthwhile. The other thing to take into consideration is how long you’ll have to acclimate when you get back, specifically when you’ll start to play games again. On particularly long trips, acclimatisation is noble thing to take on, but simply training while you’re away could well be enough.

Question:

When I make an initial save from a shot and end up on the ground, I find moving for a rebound shot very difficult. What I mean by this is that shuffling around quickly to cover another angle on the ground I find very little traction, bearing in mind that I don’t want to expose a path to goal underneath me when moving. What I would like to know is whether there is a technique for this, the best I can come up with is to push rather unsuccessfully with the edge of a kicker.

Answer:

I don’t know that there is a technique as much as a mind set in staying with the play once grounded. Depending on the side that you’ve gone down to, you can use your hands to help get yourself up slightly and scoot over to stay with the play. The problem you’ve noted is that if you get up completely once you’ve gone down to make a save, the opponent pushes the ball under you. If you are going to use a foot to slide over, you’re probably better off taking your top leg (when you’re on your side), getting it behind your down leg (so as to not lose a saving/blocking surface on the ground) and pushing off with that to shift towards the rebound. In a lot of these situations, pretty isn’t a concern, effective is and doing whatever it takes to block the rebound.

Question:

I enjoy reading your tips on the Obo website. I have questions about two specific topics: 1. Opponent dribbling up the baseline. If an opposing forward is dribbling the ball on the baseline and heading for the goal with speed, how should I defend? I’m assuming that I have one defender back and the forward has the option to pass to someone near the penalty flick spot. Should I try to tackle the ball carrier myself? If so, how long should I wait before going out to get him? Otherwise, if my defender is to tackle the ball carrier, how should I defend against the centring pass? 2. "Soft" short corner hits. The short corner striker (deliberately) hits the ball at medium pace. I lie down in anticipation of the direct hit. Usually if the ball is hit hard, it has enough power to be deflected safely out of bounds by either my stick or LHP. However, if is hit softly, then it just hits my stick or glove and sits near the goal just out of my reach (but maybe close enough for an opposing forward). In this situation, should I try to control the ball so that it stays closer to my body?

Answer:

In regards to endline balls, there are a ton of variables you need to consider. Where is your defensive help on the ball? If there is a player at the penalty spot, is he marked? How much speed, vision and control does the ball carrier have? Finally, what side of the circle is the attack from, left or right? All of these have an impact on what’s going to allow you to be successful.

First off, there are no absolutes. Sometimes staying at the post works, sometimes taking the ball works. Having said that, there are guidelines for giving yourself a better chance to be successful. If you’ve got a defender in good position on the ball, i.e. . he’s even with the ball and keeping the player pinned to the endline, let the defender take him. Communicate that. The attacker at the penalty spot is the danger player, but only if he’s not marked. If he’s marked, then everything’s under control.

I think the most important thing in endline balls is everyone having a common understanding and that comes through repetition and talking through the situation in practice so it’s automatic in games. Typically problems come when the defender on the ball isn’t in good position or has been eliminated and there’s confusion between the keeper and the other defenders who’s taking the ball. The defender who has the player at the penalty spot goes to the ball and the both of you are done as soon as the pass goes.

Depending on where the cover defender is, he may be able to take the endline ball, especially from the attacker’s left side, your right. If the defender on the ball is beaten from their right, you’re left, you’re better off taking the ball. What taking the ball means, goes back to speed, vision and control. Look at the OBO tip on slide tackling. I think the principles are there. You give yourself the best chance to succeed when taking the ball when a forward has the ball with speed, the ball off their stick and their head down. By the same token, you set yourself up for failure when you go out at a forward who has the ball on their stick, their head up and the time and space to slip the ball past you. Hopefully that gives you some ideas.

As far as medium paced hits on corners, they can be a problem. Depending on your strengths, there are a couple of different ways to handle them. If the ball is between your chest and head as you’re down and can control the shot close to you and can clear the ball yourself, that’s one option depending on the defence the team is playing. Medium paced hits play on the gaps in a defence. They’re not designed to score, they’re designed to create rebounds between defenders. If you can control and clear the ball yourself, that’s one way of eliminating the rebound.

The other way you can handle the problem is using body angle and position to take the ball to safety. For balls hit at your legs, you can either angle your leg to take the ball around the post by bringing your knee forward and feet back. You can also bring your feet forward to angle your legs to take the ball to a safe space. By the same token, you can also angle your body with your feet slightly forward and upper body slightly back. You can use the same mechanic for well hit balls. It gives you a better angle for taking the ball around the post on your stick side.

I think one of the best ways of dealing with medium paced balls hit at your upper body is with your LHP. For balls from chest to head, angle your LHP so that the palm is way forward and your fingertips back. For balls between your waist and chest, you want to bring your palm/bottom edge around to the turf so that your fingertips are to your feet. This creates a sweeping motion that allows you to angle the ball out to your right. With either skill, you’re starting with the LHP at your chest as you’re down and are adjusting as the ball is coming in.

Obviously the most important thing with medium paced balls is saving the first shot. You look pretty silly setting up to a complicated save/clear and then have the ball just deflect off you and into the goal. It may be just a matter of repositioning defenders to better help you to clear rebounds.