![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Played two games yesterday, physically feeling okay - a bit achey, but that's nothing unusual.
The first game (my game) was hard - lots of chasing down the ball, always feeling crowded, also always feeling 'behind the eight ball' so to speak. I couldn't get the ball, I couldn't get to a place where I could get the ball. I think that the style of play for the team as it stands doesn't work intuitively for me. I can make it work - get scrappy, scrabble for the ball - but I'm better at the long-range pickup and pass-off. But that requires having someone who can pass to me, and someone to pickup from me.
And we don't really.
Our newer or less-skilled players are trying to do moves that they haven't the skills for. They haven't mastered pushing on the forestick and are trying to tackle on the backstick. They try to push on the backstick, and can't even push straight on the forestick.
But it's difficult to correct it. Because they see the more experienced players doing this, and they think they can do it too, without realising that others have 15 years of playing behind them and so, yes, judiciously one can make the decision to try stopping on the backstick, but experience is the call.
Also, our backs aren't clearing the ball. Too focused on going forward, not enough on getting it out and away. At least one back (new) doesn't seem to be aware of anything but the ball when she's going for it. No idea that she's cutting out another defender, no awareness that the goalie has it. It's a whole thing, and it's frustrating to watch.
We're crowding each other - so much crowding. And that's a hard thing to remind people, too.
*sigh* Anyway, another loss - 5-0. At least two of them should have been called against our opponents, but the umpires this season are Very Not Good. Lots of stuff going past them, lots of stuff not being called, or being ignored, or being changed after the call because the other team protested. *eyeroll*
Anyway, the game is a bit of a slog this year. We had a few scrambles up at the goal, but again, the attackers are so focused on forward, they're not thinking as a team to go around. We're having to do things that we haven't had to do before, because we were one grade down.
--
I have some thoughts on exercises we can do to work on technique:
- cutting pie: pass the ball, then run to the next station
- one-twos: passing the ball between each other at an angle
- dead-stop: practising stick angles for either bouncing the ball or stopping it dead and then pushing it away
- no clear path: blocking the majority of the goal and having to go around the sides
Thing is, we usually train alongside Team 1, and their skills are solid, so mostly what's developed at training is teamwork. I think the newer players on our team could do with more skill-building.
--
Anyway, the second game (team 1, A grade) was hard in terms of feeling like I was good enough for it, but...easy in terms of being more like my comfortable style of play. Also, I was able to run for most of it in spite of having played a game an hour earlier. Fitness is going well, but the chop-and-change of Team 2 is just doing me in. So much back and forth.
I missed an otherwise 'sure' goal during the game - right place, got the ball, missed the goal! Too angled, it hit the outside of the goal, not the inside. GRARGH.
Would have been a really nice one, too, dammit.
But again, cross-goal tap-ins. More of what we need to do in Team 2.
The first game (my game) was hard - lots of chasing down the ball, always feeling crowded, also always feeling 'behind the eight ball' so to speak. I couldn't get the ball, I couldn't get to a place where I could get the ball. I think that the style of play for the team as it stands doesn't work intuitively for me. I can make it work - get scrappy, scrabble for the ball - but I'm better at the long-range pickup and pass-off. But that requires having someone who can pass to me, and someone to pickup from me.
And we don't really.
Our newer or less-skilled players are trying to do moves that they haven't the skills for. They haven't mastered pushing on the forestick and are trying to tackle on the backstick. They try to push on the backstick, and can't even push straight on the forestick.
But it's difficult to correct it. Because they see the more experienced players doing this, and they think they can do it too, without realising that others have 15 years of playing behind them and so, yes, judiciously one can make the decision to try stopping on the backstick, but experience is the call.
Also, our backs aren't clearing the ball. Too focused on going forward, not enough on getting it out and away. At least one back (new) doesn't seem to be aware of anything but the ball when she's going for it. No idea that she's cutting out another defender, no awareness that the goalie has it. It's a whole thing, and it's frustrating to watch.
We're crowding each other - so much crowding. And that's a hard thing to remind people, too.
*sigh* Anyway, another loss - 5-0. At least two of them should have been called against our opponents, but the umpires this season are Very Not Good. Lots of stuff going past them, lots of stuff not being called, or being ignored, or being changed after the call because the other team protested. *eyeroll*
Anyway, the game is a bit of a slog this year. We had a few scrambles up at the goal, but again, the attackers are so focused on forward, they're not thinking as a team to go around. We're having to do things that we haven't had to do before, because we were one grade down.
--
I have some thoughts on exercises we can do to work on technique:
- cutting pie: pass the ball, then run to the next station
- one-twos: passing the ball between each other at an angle
- dead-stop: practising stick angles for either bouncing the ball or stopping it dead and then pushing it away
- no clear path: blocking the majority of the goal and having to go around the sides
Thing is, we usually train alongside Team 1, and their skills are solid, so mostly what's developed at training is teamwork. I think the newer players on our team could do with more skill-building.
--
Anyway, the second game (team 1, A grade) was hard in terms of feeling like I was good enough for it, but...easy in terms of being more like my comfortable style of play. Also, I was able to run for most of it in spite of having played a game an hour earlier. Fitness is going well, but the chop-and-change of Team 2 is just doing me in. So much back and forth.
I missed an otherwise 'sure' goal during the game - right place, got the ball, missed the goal! Too angled, it hit the outside of the goal, not the inside. GRARGH.
Would have been a really nice one, too, dammit.
But again, cross-goal tap-ins. More of what we need to do in Team 2.
Tags: