Remedial Coaching Hints

REMEDIAL COACHING HINTS

(Skill Development)

It is important when working with junior and senior players on individual skill development, that you do not make their programs confusing.

The old theory of keeping it simple certainly applies to the players in these programs, as often their confidence is low or they are feeling pressured. Always keep your explanations simple and give the player constant encouragement and feedback. One of the biggest challenges for coaches is to design drills for small groups of players (2-3) that are effective. We need to remember that players are going to need to spend many hours on their own practising the changes to their skills, so we must set easy programs that they will enjoy and benefit from without supervision.

Following are some principles for each of the main skills that players need to learn. Give feedback to remind and encourage players and be aware that information given to players’ needs to be correct. You will have an influence on your players and bad instruction will lead to bad habits.

Kicking – Monitor the following points when looking to improve a player in the technique of kicking:

(a) Positioning of hands on the ball

Players must be aware that the hands must be level and the weight of the ball controlled. Players with smaller hands must move their hands further apart and under the ball to control it. Fingers should be spread evenly over the ball for better control. Allow for the fact that the player is going to remove one hand as they guide the ball down, so they must learn to control the ball by having their hands in the correct position. An easy technique for players new to the game is; get them to place one hand directly under the ball and tilt the wrist to get the best angle on the ball. As they remove the hand, they must follow through and kick the ball. As they gain confidence, they bring their hand further around the ball. This is a good teaching exercise for players of all ages to learn to kick on the non-preferred side of their body.

(b) Angle of the ball

For younger players or even older players who have trouble kicking drop punts, it is important that they learn to use the correct angle on the ball as they direct it to their kicking leg. A simple way to explain the angle would be this; have the point of the ball where the seams cross, facing the ground over the kicking leg and the other point which is facing you, should be aimed at the chest area. Players need to learn to create this angle with the wrists. Younger players who cannot create this angle can turn the ball further down so that they cannot see the lace because it is facing the target. Remember that for young players it is a good idea for them to place a hand under the ball for control until they gain confidence. They will achieve the correct angle by tilting the palm of the hand down as they kick.

(c) Body balance and shoulders square to target

The importance of running straight at the target and having body weight balanced is vital to accuracy, height and distance of your kicks. Coaches should discourage players who want to kick around corners, or run at angles to kick for goal, as this develops very bad habits that are hard to break as the players develop.

For accuracy . . .

Teach the player to select a target behind the goals and encourage him to run straight towards it as he kicks. Watch that they achieve a straight follow through kicking action. A simple way to check would be, to get the player to close his eyes and hold his hand at shoulder height, straight out in front, and over the leg that he is going to kick with. Then get him to lift the leg and kick through the air and see how many times his foot touches his fingers.

For height and distance . . .

The player must remember that body balance is the key. If he leans back too early, he will get height not distance. If he stays too far forward on impact, he will lose height and distance because the upper body restricts the leg movement through the ball. Players must learn to find the right balance. Watch closely, some of the best kicking players in the game such as; Tony Lockett at goal and Nathan Buckley on the run, and study their body balance and follow through. What you will find is, similar to a good golf swing; the transfer of weight is vital. Talking through the process with players learning to kick is difficult as it may confuse them. Watch for body balance and that the player is running straight at the target. Look to adjust the player where necessary to assist his development. The ideal balance would be for players to lean forward as they walk or run to kick the ball. As they guide the ball onto the boot, they should have their head over the ball. At the point of contact with the boot, they should be transferring body weight back as the leg follows through. A common fault in kicking action is moving the arms across the body in a sideways movement. This should be strongly discouraged.

(d) Control of head movement

The head must be kept as still as possible. It is important that players look to the target as they are running to kick to ensure that they are heading in the right direction. They must keep their head still and over the ball as they release from hand to foot. Coaches need to remind players of the importance of watching the ball leave the hand and watching contact being made with the boot. This will also help the player to keep the body balance correct, as it is very difficult to keep the head over the ball if body weight goes back too early. Players need to practise this technique and learn to relax, so that they do not become too tight in the upper body because this may affect ball control from hand to foot.

(e) Follow through

Often players with poor technique stab at the ball and do not follow through after contact. This is due to poor body balance or a lack of confidence in their own kicking style. Players must be taught to kick through the ball, follow through high, and aimed straight at the target. Use the hands to balance the body on follow through and do not let the players kick the ball too hard. In short players must relax, line up the target, balance correctly, control the head movement and follow through with a straight leg to complete a successful kick. Challenge players by getting them to kick along the lines around the center square with a partner. Make sure the player analyses every kick and that the ball travels straight. Watch for kicks that start straight and then curve as the ball loses pace. This is a result of poor kicking action or not completing the above steps correctly.

Marking –

Monitor the following points when teaching players’ overhead or chest marking.

(a) Positioning of hands

As with kicking, holding the ball for marking also requires the hands to be even and level on the ball. Encourage players to put their hands up early and watch the flight of the ball through the thumbs and forefingers (the thumbs should be even, but do not need to be touching). Remind them to spread their fingers and recommend that they do not look to snatch at the ball as it arrives. Instead, they must allow the ball to come to their thumbs, as they rap their fingers around it. The ball must be watched all the way into their hands. For the chest mark it is important for players to keep their elbows in close to their sides and not push the arms too far forward of the body.

(b) Line of body

Another common difficulty for players at all levels. Coaches must continually reinforce, teaching players to get their body in line with the flight of the ball. The body can be very helpful in a contest; by correct positioning the body can cut the vision of the opponent and make it difficult for him to reach the ball. Too many players come in from the side or do not line their body up and as a result, drop the mark and spills the ball behind the contest. In keeping the body in line with the ball, at least it will land in front if the mark is uncontrolled. Players must pick up the flight of the ball early and adjust the line of the body quickly and then attack the ball strongly.

(c) Position of head

The number of players who do not keep their head still and behind the ball is a big concern. Players must get in behind the ball quickly and line the ball up with their head. A common problem is that players will position their body correctly but as they take the ball in their hands, they move their head to one side and end up trying to mark it over a shoulder. The player is taking his eye off the ball at potentially the worst possible time and if he drops the mark it is more than likely going to fall behind, instead coming to the front of the pack, where we teach our crumbers to position themselves. It also gives the opponent a good look at the ball and the opportunity to punch. The importance of players keeping their heads still can not be underestimated. Players who have the habit of dropping their heads in a contest, fear being hit and that is an area that opposition coaches will exploit continuously. Be positive with players who do this and stress the importance of keeping their heads up, as it is the only way they can keep their eyes on the ball.

(d) Elevation to ball

Players should be taught very early to attack the ball. When marking, they must have the thought of reaching the ball at it’s earliest point, by judging the flight, positioning the head and body in line, getting the hands up level in position and timing their jump. Players should be discouraged from standing and waiting for the ball to come to them or trying to out body their opponent. They should focus on getting up to the ball and meeting it early with the right technique. This will in turn make it even more difficult for the opponent in a contest as they can rarely make good position let alone reach the ball from behind the player who is jumping well, getting the hands up full stretch and using his body to block the opponents vision.

PLAYERS MUST ALWAYS LOOK TO CONTEST FROM FRONT POSITION.

Handball – As a player and a coach, I have always worked on the theory that a bad handball will cost your team a goal. The following points must be observed when players are completing drills or learning to handball.

(a) Positioning of body

Today’s football dictates that players must be on the move in the direction in which they are going to handball, so that they can shepherd and protect the player receiving the ball. Encourage players to handball within their vision and they should square the shoulders where possible, directing at the handball target. Their will be times when young players learning to handball from a stationary position will turn side on to handball. They should be encouraged to step towards the target as they handball. The easiest way to explain this is firstly, get them to hold the ball in the hand they are not going to hit the ball with (platform hand). Secondly if their platform hand is the left hand, then they step forward with their left leg as they hit the ball. The head should be still and the eyes on the player he is going to handball to.

(b) Height of ball

Players should keep the ball around the hip/waist region to allow for the hand to flow through the ball. Discourage any player who is looking to hold the ball higher as it is a poor habit and too restrictive. Keep the ball in close to the body and if pressured during a game, use the body by turning as a way of keeping it away from the opponent.

(c) Backswing

There are a number of variations to the backswing of the hand you are going to use to make contact with the ball. Remember that the further back you take your hand, the longer it is going to take to complete the handball. This may be a problem in a game when an opponent applies the pressure. Most coaches encourage shorter handballs so players have shortened their backswing to move the ball quicker. Some players bring the platform hand back towards the striking hand for more power and quicker disposal, while others don’t have a backswing at all, preferring to gain power from the elbow and shoulder area.

(d) Types of handball

There are a number of different handballs that can be given. Firstly the Rocket Handball that is tilted back in the platform hand and hit above the seams to give the affect of a backspin through the air. Secondly the Overspin Handball that is hit below the seams and will spin end over end forward. The most commonly used handball is the Rocket Handball. It is easy to control and is used when there is no opponent between where you are and the player you want to handball to is. It is a flat handball and players must be encouraged to follow and protect after they give the ball off. The Overspin Handball has the advantage of elevating quickly (similar to a topspin in tennis) and dropping quickly. The use in a game for this handball would be when an opponent is coming at you, or is between where you are with the ball and the player you are looking to handball to. Teach your players to try different handballs, such as the Underground Handball. Use these sessions as fun as they may only get to use the Underground Handball on the odd occasion in a game.

(e) Speed of handball

An important issue when teaching players to handball. Always encourage soft handballs as it makes it easier for the player receiving the ball to control. Remember that accuracy is far more important than speed.

Ground skills – My personal opinion is that if a player is going to have any chance of long term success at the highest level, then he must be a one grab player or in football jargon, clean below the knees. Players will survive better as they master this skill because by not fumbling, they are less likely to have pressure applied on disposal. The principles involved in picking up the ball from ground level are similar to that of marking. Watch your players closely and remind them constantly in the following areas.

(a) Getting in low and close to the ball

Players must learn to get in low to the ball and the best way for this is to teach them to bend at the knees and not rely totally on the back. This is not as easy as it sounds, as often the ball is moving in different directions and bouncing awkwardly. The thing that I have found is that players commit to the ground ball too early and as a result lose speed through the ball and end up stopping to gain control. Timing is important and getting in very close to the ball is vital. Practise is the only way for players to get better in this area.

(b) Head over the ball

This is a basic principle and a problem area. A large number of players lift their head too early because they fear what is coming at them or look to use the ball before they have control of it. The head must be perfectly still and over the top of the ball. The last six inches before the ball is in the hands are vital; players must watch the ball come in closely. As players perfect this, they should be taught to handball from ground level when they have total control of the ball. Remember it is important to get in low to the ball.

(c) Position of the body and hands

Years ago we were taught to run to the side of the ball bend down with one hand and scoop the ball up. This technique is fine for a ball that is stationary and when there is not a lot of pressure. In today’s football it is important that players are taught to centre the body with the ball and run straight at it, so if the ball takes a bad bounce, body movement can be controlled easier and the ball can be covered. Bending at the knees and not committing too early will allow the player to get in close and down low enough to get both hands under the ball, from behind. Another reason for centring the body is that when running hard to pick up a moving ball, should it take a bad bounce it will, at the worst hit the body or legs and at least stay in front, so that the players can have another go at it.

(d) Handball/Give position

Players of all ages need to practice ball control below the knees. Getting control of the ball without fumbling is the most important step. The next trick is decision making and disposal. Most players will be required to handball once they gain control of the ball as pressure is on them very quickly. Work your drills so that the player is encouraged to handball from ground level, once the ball is controlled. Some of the drills in this manual can be modified by getting players to mark the ball, let it drop down to ground level and then picking it up without fumbling and then handballing off.It might only be at one particular marker (remember colour coding) that you give this instruction, but it is important for players to master this skill as the ball spends so much time on the ground. Remember the instruction, get in close, bend at the knees, do not commit too early, watch the ball into the hands, square the body and handball on the up when the ball is controlled and always

follow your handballs to protect your team-mates.