Introducing the impact player.

• With the game changing regularly and with four on the interchange bench, players must be prepared for many moves and changes. Players must sprint off.

• Similar to other sports, players must now accept the fact that the bench is now used to rotate players in an effort to keep fresh legs on the ground for four quarters. Players must sprint off.

• It is not always correct to assume you are coming off due to a mistake or poor form.

• However the time has now arrived where players will be disciplined for many reasons, giving away 50m, lack of discipline, not manning up etc etc.

• Control your anger when benched.

• Loss of focus not only affects the player benched but all other bench players.

• During the season we will structure out team so that we have a strike force coming off the bench in an attempt to influence the flow of the game.

• Decisions in this area will be made at the selection table, which will always be in the best interest of the side. It will be up to these strike players to make their presence felt immediately.

The position of Forward Tactician is most valuable for the coach, match committee members and the players. The role includes observing a targeted opposition team prior to playing them, with the view of highlighting their game plan and the strengths and weaknesses of individual players.

The position of Forward Tactician is most valuable for the coach, match committee members and the players. The role includes observing a targeted opposition team prior to playing them, with the view of highlighting their game plan and the strengths and weaknesses of individual players.
The relationship with the coach is a very important one. There needs to be an open channel of communication. The needs of the coach must be clearly stated. It is an advantage to have an understanding of team rules.

Decisions about what kind of information and how that information shall be used within the club are vital. The tactician needs to know what role he plays in the presentation of the information, i.e. will it be passed on to the coach only, or is the information to be shared with match committee members and players and in what forum.

The format for reporting may change depending on the coach’s preference. He may prefer a written report that he or the tactician can present to others including the coaching panel, selection committee and players. The report could also be verbal or an audio-visual presentation. The coach must decide on how involved the tactician is with the presentation. It should be noted that the coach may have other sources from which to draw information. If there is a statistics team or specialist coaches for example, then these may be incorporated in a presentation as well.

When reporting verbally to the respective groups it is important to give accurate information for any particular purpose, e.g. you may be speaking to backline players about the opposition forward line set up; or the forwards about their kick outs. The coach may ask you to speak to players individually or in groups on training days or on match days. This may be to clarify a strategy cited in the report.

Preparation for observing a targeted team is most important. You require access to a seat giving complete vision of the arena including the interchange bench. Binoculars may be handy and a dictaphone is essential in preference to note taking. Prior knowledge of players and their opponents on the day is also desirable. Building up a Profile on every player in every team enables you to add and delete individual strengths and weaknesses as required.

During the course of a game you may need to note:

Playing conditions

Starting line up for each quarter

Positional and interchange moves and the time in the quarter

Injuries … this may be followed up at training in the following week

Watch the runner deliver messages to help identify positional changes
The format for the written report should be decided upon by the coach based on the data being collected and needs in preparation for the game. A successful format may address the following areas:

1. Starting line up: Compare to recent weeks and past games.

2. Team line up: Quarter by Quarter and during the quarter. Refer to the past few weeks and highlight any patterns, e.g. Ruckmen change off the interchange bench at the 16 minute mark of each quarter.
3. General comments: A summary of how the opposition team is performing at present.

4. Strategies:
General team play or team rules
Forwards, Set up, Leading players, Space left open
Backs, Ball movement, switches, Ball carriers
Onballers / Midfield, Positioning, Players moving forward
Centre bounce set-ups, personnel and clearances

5. Match details:

Scores
Goal Kickers
Best Players
Players to Watch

6. Player Strengths and Weaknesses: List players individually with name, jumper number, total games played, height and weight. List strengths and weaknesses as displayed in this game. These can be added to or deleted from your Profiles over the player’s career.
7. Summary: This may or may not be included. The coach may wish to have input with key focus areas highlighted for players to read in their preparation for next week’s game. He may also have included his own comments in bold type at specific places during the report.

Examples of skills that are observed as Strengths or Weaknesses may include:
Kicking, marking and handball competency, preferred side for disposal, ground skills, use of body, pace, positions played, plays short or tall, goal kicking accuracy, finds space, works well in traffic, shepherding, confidence, injury status, creativity, running, non rewarded running, chasing ability, second and third efforts, attack on the ball and body, strength in contest, leading ability, high ratio possession winner, receiver, hard ball winner, physical attributes, eg size, pace, leap, strength etc., decision making under pressure, team player, fumbles, makes mistakes, clean ball handler, positions himself for contest, plays in front, punches from behind, strong tackler, crumbing skills, tagger, usual opponents each week, disciplined, palming skills, consistency, intensity, role in team set plays, uses first option, accountability, communicator, team leader, use of voice, vision, awareness.

A continued article by Peter Schwab Former AFL Coach, Triple Premiership Player Hawthorn

Last week we mentioned our own effort and commitment to performance.

This week I have looked at the following: Opposition

In any business you must know who you are competing against.

• If you want to know your opponents then you should be considering the answers to some of the following questions.
• Who is the best in your business?
• What are they doing that you don’t?
• What can you do that they don’t?
• Where and how are they beating you?
• Where can you gain an advantage over them?

The beauty of sport is we can watch our competitors prepare and perform. Can this be done in business?

• Ask yourself ;Can you forward scout your opposition?
• In any competition you must respect your opponents and know as much as you can about them.
• There will be competitors who do things better and frustratingly some will do it with what looks like ease or even less than their best effort. There is nothing to worry about – You can only compete to the best of your ability not someone else’s best.
• Always assume your opponents are doing everything they can to be the best. It will keep you motivated and focused.
• In sport I often asked the players, “What do you think your opponent would be doing?”
• In essence don’t give a competitor an advantage by a lack of effort, thinking, focus and commitment on your behalf.

3. Coaching/Teaching/Leadership

In sport, in a workforce, in a classroom the team or group’s welfare comes before the individual. This is not to say a workplace should not have empathy and understanding for its individual members.

Good coaches, teachers and employers need to understand individual strengths and weaknesses but they know decisions must be based on what is best for the team, the class or the workforce.

Your understanding and commitment to this management principle will help you become a highly productive member of the team, group or workforce.

If someone is behaving in a manner that is hampering others in their capacity to be the best they can be then that individual needs to be challenged about his or her behaviour.

While it is the coach, teacher or bosses responsibility to challenge that person’s behaviour and get them working co-operatively. The most productive behaviour in a team, class or workforce is self-discipline or leadership from within the group. The word empowerment is used nowadays.

All teams search for strong player leadership. If the players drive team behaviours on and off the field in a positive direction the team generally does well.

Strong teams will even challenge their coaches if they believe certain things can be done to improve the team. And as long as it is done in the right forum a coach will welcome such input. Nobody has a mortgage on a good idea. So always speak to the right person at the right time if you believe you can help the group.

Mentoring is a critical part of learning. It is important to either have them within an organisation or for people to seek them outside. Sometimes a person outside is not clouded by internal politics.

4. Team mates/Colleagues

• Who do you trust?
• Who do you want in your team?
• How can I make it easier for my teammate? – Vince Lombardi the great US Football coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960′s always posed this great question to his teams.
• Don’t blame others if things don’t go well, but do question why things went bad.
• If you believe someone isn’t doing their best or isn’t helping the group then you can challenge them. But think about the best way and best time to do this.
• Allan Jeans, St.Kilda and Hawthorn premiership coach. Had an approach to criticism. “Find their positives first and then edge them toward where they can improve.”
• Don’t do what others do if you think they are wrong or it’s not for you. i.e.; smoking, playing a certain way, taking long lunches for socialising.

Having created the team rules and game plan structure, we are then giving our players direction and guidelines to play by, which in turn will make them more predictable to each other. These structures then do not change and become part of how your team will play each game of the season.

SOME EXAMPLES OF TEAM PLAYS COULD INCLUDE:
Set-ups on opposition kick-ins – Zones, (country footy only as most clubs don’t have sufficient supply of footballs to implement the new rule) man on man or outriders should the opposition huddle, then break. There are a number of zone variations which include 3/4/5, 3/4/4 and ruckman stays with ruckman. 3/5/4 or 3/5/3 and tagging player stays with his opponent. These structures may change quarter by quarter depending on how well your team is playing. A gauge for how well your zone works could be that if the opposition kick long to a contest which allows you to punch back towards your goal, that should be considered a win for your zone. Remember to position early with your hands up. Work your area, but do not allow yourself to be dragged out of position by a hard leading player as this may open up space for a second player running behind him and allow an option to open up for the kicker. Communicate to the player in front of you and if the kick comes into your area attack the ball and body as hard as you can without giving away a free kick. Watch for the opposition who send a dummy lead to one side of the oval and then all other players break to the opposite side of the oval. If this happens, man up on the player as he is being sent to hold the zone players in position. Once he is manned up on all other players push across central to assist teammates on the opposite side of the oval.

Make sure your team practices the preferred set-ups on a regular basis.
Retain the ball and switch play in defence – Modern day football demands that teams work hard in defence to win and retain possession at all costs. Switching the ball play in the back half is a standard play for most teams and the rule could be, that if it comes in one side of the oval it must be taken out the other. Given that the back line will be able to read the game quickly by judging how much pressure they are under, work hard to teach them to control the tempo of the game. Do not allow them to panic when under pressure and encourage them to play the game on their terms. The very last option from defence should be to kick long to contest. Hold onto the ball until a player becomes available to pass the ball to.

You can quickly turn defence into attack, but you must maintain possession.

Creating space for team-mates to lead – Teaching players to push back towards the kicker rather than lead into the same area as key position players is very much part of today’s football. Any player who is manned up on and between the kicker and his longest option should push back towards the player with the ball to open up space for the longest option to lead into. Remember the aim of the kicker should be to bring the leading player forward every time. The players who were short and pushed back towards the kicker can then turn and run with the flight of the ball and work into a receiving position front and centre to the contest.

Teaching players to run hard knowing that they are not going to receive the ball is not easy. Players need to understand the importance to the team of creating space.

Starting points on your kick outs – The huddle is the perfect example of a set up of starting points for players to lead for the kick out. The advantages of starting points is that each player has a designated point to lead from and if set up correctly should negate the possibility of players running into each other as they present as an option for the kicker. Most sides now have a designated kicker who is good at pin pointing a pass, remembering that sides now place great importance on retaining possession in preference to kicking long to a 50/50 contest. A rule to support this should be that if the designated kicker is slow to kick and the umpire instructs him to hurry up, he should then kick short and wide to a player in the pocket rather than kick long to a contest. Other set ups for starting points could include; The Back Pockets setting up 25 metres from goal and central, the Half Back Flank players behind them about 10 Meters back. The Wingmen and an on baller (Rover and Ruck Rover) go to the 50 metre mark out wide and the CHB/Centreman and Ruckman can start at centre half back and lead into areas of space that are left by the players who are ahead of them. Make sure that you lead hard and are prepared to present again and again if need be. Remember that the value of retaining possession is critical to your team being able to attack from defence.
Center Square setups - Again a number of options are available to coaches when setting up for the ruck contest inside the center square. Generally the Ruckman will run straight towards his goals looking to make body contact with his opponent whilst contesting for the ball. His aim is to reach the ball at its highest point and place it in an advantage situation for his team-mates. The Centreman is generally the designated sweeper who holds back behind the contest to block the opposition movement should the ruck contest not go as planned. It is very important that he holds position and does not move forward until his team gain possession. He can then be used as a run/receiver. The Ruck Rover and Rover are the two players who can set up in a number of different positions depending on the strengths and/or weaknesses of your ruckman. One player may start back alongside the centreman and run through on the ruckman’s hitting hand while the other player may start on the attack side facing away from his goals. He may receive from the ruckman and then handball to a running teammate going towards goal. Other variations will include starting all players back behind the bounce with a player running through on both left and right to the ruckman. Your players may set up to rove off the opposition ruckman if he is dominant or players may set up as stationary targets looking to handball or quickly kick once the ball is in possession. The trend of today’s game and the need for teams to be predictable, allows for a player to be designated as the receiving player at the ruck contest situation. This allows teams to set up smarter knowing that the ball is being sent to a designated player. The other players are then to block and open space for this player once he receives the ball.

REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULE – UNDER PRESSURE, KICK.

This allows you to clear the danger area, make yardage, and places all opposition players on the wrong side of the ball. Whatever set up you choose for your players, be flexible and prepared to change should you become too predictable or your ruckman is not contesting well, encourage him to jump early or change his angle at the opposition ruckman. Be pro active in finding the required solution to the problem, as the Centre Square is an area you must get control of. There is nothing wrong with players starting man on man at ruck contests providing they are prepared to attack when the ball is there to be won.
NOTE: Do not under estimate how many times the ball is cleared from a centre square ruck contest by players starting outside of the square (Wingmen and flankers who rush in). If your centre square players are hard at it, man up all players on the outside of the square. Make sure they do not allow their opponent to get in quickly and gain possession or run/receive. Players outside the square should have a mentality of protecting the players inside the square, rather than contesting against them.
Boundary throw in starting points – Similar to the centre square in that you need your hard ball winning players around these contests at all times. Try to isolate your players as much as you can, so that your on ball players are challenged one out instead of having to contest against 3-4 opponents. The other issues that will change where your players set up is, (1) where the ball is (attack or defence) and (2) state of the game (winning well or losing badly). Some of the examples of boundary set ups could include; on ball players setting up on the defence side of the contest with positional players setting up on the attack side in amongst the on ball players from the opposition. If a member of your team does not need to be at the contest, push him away and send him into a position where you may be able to play through him. This is known as going dangerous. Remember to cover the back of the contest when in defence as it will be the aim of the opposition to bring the ball into the corridor by hitting back over the top of the contest. In the forward line, keep that space available for a team-mate to run into once your ruckman is able to centre the ball.
Designated receivers from ruck contests – An important part of today’s football, which revolves around players setting up or leading, knowing that they are not going to be given the ball. Unrewarded running will ensure that the designated receiver at worst, will only contest with his immediate opponent and generally be given good space to run into by team-mates who set up smart and run to the right positions. We generally look to have a different player as the designated received at boundary throw-ins than the chosen player for centre square and around the ground ball ups. An example of the value of a designated receiver would be the centre square player would position to receive from the ruck contest. His team-mates would assess where they stand, looking to move out of the area where the receiver is running. If the opponent does not go from the area, then step between the receiver and your opponent and blocks for your team-mate. Change your designated receivers at each quarter time break. Make sure players are aware of who the receivers are to be and ensure that every player fully understands the roles that need to be played.
Forward Line set-ups – The biggest change in football over the last decade has been the willingness of coaches to create different set ups in areas like the forward line. We rarely have a 6 man forward line with the set-ups in today’s games. At times for different reasons, coaches will move a number of players out of traditional positions and push them up the field. The reasons are many. It could be simply to run with a 7-man defence and a 5-man forward line because you are kicking against a strong breeze. It may be because you are looking to open up spaces to kick the ball into in the forward line. Some coaches will push all players up outside 50 metres looking to isolate a mismatch in the forward line one out. Some teams have a set-up at centre bounces which includes the centreline starting across the half back, the half forward line starting in at the centre bounce, leaving only three players in the forward line. The set up is a 9-man defence and a 3-man forward line. This is done to confuse the opposition, create spaces in the forward line a defensive area should the opposition clear the ball. Whatever set up you choose, make sure that you have the plays to compliment the structure and that you are doing it for the right reasons.

REMEMBER THAT SET PLAYS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOUR TEAM BECAUSE
PLAYERS KNOW WHERE TEAM-MATES ARE GOING TO RUN AND WHY.

TACTICS
Unlike team or set plays, tactics are going to change a number of times during each game. They are dictated by the strengths of opposition players and set-ups and will change as needed. Some of the influences of changing tactics will be:
1. Tagging a danger player
2. Weather conditions
3. Size of the oval
4. State of the game
5. Umpiring
6. Opposition strengths and weaknesses
7. Player availability
Tagging – Is an important part of today’s football. All sides have good players who at times may need to be tagged. We have all seen the changing ideas of AFL coaches looking to stop dual Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey over the last few seasons. They have gone from trying a shut down players like Judd (Carlton) using a good player on him like Crawford (Hawthorn) with the view of hurting Judd/Harvey the other way when his team gain possession. Sides have tried double-teaming, which is using different players each quarter. They have tried to block his run once he disposes of the ball, to making sure most of his possessions are gained in defence where it will not do as much damage. We would all agree that on most occasions these tactics have been largely unsuccessful, but all worth trying. At all levels of the game when coaching, you are going to come up against a very dominant opposition player who needs to be watched.
Should one of your better players be in the situation of being tagged, then the tactics that can be employed to your advantage are, send the tagged player over to tag an opponent which will create a 2 on 1 situation for your team allowing a player, freedom to run. Another option is to get a teammate to block for the tagged player, to release the pressure at the right time. You could also isolate the player inside your forward line one out and see if you can create a mismatch. North Melbourne have mastered the art of dropping a tagged player out of the square at one end, which allows another player to step inside the square at the other. This is done to confuse the tagger who is under instructions to stay with the player. The end result is the side doing the tagging is one player short at a centre square ruck contest. Remember timing is vital when trying this ploy.
Opposition zone - A tactic if the opposition set up a strong zone on your kick out would be to huddle all players at centre half back and then send a player out hard to one side leading into space. All other players then run into spaces on the other side flooding and outnumbering the opposition. The reason that the one player is sent as a decoy to the wrong side, is so that the zone players generally hold position while he is out there, which means that you have outnumbered the opposition two to one. The way to negate this should it be happening to your team, is to man up on the player who runs the decoy and then push all zone players centrally to take up space. Another tactic in this area of opposition zoning is to double-team a weaker player in zone position. The idea is to identify a player who is timid or not strong at the contest. Send two players at him and have the designated kicker kick in that direction which should create an advantage for your team.
Ruck Contests – Dominant ruckman can create havoc for an opposition team if they are in total control at ruck contests. Teach your ruckman to think about ways where he can reduce the dominance by changing the angles that he runs in at, or jumping early to compete, with the aim of neutralising the contest.
Remember that not all your tactics are going to be successful. Some will fail miserably however a thinking coach who is proactive is going to lessen the potential problems before they arise.
Tactics are as important as team rules and game plan.Having fun trying different things, will keep both you and your players on their toes.
Remember to discuss tactics with your team and to gain valuable input from the players. The ideas must be sold in a positive manner for them to work.Players to be given roles must be advised and instructed early so they can prepare in the correct manner.