Sorry I didn't get back here sooner. I'm old and have forgotten more than I remember. LOL
It would be WRONG for you to try to score, since your forward is most probably better, perhaps even a PM. So it would be best for you to clear or pass. A clear or shot that falls in can only be icing for you.
To try to score through the middle with most prolly a SP-Pro or better combination defending against you, it would then be WRONG, and pretty stupid to try to out pull, out push or power a shot through the defense, especially if they teamzone all open sprays and square shots from the back. Not to mention the defending forward is faster, more alert, and more experienced in trapping any normal on-goal shots from you.
Like I said, in your environment, (Q's right? perhaps another Chi-town area venue...) you jez block, don't give up rebounds, and practice clearing on down and up brushes or even simple passes. Whomever your forward is, he or she's prolly quite good enough to catch lane or wall brushdown passes. Even stick passes off the wall.
Defenders can block these too, but they have to focus on the primary mission of stopping all stupid-@ss straight shots on goal, the 5 basic "natural" release points from the goal area, plus your basic goalkeeper shots (pull, push, kick palm rolls). They can't be concentrating on blocking simple wall clears and passes from your goal area ... so learn to clear and pass along the walls. Stuff blocks on your wall and lane passes also safely come back to your wall, NOT INTO YOUR GOAL.
*note The five "natural" release points are:
1 & 2 : the area and lane where the goalkeeper can easily release an ongoal spray pull or push after setting the ball between the big goalbox and the wall.
3 & 4 : the release lanes (where the ball is fired) starting between the last two goal area dots on either side for squares or slight sprays.
5: the area around the big central goal dot, where longs are shot, as well as a lot of tick tack and push/pull kicks.
These are the quickset and set shot lanes that most good forwards are watching for. Especially when goalkeepers try to speed up the game with natural quicksets. Whatever a good active defensive forward may do with the 5bar, depending on the 5bar lanes he/she wants to leave for the defensive goalkeeper to cover, a good shuffle back & forth to continuously cover these points or a wait and jump to these (baiting) with the 3bar is common in most 2player zone D's.
As described, allmost anyone you draw is prolly a higher percentage scorer than you, so it would be WRONG (in a match, not for pickups!) for you to not just block, retain the ball and clear or pass to your forward. Jez lak in football or basketball.
This is good stuff, but it is also one persons opinion. I agree that it would be wrong for you to try to score every time you get the ball, but, I see it this way. If all you do is try to clear and pass down the sides and on the wall, and that's all you try, then a good defensive forward will just take the ball from you time after time which will do nothing but frustrate and put a lot more pressure on your forward. If on the other hand, you are very unpredictable, even a slow shot, timed right can clear and/or score. Killah is right about the zones. Down in Houston we have a couple of pretty good shooting goalies. One of the best is someone you may not have heard of, but I think you have heard of his brother. Shawn McMillin can flat light it up. He shoots every bit as good as Tracy, but even he has trouble against a good zone forward defender. Everything I wrote in my first post came from Tracy McMillin and Scott King. Both Pro Masters, and the former is the best shooting goalie in the world. IMHO I guess I may have given you to much to work on, so start with the first part,
1st things 1st. When you get possession of the ball, get a quick set-up. Which ever is your best shot, pull or push, you need to practice shooting short, medium, and long angles from setting up on the wall and moving the ball 1" or less.
Now let me go into a little more detail. If the oposing forward is giving you that 1" hole, in front of, or behind his closest man on the 3 rod. Learn that 1" pull or push and be able to acurately hit it in the short, middle, or long side of the goal, all from the same release point, 1" or less from where the ball is set at. Now what you have to do is figure out which hole will be left by the forwards 5 man. He may show you a hole then take it away, or he may show a hole and dare you to hit it. If you get acurate so you can hit the ball where you want to, it becomes a game of chess. Now as FoozKillah said add in the straight down lane, and the brush. You now have 5 options. If you get a quick set, 5 sec. or less, you have 9 seconds to advance the ball, that's 45 options.
In order to pass effectively, there are 3 things that have to take place.
1st At HOME set up the oposing defence and put your forwards 3 man on the wall, Now practice passing. Not for 5 min, then on to something else. Practice your pass for 15 minutes. Then before you move on to the next pass to practice, successfully complete 10 in a row. Do this with each pass, and change the defence you are shooting against from time to time. Also do the same practice pattern with your shots on-goal. But remember what Killah said, try to keep from shooting in front of your own goal, shooting from the sides you are much less likely to get stuffed. Another BIG thing to remember is that the set-up is part of the plan. You MUST practice this too. Use each practice ball as a posesion, you have 15 seconds to start play and execute a pass or shot.
2nd You must learn to time the pass so that you don't hit it to hard. You don't want to hit it to soft either, it needs to be a speed quick enough to get through a hole in the defense, but also a speed that is easily catchable for your forward.
3rd BEFORE you start playing matches, tell your forward where you are comfortable passing the ball. If you are in your comfort zone you will be much more successful.
Give me an update on how you are progressing and I will give you more HOME WORK!
20 Replies
30779 Views