Edinburgh University Korfball Club

← Back to 3rds & 4ths

Passing, Shooting, Collecting. Plus Defence and Communication. I can’t stress it enough. The 3rds/4ths coach would do best to focus on the basics, and make sure that everyone is doing them well. You have to tread the fine line between keeping sessions fun and interesting, and being really quite pedantic about people’s shooting and collect techniques.

It’s hard to focus on so few things and keep it fun, but I’m sure it is possible, and if you can work to make it so, you’ll be the god among 3rds coaches.

The following are little things that make massive differences, so try instil them from the start, and they will become naturals of the EUKC game.

Passing

• Coach Weak-handed passing from the start! And keep focusing on it. All passing will improve. Furthermore, encourage difficult passes in training. This is the time when it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t come off, so make sure people give it a shot.

• Don’t pass to a player not moving. Don’t pass if you don’t think you can make it, even if a player is calling for the ball. The pass is the PASSER’S decision, and thus the passer’s fault if it goes wrong.

• Encourage players NOT TO PANIC! People often get flustered under pressure and make a stupid pass. Being able to take your time is a key skill not only in passing but in controlling a division, and it is a good one to learn early on.

Shooting

• You’ll know better than I do the technique for shooting, if you’ve been to Avon Tyrell. Power from the legs, follow through with straight arms, palms facing outwards to give the ball natural backspin etc. With runners, arms following through, letting go of the ball as high as possible, and not ‘chucking’ it in any way.

• YOU MUST BE PEDANTIC! Too many people have had to be coached on shooting technique in the Firsts and Seconds. If we get it set in the 3rds/4ths, we’ll be onto a major winner.

• When teaching a ‘Veer shot’ – try just to teach the shot, and ignore the Veer. Movement in EUKC is so often taught as making a veer (planting a foot, moving away at a right angle) which leads to boring, predictable movement. Teach movement in as many dimensions as possible! (Bonus marks for >3).

Collecting

• Position, Anticipation, Timing: Again, you’ll know your stuff here. But make sure people don’t just run for the ball, but hold their position so best to get it. Check out the Drills section for some good ones.

• One key thing to do from the start – Get everyone comfortable being up close next to their defender. Do a big group hug and take it from there. A lot of people, most often girls, will move away from contact with their defender and thus give up their position.

Defence

• Front Defence isn’t about interceptions, and jumping in. This is how people give away runners and penalties/free passes. Do what you can to eradicate it completely. If a person can make an interception by catching the ball, brilliant. If they can only knock it out of play, then it wasn’t worth trying.

• Cut the feeds. If people give away feeds, that’s fine, just make sure that as soon as the ball leaves feed, the feed is cut.

• When defending in 4-0, be up close to the person with the ball, but don’t lean over. Keep that centre of gravity balanced, so you can move and react. When they pass, move round to the side to which they have passed. This means you are automatically back between them and the ball, and they will not be able to get a feed.

• Defending under the post – let them have the collect. Give them space so they can’t get a feed. Turn side on and watch what’s happening. Control the court, get in the way of any potential feeds, and block any potential passes towards the post.

• Once a feed is in, fight for collect under the post. If the feed goes, return to giving them the collect and space.

• 1 on 1 defending – Mark a person’s chest. If you look at a point on their chest, and ignore flailing arms/legs/head, you cannot get fooled. A person can’t move their chest without actually moving their position. Mark the chest.

• Similarly, make sure that your defending hand is marking one shoulder, not the middle of the player. If you are standing so your outstretched hand is in the middle of your attacker’s body, you are showing him/her your back, and they will attack it and run you.

Communication

• Just as people are a bit afraid of contact, they are a bit afraid of shouting really loud. Try to get them over this inhibition from the start. A defence is nothing without communication.

• Make them shout what they had for tea really loud, or their favourite whatevers. Play the ‘Korfball Bogies’ game, where each person has to shout something (“Tight! Boy/Girl feed!/Over!”) progressively louder round a circle.

• Challenge them to be the loudest person on court when playing 4 on 4. If it works (it generally does) then try challenge them to do the same in a game.