RIDES & CLEARS
To clear successfully, we need girls that can catch & throw long passes, run with their heads up & looking and an organized formation so the Riders can't double team. As always though we start with dynamic warmups, hand & wrist warmups.
Body Warmup
Backwards Running and then Body Warm Up
Hand Warmup
20 twirls to, 20 twirls away, 20 twirls back and forth
Switch hands & repeat
Wrist Warmup
1 Handed Catching & Throwing
Long Passes
Technique. Throw perfectly overhand with the butt end pointed at the target. Do not over-torque at the beginning. Turn the hips to torque the stick. Push up with the top hand to make the ball go higher. Pull down with the bottom hand to make the ball go lower.
Game 1. 40 yard shots into the goal. Bounce shots are 1 point, on the fly shots are 2 points. For girls without a goal, you can throw them against a fence. Hit the fence on a bounce 1 point, on a fly 2 points.
Game 2. 40 yard partner passes.
Running with Head Up
To often a girl will try to clear all by herself by sprinting up the field & turning the corner on 2 or 3 Riders. When successful, it drains the energy of that Defender or Middie. When unsuccessful, it's often due to a double or triple team which takes an exhausted Clearer and makes her throw a bad pass or drop the ball. We want our players to Clear with the pass, not with speed.
Technique: General Principles. Go as slow as possible to teach your mind that you are in control. Protect your stick by keeping shoulders in between your stick and the defender. (Shoulder, shoulder stick). Do not change hands except for the stick dodge.
Technique: Ways to Change Direction.
- Stop & then shuffle backwards to get space
- Roll dodge
- Rocker
- Face dodge
- Face dodge into a spin
- Face dodge into a spin & then go backwards to get space
Changing direction in all these cases necessitate changing speed as well. Focus on going slow enough to read your defender.
Game 1. Set cones 10 yards apart & another set about 15 yards down the field 10 yards apart. Clearer has to get past defender only going half speed using change of direction and stay inside the cones.
