Technical Assessment

TECHNICAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

It's important for all players to have accurate technique that has been well rehearsed, as without it the game wouldn't flow and it'll make play unpredictable even for your own team.  Poor technique leaves a lot to chance and often results in errors which are likely to give away possession of the ball.  There are certain risks that a team can't afford to take (for example, the team should have confidence that the Goal Shooter is able to score goals) which are likely to cause the team to lose the match, therefore it's important that players technique is accurate.

Player Results

One of Stuart’s technical strengths is his catching skills.  Being able to catch the ball securely and keep possession is extremely important in both defensive and attacking play, to avoid the other team gaining possession.  Stuart can successfully catch the ball using a number of techniques including two handed catch, one handed catch and split foot reception catch (all are shown below).

In order to be positioned best to catch the ball the player must track it and move into an ideal catching position as soon as possible (Woodlands, 2006).  Stuart does this extremely well, and it can be seen on the photographs above that he never takes his eyes off the ball and he is facing the ball showing that he successfully moved into space to catch it.  When he catches the ball his hands are open and his fingers spread so that he’s holding the ball securely to bring it into his body, and less likely to drop it.  Stuart maintains his balance well by having a wide stance and bending his knees.  By bending his knees and elbows he is ‘absorbing the speed of the ball’ (Thomas, 2000), making it easier for him to bring the ball under control and snatch it ‘away from the opponent to protect possession’ (Woodlands, 2006).

Even though Stuart has good handling of the ball, his footwork is his most concerning weakness and means he is likely to lose possession of the ball for his team (the opposing team will be awarded a free pass: rule 14) (Thomas, 2000).  It’s important that players have a ‘highly developed awareness of their feet’ (Woodlands, 2006) in relation to their bodies movement so their footwork remains precise, however Stuart doesn’t display this.  He doesn’t consider what effect his movement will have on his ability to remain stable, for example when running to receive the ball his speed is uncontrollable in terms of him stopping once he has the ball, leading to a violation of the footwork rule.  When attempting something that requires a lot of concentration from Stuart (for example, shooting) he unconsciously uses his feet in a way that he feels will enable his technique (for example, when shooting he bounces on the spot) showing a lack of awareness.  Stuart shows a lack of experience in game environments (he would be more conscious of his footwork if he’d been penalised before) and he isn’t yet aware of how his movements affect his footwork (for example, stopping).

            

       Both of the videos below (shooting and receiving passes) show Stuart's bad footwork:

One of Daniel’s weaknesses is his shooting.  Even though he scores around half of his shots, his technique is weak and it is likely he’d score many more if his technique were better.  Perfecting shooting technique is hugely important because it is the team with the most goals that wins, and only two players on each team are allowed to score. As the player is only allowed possession of the ball for 3 seconds, they must make a decision whether to shoot or not in a matter of seconds and therefore their technique must be performed almost automatically.

Daniel completing a shooting drill:

From the video of Daniel above it can be seen that he doesn’t bend his knees when shooting.  By bending his knees, Daniel would be able to transfer more power into the shot, not relying solely on the strength in his arms, to push the ball upwards.  It’s important that he lifts the ball upwards, not only so that it goes towards the net but also goes over the defenders who are likely trying to intercept the pass (Thomas, 2000).  Daniel places his hands either side of the ball and holds it at head height, rather than one hand underneath the ball whilst the other stabilises it.  This means that he can’t lift the ball above his head, extending his arms with his elbows pointing towards the goal post.  It’s highly important that the shooters body is positioned facing the post, especially the elbows because if not it ‘will project the ball of target laterally’ (Woodlands, 2006), explaining why his shots are often off target.  When Daniel releases the ball, he does so at a low height (because he is holding it at head height) meaning not only will he need to transfer more power into the shot, but also it is likely to be intercepted by defenders.  

As with Daniel, Stuart’s shooting is a weakness.  From the video shown above (see footwork), when shooting he holds both hands underneath the ball with his elbows pointing to the side, which again is going to change the projection of the ball and the shot is unlikely to be accurate.  Stuart holds the ball in line with his forehead rather than extending his body upwards.  This means the ball is in easy reach of the defenders and he is going to have to transfer even more power to ensure the ball goes up and over the defenders and towards the ring.  Similarly to Daniel, Stuart doesn’t bend his knees to transfer more power into his shot or reach upwards when he releases the ball, relying solely on the strength of his upper body.  He also jumps up and down on the spot until he feels comfortable to shoot.  Not only is this a breach of rule 14 (footwork), but it doesn’t allow him to shoot accurately or line himself up with the goal post because he is always moving. 

Both Stuart and Daniel show a lack of experience and understanding of the game rules when shooting (the footwork rule specifically).  During the practice drills they both took longer than three seconds to shoot, showing a lack of confidence and experience in setting up the shot.  Alongside this, Stuart was bouncing up and down whilst he prepared, both of which violate the rules of the game and would result in a free pass for the opposing team.

One of Daniel’s technical strengths is his passing.  Being able to pass accurately and efficiently is important to ensure that the team keep possession of the ball and move it down-court to the attacking third.  For a good pass the player must first scan the court and select a target, then place the ball optimally considering the speed and boundaries of the recipient (Woodlands, 2006).

During the practice shown above Daniel was receiving the ball then turning and passing the ball to a moving target.  He shows good anticipation of the recipient’s movement and places the ball optimally so it can be received safely. Daniel holds the ball securely at chest height and releases it from the midline of the body (Woodlands, 2006).  His hands are spread around the ball with his fingers pointing upwards and thumbs meeting at the back, for an accurate and powerful pass.  Daniel has a wide stance with his knees bent so that he is balanced.  When releasing the ball he transfers his weight to his front foot, putting more power into the shot.  Finally, he follows through with his hands pointing in the direction of the target.  During all the practice drills, Daniel only demonstrated the chest pass, even when it was not ideal.  For example, when having to throw the ball a long distance a shoulder pass or hip pass may be more appropriate.  Whilst the pass is ideal over short distances it is not generally considered the safest option because of its low release point making it easily intercepted (Woodlands, 2006).  This shows that Daniel may not be aware of the different types of passes and he doesn’t understand the benefits of each different pass.  However, practice may not have been challenging enough or given him the opportunity to use the different passes.