Korfball drill: relation distance shot and through ball

Exercise 1

One attacker under the basket with the ball, one receiver behind the basket and the attackers in front of the basket at eight metres. The attacker takes a distance shot from the ball, randomly to the left or right. The attacker joins the attackers, the offender becomes the attacker and the attacker becomes the offender.

What can you see?

• Rotation of roles takes getting used to.
• Not every player knows where to shoot from.
• Players have difficulties to estimate where the ball is coming from.
• Throwing to a running attacker is done inaccurately.
• Timing of the attacker's body position for the shot. It is only good if the shooter is standing at the moment the ball is caught. Standing means: standing frontally towards the basket, nose and navel pointing towards the post and the feet are in a slight spread position.
• The catching of the ball by the shooter happens in two phases, first the shooter wants to get the ball, then the ball is taken firmly in the hands to be able to make a shot. It is only good if after catching the ball a shot can be made immediately. So pay attention to the correct posture of the hands before the shot is started.

Exercise 2

As the previous exercise, but after the shot the shooter waits until the ball is caught and takes a pass. The catcher also catches the pass ball.

What can you see?

• Waiting patiently after the shot, while the shooter is moving, is difficult for the shooter, because the concentration is already on the through ball. Shooting is then just filling in a turn and not an attempt to score. Concentration of the shot also means following the ball after it is released.
• Catching the shot, indicating the passing ball and catching the passing ball cause failures.

Exercise 3

As the previous exercise, but before the shooter takes the through ball, he receives the ball, makes a fake shot, throws back with one hand to the declarer and only then takes a through ball. A feint means that the initial position of the shot is taken, the ball is extended with two hands but not released. Instead, the shooter throws back to the declarer with one hand. The choice left or right often depends on the position of the defender, this will be addressed in the next exercise.

Exercise 4

As the previous exercise, but the 1st declarer does not connect directly behind the attackers. After the first shot of the shooter (this shot remains without an opponent), the catcher will throw the ball to the shooter. At that moment, the 1st declarer goes to the shooter as defender to block the (fake) shot. The shooter passes the defender and takes the pass. The defender now joins behind the attackers.

What can you see?

• Through lots of examples and patient practice, mastery of the form is achieved.
• The fake shot is skipped, the players place the ball inside with both hands immediately after receiving the ball. Emphasize the fake shot to fool the opponent.
• The throw in is not done accurately and not with one hand.
• The number of goals can be disappointing in the beginning because there is a lot of concentration on the form of the exercise. It is particularly important to choose the right way to pass the defender, so it is acceptable if this initially results in a loss of points.
• The defender must be attentive to avoid collisions
• The defender may use his/her hands to block the pass inside. This leads to new difficulties for the attacker Phase the pressure applied by the defender (e.g. using two hands on the back, then using one hand, compulsively jumping in and only then fully defending on the shot).

Exercise 5

A defender behind the post, a declarer with the ball under the basket and a number of attackers at 3 metres in front of the basket. The learning curve of the dodge ball is covered in this and the following exercises. The shooter at 3 meter receives the ball, his starting position is the same as for the shot from a standing position, a small spread. Move the right leg slightly backwards, find the balance on that right leg by slightly pushing the left leg back. From this balance, shoot at the basket. Practise shooting on the right leg a few times, then shooting on the left leg.

Shooter becomes receiver, receiver becomes attacker and attacker joins the attackers again.

Exercise 6

Like the previous exercise, but the ball is only thrown when the archer crosses the left foot in front of the right foot (in an evasive move to the right). The archer has to find the rhythm of the pass to the right, receiving the ball, balancing on the right leg and stretching arms and legs properly for the aimed shot.

Exercise 7

The attackers stand 6 metres in front of the basket. The shooter walks towards the basket, stops at the penalty spot and swings to the right. At that moment, the attacker throws the ball. The shooter makes an evasive ball. The archer is allowed to walk one step to find the balance. The left leg acts as the playing leg to maintain balance.

The players learn from the examples given. As a trainer, you can perform the exercise yourself, also in slow motion to show the direction of the balance well. Practise this movement to the left as well.

Exercise 8

After the dodge, the shooter takes a walkthrough ball. The catcher catches the ball again. Let the shooter move after the dodge ball before starting the walk-through. This can be in the same direction as the dodge, or in the opposite direction. Make sure that the players do not move further away from the basket.

Exercise 9

The dodge ball is turned into a fake shot and converted into a through ball. The flowing movement of the dummy ball into a pass to the inside requires more control of the balance. Throw the ball with one hand to the basket.

What can you see?

• The coordination of catching to a balance step is a problem.
• The shooter establishes coordination through a rhythm, sometimes using a hop.
• Shooters end up on their left leg when trying to find balance on a dodge ball to the right. This makes turning towards the basket for the shot difficult.
• The dodge ball is an option in the game because a walk-through ball attempt is aborted because the defender keeps up. In time the dodge ball will become an independent way to get free.

Exercise 10

The attacker acts as a defender to put the shooter under pressure. After the dodge to the right, the declarer gives the ball and tries to block the shot. The archer goes for the shot.

Exercise 11

Idem, but the shooter has the alternative to throw the ball to the 'catcher' present in the basket and to take a walkthrough ball. The defender still goes for blocking the shot. It has been described before how the defender can be phased.

• Throwing to let someone score

Exercise 12

Two players stand 7 metres in front of the basket and 8 metres apart. One player with the ball under the basket and one behind the basket. A player in front of the basket takes the through ball indicated from the space, after the other player in front of the basket has received the ball.

The through ball is caught by the receiver. A1 becomes A2, A2 becomes A3, A3 becomes A4 and A4 becomes A1.

What can you see?

• The server learns that the shooter can only take a walkthrough ball if the throw is prepared calmly, is thrown in front of the shooter and the ball is placed at the right height.
• Walking pace and walking distance of the archer can be controlled by the throwing pace, ball path and ball pace.
• Learning to control problems such as timing requires a lot of repetition and sometimes adjustment of the distances used.
• The problems for the shooter, the starting position of the through ball is different because the body is turned to receive the ball, lead to unclean actions. Stay attentive to this.
• The speed of action must be increased.

Exercise 13

As exercise 12, but the declarator throws the ball to a shooter who swings out to a position diagonally behind the basket. There is a ball through the middle where the declarer from the space in game situation must take into account two opponents, his direct opponent and the opponent of the shooter, because he is not far from the ball line.

Exercise 14

As exercise 13, but the archer makes a shot and plays the ball to the player under the basket who indicates a through ball.

Exercise 15

Practise throwing and releasing on the short and long line. The attacker stands far from the basket. The archer stands in front of the box at the side of the declarer. The archer walks up to the declarer (the short line), receives the ball and shoots. The declarer becomes the archer, the archer walks to the back of the basket, the receiver comes on the position of the declarer.

The catcher ends up in the position of the declarer, after the ball has been thrown to the next declarer.

Exercise 16

As exercise 15, but the archer chooses the long line after having made a feint in the direction of the short line or basket.

Exercise 15 and 16 can be trained with an opponent near the shooter, so that the declarer learns to judge when someone is free. Dose the defender. When using a defender, the 2nd declarer (who in fact does nothing) can act as a defender. The rotation after the exercise is: declarer becomes defender, defender becomes gunner, gunner becomes catcher and catcher becomes declarer (after a combination with a player).