Korfball drills

Inshort: practise all kinds of forms of the shot in 'difficult situations'.

Organisation: pairs per basket, always one regular attacker and one shooter. Change after 1 or 2 minutes.

a )The declarer plays the ball about 1 meter to the left of the archer. He jumps as it were 'into' the ball, and shoots immediately in a fluent movement at the basket.

b ) As a., but now the ball is placed 1 meter to the right of the shooter.

c ) As a., but the ball is played left or right of the shooter, as the declarer chooses.

d ) The declarer gives a tight ball from under the basket. Just before receiving the ball, the striker, who is standing about 6 meters in front of the basket, steps backwards. He then shoots (from one leg) in one fluent movement. In this way, an attacker creates a lot of space for the shot. This way of shooting requires a lot of technique and/or strength.

e ) Same exercise as d., but now the shooter has a defender with him. The declarer must keep shooting as tight as possible. The archer will have the tendency to make the backward movement earlier, which he should not do: only at the moment of catching does the movement come backward, immediately followed by the shot.

f ) Exit situation: declarer under the basket, shooter at about 8 meters in front of the basket, with a defender near him. The attacker takes a step towards the basket and threatens to make a through ball. After the defender has started the backward movement, the attacker immediately draws back the front leg and shoots.

In short: practise various forms of the shot with a fixed defender.

Organisation: teams of four per basket, one fixed forward and one fixed defender, the other two take turns shooting. After about 1 minute, the players change functions.

All forms of the shot mentioned with the exercises with threes are eligible to be practised in this form of organisation. The purpose of these exercises with the defender present can be to have the shooter perform the exercises at full speed (e.g. when shooting through balls or just the distance shot): not give the opportunity to "aim"), to bring the shooter more in the "game situation" (shooting with a defender right in front of you is very different than calmly laying down for a distance shot), to give the shooter a feeling of the right moment (making an evasive move which is followed by a breakthrough instead of a distance shot is not difficult, it is mainly about the moment that the defender is in the wrong position and the final move must be made), to start away in all directions. Note: the required turn is not the same in all cases, a turn can even be omitted when starting away in the extension of the post. The shot is most difficult when the archer walks straight towards the declarer; in other cases the shooting is easier, but the pure marking more difficult.

Exercise o. is an example of a combination of two standard movements. There are more to come, for example: starting away from the basket, but after receiving the ball take a walk-through ball, or: dodge over right, receive ball, play ball inside again and continue with a dodge ball over left, etc.

Point well!

The exercises a., b. and c. are especially meant to be able to shoot a ball that is not well placed.

To teach at which place a movement should be started (e.g. at a break-through that is broken off very suddenly and is then followed by a shot from very close range or at which place a dodge movement should be started).

Most korfball players do not like shooting drills with defenders present. However, for the reasons mentioned above, I think that shooting under pressure should be done regularly. It is essential that the defenders know what their function in this exercise is: it is about ......(filling in one of the goals mentioned above) and not about making it impossible for the shooter to shoot. It is a breeze for a defender to prevent any shot: he knows what is coming. On the other hand, if an attacker does not do well, the defender should indeed try to block the shot, or not fall into the poorly executed feint.

Course of the exercises:

(using the example of taking evasive balls). The regular attacker stands under the basket with the ball, the two shooters stand about 10 meters in front of the basket, the defender stands near one of them. The attacker with the defender is running towards the basket, forces the defender to run with him, makes a sudden evasive manoeuvre, freeing him from the defender, receives the ball and shoots. The defender tries to obstruct, but is just too late to execute properly. Immediately afterwards, the defender passes to the second attacker, who does the same, etc. After about 1 minute or after, say, five shots both shooters switch functions.

Variation: the two archers stand about 6 metres in front of the basket and about 4 metres from each other. The attacker stands under the basket. The defender must now defend both archers. The attackers may play together a maximum of two times, then one of them must shoot.

In short: practise the standard forms of shooting with three people at the basket.

Organisation: each team has a basket and a ball, the exercises start with one person under the basket (with the ball) and two people in front of the basket. After the shot, the players keep on turning, which means that they have to catch the next ball and pass it to the other players. After passing the ball, another round of shooting follows. If necessary, the exercise can also be done with foursomes, the players just get a few less turns. If necessary, a pylon can be used for each basket.

a ) Passing balls in hand from about 10 metres in front of the basket.

b ) The same, but now overhead.

c ) As a., but the ball is first played forward from under the basket. The shooter places the ball back to the attacker under the basket and immediately runs after it to take the turnover ball.

d ) Shooting from a standstill from a distance of approx. 8 metres (also after the shot, run to the basket to catch the next ball).

e ) Shooting after a movement to the left or right from a distance of approx. 7 metres.

f ) Take evasive action on the left (start at the pylon at about 10 meter before the basket, at 5 or 6 meter before the basket make a sharp left hook).

g ) As f, now over the right.

h ) Take penalty shots.

i ) As d., but after the distance shot the shooter takes another walkthrough ball.

j ) The shooter threatens with a through ball, but stops very abruptly at about 3 metres before the basket (hoping that the defender "shoots through"), gets the ball and finishes the chance.

k ) The shooter makes an evasive move (over the left or right), gets the ball, but instead of shooting, takes a walkthrough. There are several ways to put the ball inside: with the "outside hand" - i.e. in a dodging movement to the right with a right-handed stretching throw -, with a bounce, by an overhand or an underhanded pendulum throw, or by catching the ball on the other hand with a left-handed stretching throw. There are several factors that determine which method is best, a good korfball player will have to master several ways.

l ) The shooter makes an evasive move, pretends to receive the ball (the attacker may make a feint), but takes a through ball immediately afterwards (so like c., but without the ball).

m ) The shooter takes a through ball, after a few meters he suddenly moves away. However, the evasive movement is not continued: there is that through ball anyway. I call it the Lucas move, after Albert Lucas who had a lot of success with it.

n ) Numbers 1 and 2 under the basket, number 3 (who has the ball) in front of it. Number 1 starts away from the basket, receives the ball, makes a half turn and shoots (= starting away from the basket). Number 2 catches, plays on number 1, starts away, receives the ball back, makes a half turn and shoots. Number 3 takes off etc.

o ) The shooter makes an evasive move on the right, receives the ball, places it back to the attacker under the post, and walks straight to the basket (so in the direction he just came from). He receives the ball back and shoots.

In short: basic exercise for learning or improving the through ball.

Organization: see below.

First phase: learning the hopscotch

a ) The players line up on one side of the hall. No materials are used. Everyone runs to the other side and jumps up when the coach tells them to.

b ) Same, but now everybody has to check for themselves which leg they are using for the push-off.

c ) Everyone walks to the other side at a steady pace and at the signal of the trainer makes a lunge on the leg other than the preferred leg and then one more step to come to a standstill. The preferred leg is now in front.

d ) As c., but now after the hop and the pass a small jump is made from the preferred leg, while simultaneously raising both hands (as with the through ball). Wait a moment after landing and then continue walking calmly. Now there is a hop, skip and jump rhythm. When this rhythm is well mastered, we take the ball:

e ) Like d. but now with ball. Everybody walks to the other side, throws the ball about 2 meters up and let it bounce on the ground in front of them. As soon as the ball bounces, the hurdle is performed on the 'wrong' leg. The ball is caught during the hop. Then the pass and a small jump follow, bringing the ball up with the hands.

f ) Now to the baskets. The declarer stands about 3-4 metres in front of the basket. The ball lies on his sideways extended arm at a height of approx. 80 cm. The passer comes slowly from about 8 meter in front of the basket. When he has reached the height of the attacker, he jumps on the 'wrong' leg, just like in e. During the hop, he takes the ball from the outstretched arm. He makes another pass, after which he brings the ball up, while his preferred leg is in front. As soon as this happens without any major hiccups, switch to g.

(g ) As f., but now the server stands under the basket and throws the ball. This exercise is considerably more difficult than the previous one. On the one hand because the receiver does not know when the ball is thrown. But also because the declarer will often not place the ball correctly. As an intermediate step, you can make sure that only the better players pass (or you do it yourself).

This exercise is pretty much the basis for all shooting styles. The emphasis can be put on many things: learning technique, improving technique, practicing speed, improving shot accuracy (by deliberately making corrections when shot attempts fail), etc. For many people, it works very well if you give them assignments like: 'at which basket do we score the first ... goals first? Because of its simplicity, the exercise is also suitable to start a training session or to be included in a training session that focuses on maintaining or improving fitness (in the latter case, preferably work with pawns).

The movements of the parts j. to

The movements for the items j. - m ) can be learned quite quickly, the exact timing however is much more difficult. In order to learn this, it is necessary in my opinion to perform the exercises frequently with defenders present. See the exercise FOURTEEN, WITH A FIXED DEPENDENT below. In k. and l. there are various ways of making feints

In short: basic exercise with pairs to learn or improve the distance shot.

Organisation: each pair a basket and a ball. There is one person in charge, after some time (or after a goal) the tasks are changed.

a ) The shooter walks calmly at some distance in front of the basket. After receiving the ball, the shooter turns towards the basket and shoots. Pay attention to the technique of the shot.

b ) As in a., but now the players walk in front of the basket, with their upper body directed towards the basket: thus with cross passes.

c ) As b., but now at higher speed. In this way, the players will automatically 'hang' more on the outside leg. In my opinion, it makes no sense to shoot 'dry', without using the basket. If there are not enough baskets, it is possible to use them. Another possibility is to work with threes or with two pairs per basket.

Aim well!

The dodge ball has two major problems: maintaining balance after receiving the ball and not having enough "power" to give the ball enough speed, which makes each shot too short. A very good tool for keeping the balance and therefore for learning the dodge is to make a hink while catching the ball.

With an evasive ball on the right, one or more cross passes are followed by a hop on the left leg. The ball is caught during the hop-up phase. The player then lands on the left leg, after which the right leg is placed (quite far) diagonally backwards. The player bounces back on this right leg, after which the shot is fired, releasing the left leg from the ground. Many beginning korfball players and almost all ladies first connect: they first place the left leg next to the right leg, after which a shot from standing comes from two legs.

In the following tutorial, a through ball was chosen with a hop while catching the ball.

Experience has shown that the hop is a very good aid in learning the technique. It is not the intention that korfball players who have a good through ball should have to learn to through ball without a hop. The hop is only an aid, not a goal in itself. Exercise a and b are only meant to find out what is the preferred leg of each player when moving.

It will turn out that almost everyone uses the same leg for a high jump with one leg. When shooting a through ball, the ball is dropped with the preferred leg. The trainer can also find out what everyone's preferred leg is.

d ) The players now make a 'real' dodge ball (over the right side): they walk from about 7 metres in front of the basket a few metres in the direction of the basket, make a dodge movement to the right, walk with cross passes to the right, receive the ball and shoot.

e ) As d., but at higher speed.

f ) The distances are increased individually (do not force!).

g ) As d, but now with a double evasive move: a number of korfball players appear to be 'not defending' with their evasive move. A closer look at the video footage shows that almost all of them make not one, but two clear evasive movements. The first evasive movement is the one described above, at a few metres distance in front of the basket. The second evasive move is made at the moment they receive the ball: they walk past the basket (with their defender still close by), but while catching the ball, they evade the defender by placing their 'outer leg' far backwards, after which they immediately make a shot. This movement, which takes only a few tenths of seconds, is indefensible. However, it takes a lot of strength (and coordination).

Inshort: basic exercise with pairs to learn or improve the distance shot.

Organisation: each pair a basket and a ball. There is one person in charge, after some time (or after a goal) the tasks are changed.

a ) Shooting overhead from about 3 metres (5 metres for older children and adults). Pay extensive attention to the technique of the shot. See for example the book

e ) a. See also the video tape SCOREN and the corresponding workbook from the VIEKOR project.

b ) Same, but now: who has 3 goals first?

c ) Distances are increased individually (don't force it!).

d ) Shooting from 3 metres next to or behind the basket.

e ) The shooter comes in from about 8 metres in front of the basket. He receives the ball at about 3 or 4 metres, stops immediately and shoots.

f ) The shooter walks to and fro a few metres in front of the basket. After receiving the ball, the player shoots immediately.

g ) As f. but with more speed.

h ) As g. but now with a defender near the shooter. This defender interferes (by being present and sticking out his arms) but allows the shooter to shoot.

In short: exercise in hindering throwing.

Organisation: One ball for every three players (of the same height as possible). There are two attackers and one hindering defender.

a ) Both attackers stand about 8 metres apart and continuously throw the ball to each other with an overhand stretch. The defender stands near one of them. She tries to tap the ball thrown by her opponent in a correct way. The attacker does not try to prevent this tapping, she plays the game. After some time, change.

b ) ls a., but now the ball is thrown with the other hand, and so the defender must try to block the ball with the other hand as well.

c ) Like a. and b., but now against another opponent.

d ) As a., but now the attacking players do their utmost to throw the ball to the co-attacking player (but only with an overhand stretching throw). If all goes well, not many balls will be hit anymore. Defending has now become real hindering.

e ) A2 moves back and forth continuously. At points 1 and 2 she gets the ball from A1, and she also plays it back immediately. V is defending her and tries to prevent her from playing the ball back. How many times can she do that in half a minute? A2 plays along, she doesn't do her best to avoid the hindering arms.

f ) Like e, but now A2 walks in V-form (she makes sideways movements all the time).

g ) Like f., but now A2 plays the ball back with swinging movements.

h ) Most difficult for the defender: A2 may choose in what way she plays the ball back to A1. Further as f.

In short: initial exercise for defending, where everyone has to follow the movements of the trainer.

Organisation: The players are spread out in the room with a distance of at least 4 metres between them. Everyone stands facing the trainer, who is about 8 metres in front of the group.

a) The trainer walks at a steady pace towards the group. The players must now walk backwards at the same pace, so that the distance to the trainer remains the same. After about ten meters, the trainer stops and walks backwards away from the group. The players also have to stop and walk forwards. The trainer gradually increases the pace and makes sure to walk forwards and backwards at different distances.

b ) As a., but now the trainer walks at a steady pace to the left, the players walk to the right. This way the players walk continuously alternating to the left and to the right, over ever changing distances, at an ever increasing pace.

c ) As a., but now it is important that the players react as fast as possible. The distance between the players should also remain the same. The tempo is high.

d ) Like b., but also at high speed and with a quick reaction. The trainer can verbally support her movements to encourage: "to the left, to the right, faster, yes, good girl! A nice variation that requires more concentration of the players: occasionally shout 'to the left', and then deliberately walk to the right! The command was: follow me, so the players have to follow the movements.

e ) The trainer now walks alternately in 4 different directions, which the players have to follow (combination of c. and d.). The pace is quite high. In principle, this is already a normal defensive exercise. Especially if we move on to f:

f ) As e., but the trainer brings clear tempo changes to her running. She usually runs at a steady pace, but occasionally there is a significant acceleration The players have to react to it immediately! Variations: It may happen that the trainer gets tired herself during this exercise. Or she may have forgotten her korfball shoes (of course it's a shame, but it can happen), or she may be injured. Then there are two solutions possible:

1 ) Not the trainer stands in front of the group, but one of the players, who has been explained the intention beforehand by the trainer. Many (especially children) will find this fun to do. The danger is that there will be more 'gossiping'.

2) The trainer stands in front of the group and indicates with her arms what has to happen: if the left arm is stretched out, the group has to walk to the right, if the arms are brought backwards with a beckoning movement, the group has to walk forwards, etc. The tempo changes are indicated by the trainer. The trainer indicates the changes in pace verbally: 'calm walk,.... And now a little faster, .... pace! ... and again calmly ....'

Tapping or blocking the ball is, just like blocking the shot, largely a matter of feeling. That is why it is important to perform the same exercise against a different opponent. Because this person throws differently, the exercise will be completely different.

In short: exercise to teach the defender to block a shot.

Organisation: Three teams with a ball near a basket. There are two attackers who stand still, and one defender. The players are as tall as possible.

As soon as the competition character is emphasized more, many defenders will switch back to the familiar, consistent "man-to-man" defending. This should be forbidden, as the aim of this exercise is to teach the defenders to intercept the ball.

By alternating between "normal" and "on-ball" play by the defender, the attacker becomes insecure. Many people cannot cope with this, and will not be able to take advantage of the risks taken by the defender from time to time Tell them that after this exercise!

Many players have never blocked a ball in their life Giving them this experience is the purpose of this exercise Attacker A2 plays the game: she shoots at first deliberately a bit slower than usual, and also from a covered position.

In exercise d, V gets it considerably harder now. In the previous exercises, she could count on the shot to follow after accepting the ball, now she must first make the decision 'whether or not to try to block the ball', which takes some time and as a result she will often be too late. Make sure that the attackers keep shooting on a regular basis.

a ) Marker A1 signals A2, who shoots from a position. Defender V is standing at a meter of A2, so it is not covered. V gets the assignment to block the shot of A2. That means: timing. She can't be too late, that's clear, but also not too early, because then the ball hasn't left A2's hands yet and she'll be fouled. After about ten attempts, they switch tasks. When everyone has really blocked a ball at least once, then comes part b.

b ) A2 starts moving slightly. A1 plays A2, and A2 shoots almost immediately. Defender V tries again to block the shot in a correct way. A1 and A2 are still playing the game: V has to be able to hit or actually block the ball a number of times. After 10 attempts switch tasks again.

c ) As b., but the attackers don't play along now. However: A2 must shoot as soon as she receives the ball, even if she has the idea her shot will be blocked! (It is and remains an exercise for the defender).

d ) Attacker A2 now gets the opportunity to also take through balls: she can try to fool the defender with a fake shot. The defender must keep trying to block the shot, but she must not 'go up in the air' with every ball!

e ) During half a minute to a full minute attack-defend. A2 is allowed to attack in all ways, but has to shoot at least three times. A2 gets a point for every goal she scores, V gets a point for every blocked shot. Who wins?

In short: exercise to teach the defender to intercept balls.

Organisation: Three teams with a ball near a basket. There are two attackers who stand still, and one defender.

a ) Attacker A1 throws the ball to A2. Defender V defends A2 and tries to interrupt the ball being passed to her. She can see from the attitude, the behaviour or even from the eyes of A2, that the ball is approaching. By raising one or both arms, she tries to block the ball. After, for example, 10 attempts she changes her position. In this section the basket is not used yet. Attackers A1 and A2 must play along, especially in the beginning they must let the defender intercept the ball one or more times.

b ) As a., but now the defender turns around as soon as she feels the ball coming towards her, and she tries to intercept. This method involves much more risk, and is therefore usually less suitable, although I know korfball players who can make life incredibly difficult for the attackers in this way.

c ) As a., but now A2 moves slightly back and forth. How often does the defender succeed in hitting or catching the ball?

d ) Like c. The defender now clearly chooses one side. She e.g. constantly looks over her left shoulder to try and prevent the ball from being passed to her.

e ) As d., but now over the other side.

f ) As d., but the defender switches sides all the time (she stands a little differently each time, and looks over her left and right shoulder alternately).

g ) We get the baskets. A1 is standing under the basket to indicate, A2 is standing some 8 metres in front of the basket (but within shooting distance). Defender V is in front of A2. A1 plays the ball to A2, who -if she receives the ball at least- releases a shot. The defender's task is to intercept the ball, or at least to make sure that A2 cannot receive the ball.

h ) Like g., but now A2 is also allowed to move backwards and forwards, giving the defender less time to adjust to the ball.

i ) Like h. We make it a game. Announcer A1 and 'striker' A2 try to score as many goals as possible by playing well together. Each goal earns a point for A2. Defender V gets the assignment to get hold of the ball. By intercepting the ball she too can score points. Who scores the most points? V or A2?

j ) In part i. attacker A2 will be able to take advantage of a very 'ball-loving' defender, and because of that be able to make a walkthrough quite often. This becomes more difficult now: the defender is instructed to try to intercept every now and then, and for the rest to 'just' defend. Furthermore as i. How many goals can the attacker make now and how often does V intercept the ball?

In brief: defensive exercise with pairs.

Organisation: Make pairs of attackers and defenders. Per basket one ball and three or four pairs. One of the pairs stands under the basket and has the ball. The other pairs stand in front of the basket at about 15 metres distance.

(a ) The attackers are instructed to make a through ball. The defenders know this, and are ordered to prevent scoring. The attacker starts at about 10 metres in front of the basket, her defender stands in front of her at 1 metre. There is a rotation: when the first pair has had one turn, they signal the attacker of the next pair to make a through ball. The first responders walk to the front. When the first pair has had another turn, they change positions.

b ) As a., but the attackers must try to shoot after a dodge. In both a. and b., the goal is for the defender to concentrate on the one action she knows is coming, and try to prevent it completely. If all goes well, the attackers will in fact have no chance to shoot.

c ) Now the attacker gets the choice between a walkthrough ball and a dodge ball. But: she gets only one chance. If she chooses for the through ball, and she does not pass, her turn is over. The task becomes more difficult for the defender, but still many attackers will not get a foothold.

d ) The attacker gets a third option: after a dodge, she can also make a loose ball. Now it becomes even more difficult for the defender. It becomes important to estimate (or rather, to see in time) which action the attacker will take.

e ) A game: the attacker and the defender can earn points: the attacker gets a point if she scores a goal, the defender gets a point if she does not score a goal. Further as d.

f ) As e., but the attacker may receive the ball a number of times (maximum 3 times).

In brief: some defensive tactics in the 1-1 game

Organisation: 3-3 or 4-4. One side constantly attacks from a 4-0 organisation to 3-1 or 2-1-1 for some time. The defending side is instructed to neutralise its direct opponent in one of the following ways

1 ) The triangle. The defender positions herself so that she can see both the opponent and the ball at a glance The defender can also form the triangle in such a way (by moving out of line) that she is more or less inviting her opponent to pass to one side Of course, this will not work, as the defender is particularly wary of doing so

2) Standing wide, with both legs close together in front of the attacker and ready to run in all directions at any time If the attacker actually starts to pass, the defender will not give her a free route to the basket, but will try to let her 'run around' as much as possible without blocking. The defender turns with her, but stays in a straight line towards the basket for as long as possible and puts out her 'outer hand' to defend. The 'real defenders', the sticklers, choose the latter method, as opposed to the former, which is favoured by slower defenders. Both methods can be equally successful. Other tactics

3 ) The defenders limit themselves to defending the "real chances" and allow distance shots from more than 7 meters. A tactic that can be excellently combined with the so called "back defending".

4 ) The defenders know the preferred moves of their personal opponents and try not to allow those moves. The opponent is forced to do things she is not used to doing, becomes insecure and therefore less pure.

5 ) The defenders make feints: they threaten to step in, but don't do it at the last moment. Here, too, the aim is to make the attacker hesitate.