3.3 FREE PASSES
(a) TYPES OF FREE PASSES
Practising different types of free pass
Four per korf with a ball (preferably put players together who will play in the same division in the forthcoming match). Appoint one taker, one assist player and one rebound player. Possibly change these after a certain time although this is not strictly necessary. In the game, it is possible to have just one shooter and one assist player.
To practise free passes well, the following points may be useful.
A. The agreed free pass should be practised several times, just long enough to become perfect.
B. One of the four should defend, either the shooter or the assist player, depending on which task most requires defending for that particular free pass.
C. A second free pass is practised a few times, until it too is perfect.
D. Again let one of the four defend.
E. Two groups of four are placed against each other. In turns, they take free passes (chosen from those already practised) where each player has a personal opponent who defends 100 per cent. The attackers decide which of the two free passes should be taken.
F. As a conclusion: at the end of the training there should be a small game. Be severe in your refereeing so as to give lots of free passes.
Most korfballers have neither the calm nor the patience, nor do they see the sense, in learning to take perfect free passes. They will quickly say “we know that now, let us try something else.” Never! A free pass only has a chance to succeed if it is practiced 100 per cent, otherwise the attack might as well just combine normally. Solutions for trainers with impatient students:
1. Do not let the free passes be taken for too long consecutively. Organise the training to have three five minute free pass sessions and do something else with the rest of the time.
2. Players are not always convinced of the value of practising a free pass. So the trainer must learn to see when a free pass is well taken and when it is not. It is, for example, not good if the taker of the pass wants an assist from the left at chest height but gets a chest height assist from the right. Even if a goal results, the free pass is wrong and must be repeated.
3. During the training, allow a maximum of two, possibly three, free passes to be worked on. Otherwise the players want to move onto the next too quickly before mastering the current free pass.
A last comment that covers a whole range of free passes: a goal will only result if at least the assist player and the taker know exactly what each is going to do. Sometimes a brief eye contact is sufficient. In most cases, signals are required and will have to be learned. The key to the signals is that the players know what is intended and the defenders in the game do not. Thus it cannot be too obvious. Some examples of signals:
1. Number the free passes. An easy system, but difficult to picture. What does 3 mean..? Is the taker breaking through with or without ball? The number is shouted by the taker when (s)he has the ball. Another warning: the opponents may become familiar with the numbers.
2. Each free pass has a name. In principle the same as the previous method but by choosing relevant names, they can help the memory.
3. Each free pass gets a signal. A certain movement of the hand, of the head or the ball can all mean something. One bounce of the ball may mean that the taker wants to take a running-in shot after the assist player has given the ball to the post. Opponents have more difficulties to understand signals.
Many other systems can be used – enjoyable work for the summer holiday in preparation for the new season.