LADIES’ HOCKEY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 July 1939, Page 8

LADIES’ HOCKEY

ADVICE TO PLATERS

WHAT RECRUITS SHOULD KNOW.

DUTIES OF CENTRE FORWARD

(BY LES. M. MURPHY). (Wellington Ladies’ Hockey Critic.)

This week’s article deals mainly

with the duties of the centre-for-

ward. Suppleness of wrist-work in dribbling the ball, and onehanded play are also covered. At the commencement of a match 'it is the centre-forward who always takes the bully, and upon her success depends the attacking combination of her forwards. A clever player at the bully is half the battle toward ultimate success. A big factor in forward play is how and when to make a pass, and to see that the ball goes to the player for* whom it is intended. To make this pass successful you must not wait until your opponent is. right on top of you. That would not do. It is quite a simple matter to judge when your opponent is just over a stick’s length away, and then is the time to pass, and in doing so it is equally important to see that the ball goes in front of the player you intend it for. Then she is able to take it in her stride without slowing up the whole forward line. The centre forward is the pivot of her whole forward line, and she should ever be on the alert to see that she gets a chance to be free from the attention of the opposing centre half, whose duty it is to mark her throughout a match. Once a centre forward gets away with the ball she can immediately set her whole forward line in motion. Some centres possess the habit of passing to one side of the field only, neglecting the other wing, causing these players to become stale and dissatisfied. This I particularly noticed to be the case in the Waira-rapa-Wellington matches last season. A centre who is not selfish, and ( sends the ball out right and left, is the ideal player for the position and must give her team a splendid chance of victory—more so than any other player in the team.

SUPPLENESS OF WRISTS ESSENTIAL.

Suppleness of the wrists is essential to good dribbling which is, after all, only a term for carrying the ball with your stick through a maze of players. The ball should be glued as it were to the stick and the whole body should respond to the play of the wrists and be in rhythm with the movements of the stick. A stiff body with only the play of the wrists will not make a good dribbler. CARRYING BALL ON STICK. Carrying the ball on the stick was strongly condemned by the Englishwomen’s team which toured this country last season. They considered it should be avoided as much as possible as it is of little if any advantage to a team. They are probably right in their criticism, although I consider players would be well advised to practice the trick on their own lawns at home as I feel certain it has its advantage in developing a quick eye and confidence. Formerly, when there used to be more show of individual play than team work, carrying the ball on the stick was considered brilliant, but it is never useful to a team although it is certainly spectacular. It is full of risks to the player, as she stands a good chance of being hit in the face. Even if you are quick and active and an adept at doing this funny trick, it will carry you nowhere. Certainly not to the scoring of a goal, which is the ultimate object. When a player is carrying the ball on the stick, what are other players expected to do —stand and admire? According to the best principle of team work, each and every player is expected to anticipate the movements of the others. Clearly this is impossible in this one-player trick. ONE-HANDED PLAY. On a number of occasions last season I noticed players developing the habit of one-handed play which for good hockey cannot be recommended. It causes unnecessary breaches, especially when close up to an opponent, the loose hand invariably going out to ward off an attacker. Warding ofl an opponent is a serious breach of the rules, and I trust the young players in Wairarapa, in their own interest, will avoid it as much as possible, as it creates a stoppage of play when no one is conscious of the fact, and the umpire is blamed for slowing up the game. Likewise umpires could make the game more interesting by not penalising a player for kicks and knocks —only in cases where they do not gain any advantage and more than likely lose control. In that case they have penalised themselves.

(Continued' next Monday.)