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A game to start practice where players are working on a foundational skillset while thinking about space
Setup
Create a playing area, around 30×30 yd grid. Make 2 players the Fisherman, they have no sticks at all. All other players are the “fish” and they run/cradle the ball in their stick and swim around. The Fishermen try to tag fish with two hands. Tagged fish freeze in place for 5 seconds (hold stick overhead to show everyone), then re-enter as fish. Don’t tell fish HOW to move or dodge. Let them naturally find space and get to that space. The fishermen are the constraint, Fish will naturally discover direction changes, changes of pace/direction, because those are the solutions that work, let them discover.
Round 2 twist: Fish can “unfreeze” a frozen teammate by tapping them on the shoulder while carrying their own ball. Now it’s cooperative and chaotic, perfect for this age.
Note: If a player drops a ball while cradling, they must scoop the ball the right way (No Rakes!) or else they are considered a tagged fish
Coaching Points & Principles
- Cradling and Ball Control – Continue to make sure players are working to keep that ball in their stick with a cradle
- Finding space and running away from fisherman
- Dodges and escapes – Players will naturally do the Face/Split/roll dodges
Progressions
- Add a constraint- more fisherman makes it harder
