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Preventing the turn
by Robert Parr One of the longest-standing tenets of the game is that to win the match, you must win all the "little battles" first. Generally, we think of these battles as the 1v1 contests that arise in the natural course of the game. Of course, this maxim doesn't always hold true, but the odds definitely favor any team that dominates in 1v1 match-ups. Continuing this thought, consider the following set of 1v1 decision points:
- If the attacker and the defender are looking at each other, the battle is a stalemate, favoring neither player.
- If the attacker can see the defender's back, then the attacker wins.
- If the defender can see the attacker's back, then the defender wins.
If you accept this premise, the defender should have the advantage whenever an opponent checks back (or plays as a target, or posting, player) to receive the ball. Similarly, once an attacker turns his back toward the defender (so that he is looking toward his own goal), the defender has an opportunity to "win the battle". To do this, though, he will have to prevent the attacker from turning with the ball.
The following points will prepare players to prevent an attacker with the ball from regaining an advantage by turning toward goal:
- Close the gap. The first priority is to reduce the space between the attacker and the defender. As soon as the attacker shows his back to the defender, the defensive player should quickly step up into the space between them. This action will limit the time available to the attacker to turn with the ball, and also leave less space in which to execute a turn successfully.
- Take a wide stance. One of the risks associated with very tight marking is that the attacker may be able to use the defender as a "hinge" to facilitate the turn (by pressing an arm against the defender and then turning to that same side). To prevent this, the defender should position his feet wider than shoulder width and outside the feet of the attacker. He should also keep his arms out toward the side, and be prepared to step quickly to either side (as required) to keep the attacker confined in this space.
- Get physical. Good defending requires aggressive, assertive play that limits the space available to opposing attackers. I once heard a coach explain to his players that he expected them to "wipe the number off their opponent's back with their chest" when defending against the turn. This colorful description provides a clear image to players regarding the need for them to make physical contact with the attacker.
- Play under control. Although we want them to be aggressive, players must play under control to avoid fouling. From a tactical viewpoint, there are certainly many situations in the game where it can be a favorable decision to foul, but this is not one of them. When you have the opponent at a disadvantage, you never want to help him "get out of trouble" by committing a senseless foul.
Proper Nutrition
Nutrients Work Together Like a Team Nutrients work together synergestically. Just as it is more effective to play basketball with a whole team rather than one player, nutrients work more efficiently when they are matched up with team mates. A good example is the nutrient calcium. If you take a pill that is 100% calcium and nothing else, that’s okay. But if the calcium has the right amount of other important nutrients like magnesium and vitamin C with it, the calcium will perform at a higher level and more of the nutrient will be absorbed by your body.
Nature designed foods to grow with a team of nutrients. The main nutritional components of every food are:
- protein
- carbohydrate
- fat
- vitamins (like Vitamin C, Vitamin D)
- minerals (like calcium, iron)
- fiber
- water
Foods found in nature have some of each of these components in varying amounts. Fats help certain vitamins like vitamin A, E and K to be better absorbed. The fiber helps keep the other nutrients flowing through all the tubes in your body. The carbohydrate in the food can provide your muscles with energy but it takes vitamins and minerals to transform the carbohydrate into fuel your muscles can use. The different types of nutrients help each other out, creating an unbeatable team.
Nature creates WHOLE foods. That means that they don’t just have one of the nutrients listed above, but a group of them. Whole foods are nutrient-dense. Meaning, whole foods have a whole bunch of good players formed into a team, not just one lonely player. To figure out whether a food is a whole food or not, you just have to ask yourself if it was manufactured in a factory or grown in a field. Or better yet, read the label. If it’s a whole food, you should be able to recognize every ingredient as something that grows in nature.
Without a doubt, the best foods for supporting an active human body are whole foods. Whole grains like oats, brown rice, corn, whole wheat, buckwheat and quinoa are superb. The most nutrient-dense vegetables are the dark leafy green and orange vegetables like sweet potatoes, broccoli, collard greens, carrots and bok choy. Bananas, apples, strawberries, peaches, melon are whole fruits that give us vitamins and energy and satisfy the sweet tooth. Beans, eggs, chicken, and fish are examples of more whole foods that emphasize protein but contain other valuable nutrients as well. Nuts and seeds, butter, yogurt, olives, avocados are a few of the whole foods that combine healthy fats with important vitamins and minerals.
Best of all, when you put a few whole foods together, you can make some incredible things to eat. Like when you combine flour and water and yeast, top it with tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese and make pizza! Or put together oats and nuts and honey and apples to make apple crisp. Take a banana, some strawberries, yogurt and ice on a date to the blender and you have a smoothie! Very exciting.
Why Are We Told to Eat Carbs Before a Game?
When you eat a starchy food, like a banana, the carbohydrates are changed into blood sugar or glucose, which muscles burn for energy. Any glucose that’s not immediately used gets stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen - which can used for energy later. Glycogen is the preferred fuel for muscles.
Foods that contain mostly carbohydrates give your body the most important energy-providing fuel. This is because all physical activities performed at a moderate to high intensity require carbohydrates as the primary energy source. To get some good play time out of the meal you eat before your game, the major portion of the meal should be carbohydrate-based. It’s not surprising that most whole foods, foods that Nature creates, have ample carbohydrates.
Good sources of mostly carbohydrate foods are grains, vegetables, and fruits. That translates into oatmeal with fresh blueberries, or rice and stir-fried vegetables. There will be lots of examples later.
The catch is this: in order for the carbohydrates to make this magical transformation into muscle energy they require some team mates - vitamins and minerals. And the best place to get those? Fresh vegetables and fruit. Some protein is essential too. The amino acids which make up protein help stimulate the transformation of carbohydrates into muscle glycogen. So when you are planning your ultimate pre-game meal, put the carbohydrates on the starting line-up but don’t forget to add some strong, colorful team mates.
Doesn’t Sugar Give You Quick Energy?
Eating sugar gives most people a rush of very short-lived energy. The calories in high sugar products are empty or naked. That means they have no other nutrients associated with them, just carbohydrates. Products made with lots of sugar generally contain little protein, fat, fiber, water, vitamins or minerals... no team mates.
When you eat sugary foods or candy your body needs the help of other important nutrients to process the sugar. Here’s why. Sugar is refined to such a degree that it does not have to go through the normal slow digestive process, it goes right into your bloodstream. In most cases, this quick entry into the blood causes the glucose levels to increase, giving you a rush of frenetic energy. But this feeling of energy can be doesn’t last long. The body then tries regain it’s balance of glucose and insulin. To accomplish this the body uses important nutrients like B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, chromium, zinc and manganese. Interestingly, these are all nutrients associated with healthy mental and emotional functioning and good bone health. What could be more vital to the young athlete than excellent concentration, steady composure, and strong bones? Yet many kids come to games fueled up on sugary cereals or snack foods. And the most common post-game snacks given to young athletes are sugary foods like donuts, candy bars, and Twinkies. Perplexing. At a time when the body is in need of replenishment, young players are given foods that can ultimately deplete them further.
Young athletes need a steady source of fuel to get them through an athletic event as well as the other “events” taking place in their daily lives. And although sugary food can provide a quick jolt of energy, the biological cost isn’t justified. Complex carbohydrates found in grains, breads, pastas, and vegetables provide more of what the athlete needs.
Skip The Protein And Just Go For The Carbs?
NO WAY! Protein is what makes muscles GROW. It makes hair grow and cells grow and everything grow to get stronger and more efficient. Protein also helps your body convert carbohydrates into the type of energy your muscles prefer for fuel. So no way do you want to leave out the protein as part of your sports nutrition program. For pre- and post-game meals however, you want to have carbohydrates and foods rich in vitamins and minerals be the leading nutrients. Protein and fat should be there in smaller proportion. Translation - a lot of rice and vegetables and with some teriyaki chicken strips thrown in.
Is Low-Fat/No-Fat The Way To Go?
Not a chance! Remember how those nutrients work together? You need fat so you can utilize important vitamins and minerals, stay warm, protect your cells and organs and have nice hair and skin. Fats are in foods for another reason, they help the food taste better. No question that whole milk yogurt has a richer, creamier, more satisfying flavor than it’s non-fat counterpart. Yet we’ve been led to believe that we are being “good” by choosing the container with less fat. Not necessarily so. You’ll eat less and be more satisfied with the food that hasn’t had it’s natural fat removed by manufacturing.
Although healthful fats are excellent for your body, loading up on fatty foods right before a game won’t serve you well. Your body can’t transform the fat into usable energy quickly and the fatty meal will send all your bodily forces towards a long slow digestion rather than to the muscles you need to get on base. So have a little butter on your bagel or pancake for your pre-game meal, but don’t choose the double cheeseburger.
What Foods Are Good Sources of Vitamins and Mineral Rich Foods?
All whole foods, all foods found in nature, have some vitamins and minerals. It takes a lots of processing and refining in a factory to strip a food of it’s natural vitamins and minerals. Yet many of the products on our grocery store shelves are composed of canned, boxed, frozen, lifeless foods that have been robbed of these vital nutrients. Walk on by. Set your sights on the produce aisle. The most reliable source of vitamins and minerals are fresh vegetables and fruit. These foods are the movers and the shakers. They give you the nutrients you need to transform carbohydrates, proteins and fats into usable energy. Fresh vegetables and fruit also have components called enzymes that aid in the digestion of all the other foods you eat with them. Fifty percent of the carbohydrates you eat for your pre-game meal should be from vegetables and fruit. Don’t leave home without them. Athletes need to pay heed to the “5 a Day” credo. At least five servings of fresh vegetables and fruit everyday, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
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POSTING UP
When an attacker turns his back toward the goal he is attacking to maintain vision of the ball, he becomes a posting player. Some players find this role very comfortable, whereas others prefer to attack with the goal in sight. However, successful teams require both types of personalities, and it is worth taking a little time to understand the nuances of playing with your back to goal. By stretching an opponent's defense vertically and presenting themselves as targets for forward passes, posting players help provide the crucial element of depth to a team's attack. Players in this role usually play centrally, either as an attacking center midfielder or center forward. From this central vantage point, a posting player should be able to present himself as a target to teammates with the ball behind him on either side of the field. In addition, he can create passing lanes across the full width of the field to serve overlapping teammates running into spaces behind the opponent's back line. Note, though, that players from all field positions are likely to be in a posting situation at various times during the game. For example, a wing midfielder may need to check back along the touchline to combine with a wide defender, or a central defender may have to combine with the goalkeeper to break pressure from opposing forwards. Consequently, all players should work to improve their ability to become a target under these circumstances.
*** IMPORTANT ***
- Be a target. Size usually helps, but you don't have to be especially big to play in the post. What matters more is that players look for ways to support teammates with the ball behind them. They must move into spaces where they create open passing lanes; don't let your target players settle for a position that leaves a defender directly between themselves and the ball.
- Check back to the ball. A stationary player is a false target! Posting players should use checking runs directly back toward the ball to create separation between themselves and the nearest defender.
- Call for the ball. A target player can help teammates recognize that he is available to receive a pass through clear and aggressive communication. Beyond verbal communication, he should use eye contact, gestures, and other forms of body language to indicate when and where he wants to receive the ball.
- Have a clean first touch. Because they are disadvantaged (in terms of field vision) when facing their own goal, posting players must be able to control services of all types and quality cleanly with their first touch. A good target player will be comfortable using the chest, thighs, or feet when receiving the ball, as the teammate who serves the ball to him will often not have time to deliver the "ideal" pass. This first touch must keep the ball close, and be played away from the nearest opponent. Otherwise, opposing defenders will be able to exploit their better view of the field to "win the second touch", and may possibly catch your team in a poor posture to defend against a counterattack.
- Be aware of pressure. If pressure is tight, then the posting player may need to use his body to shield the ball until his teammates can move into better supporting positions. Conversely, if the target player has some space to work with, then he will likely be most effective when he turns to face the goal on his first touch.
- Recognize opportunities for a quick combination. As a target, you don't always have to hold on to the ball to be effective. If you have a third teammate in your line of sight whom you can engage with a one-touch dropback pass, do it (his vision of the field is better than yours, plus you are keeping possession as a team while pushing the overall attacking tempo). You may also be able to penalize an overally-aggressive (or overly-flat) defensive unit by flicking the ball on to a penetrating teammate (with a header, or using the outside of your foot).
- Look for penetrating passing angles. The best target players probe constantly to find forward passing lanes and expose defensive seams. Whenever possible, exploit these gaps with diagonal through balls that allow teammates to get in behind the defense for a breakaway or penetrating run down the wing.
- Mix things up. Attacking play requires some creativity and improvisation to beat an organized opponent. If you turned with the ball last possession, see if you can find a quick passing option next possession, and maybe hold the ball for a few touches the possession after that. By using your full range of options, you'll make it very difficult for the defense to anticipate your next move, which will give you more time and space to work with--especially late in the game.
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