With the New Rule – 23m (corner) restart there are new strategies for coaches to develop as it now opens up more attacking opportunities and correspondingly more defending considerations to employ.
The new rule
7.) Ball outside the field
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7.4 When the ball is played over the back-line and no goal is scored:
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b. if played unintentionally by a defender or deflected by a goalkeeper or player with goalkeeping privileges, play is re-started with the ball on the 23 metres line and in line with where it crossed the back-line and the procedures for taking a free hit apply
With the ball being placed on the line, the re-start is effectively within the 23 metres area and the provisions for taking a free hit are applicable
extract from FIH rules 2015
Considerations for coaches.
Instead of having limited opportunities to create scoring opportunities which occurred from sideline positioning attacking teams theoretically have more field space in which they can utilise to create scoring opportunities.
In the first consideration, like the sideline corner approach the ‘set up time’ delay before execution enables the defence to close down angles and opportunities by numbering up in defence. Therefore it is important that attacking teams need to speedily work on the simplicity of one player’s role of ball collection, and a second person being set on the 23 metre line position ready to execute play before a defence has time to set itself.
In the second consideration where a defensive team in numbers is set it is about creating space through drawing opposition away from set positioning. Considerations for the attacking team include moving the ball from one side of the field to another in an endeavour, to catch a defender out and freeing up a circle occupied attacker to receive a direct ball, moving the ball to a free player in the centre of the field. This can be achieved by moving the ball or a player travelling with the ball. At this point it is about the attacker’s movement off the ball both to draw defenders away to create space for another attacker to move to that space for a deflection shot or trap and shot play. The approach to this play can be spontaneous or based on set plays developed by a team.
In the third consideration it is attacking players’ adopted positions for three areas associated with a 23 metre line hit, i.e., left side area, middle area, right side area. Experience says if the attacking players are left to their own devices they tend to place themselves in positions in which they are on the same passing line. Therefore as a coach it is important to set players in positions that can create depth and breadth even in the tight 23 metre line attack area.
For the defence some considerations are do we ‘man up’ and how do we best do this or ‘spot mark’ to eliminate scoring angles, how do we react to the attacking team moving the ball across the 23 metre line to other attack supporting players or an attacking player running a ball at the defence?
Sportsplan has a good article addressing the 23 metre hit rule and restart strategies. Click here
