Intercepting Box

EXPLANATION:

• X1 hits a hard pass directly at, or close to O1.
• O1, set up in a low intercepting position, stops the ball, controls and looks to release a possession pass to O2 or O3.
• X2 and X3 enter zone as soon as O1 has touched the ball, and attempt to dispossess O1. If X2/X3 win possession, they attack the goal.
• If O1 is under pressure, she looks to win a foul against X2 or X3, and take a quick restart to pass to O2/O3.
• Once O2 or O3 receive the ball, they pass back to X1 and the drill re-sets.
• Repeat 5 times in same positions and rotate. 

VARIATIONS:

• Change numbers and angles as required: If you don’t have six players, you can do the drill with only one pressuring player (X2) and one outlet player (O2).
• As skill level increases, the intercepting box/zone can be  made smaller.
• X1 can hit bouncing passes in to O1 to make it difficult to control the ball. 

COACHING POINTS:

• Defensive body position is important for intercepting/reactions. Center of Gravity should be low, feet shoulder width apart, and stick held loosely in O1’s hands, to allow her to stop the ball on either side of body.
• Once she picks up the line of the hit, O1 should move feet quickly to get behind the ball if possible to create a forehand interception. Stick should be angled down (left hand forward/ahead of right hand, to “trap” the ball downwards and avoid a deflection up.
• If possible, O1 should attempt to control the ball with the first touch into a position to make the release pass quickly to O2 or O3. This requires good ball control, but also awareness of how far away X2 and X3 are (where the closest pressure is coming from). 

EVALUATION:

• The players in this simple intercepting drill must adjust to make it effective. If X1’s initial hit is too soft (easy for O1 to intercept), then the drill loses it’s value. Pass must be challenging enough (speed, or bouncing pass) that it puts some pressure on O1 to make a quality interception to maintain control.
• If more pressure needs to be applied, X2 and X3 can release earlier (as soon as X1 hits the ball) to pressure O1.