Category: Defensive Schemes
Type: Strategy
FRONTING THE HOLE MAN
As with most positions on the field, standard defense against the 2 meter man (aka hole man) is to keep the defender's body between the offensive player and the goal. However, fronting the hole man is an effective defensive strategy as well.
Fronting the home man represents an opportunity to remove an effective attacker man from the offensive flow. Additionally, this creates a double team on the hole man, with the hole defender in front and the goalie behind the hole man. The defender will position him/herself face to face with the hole man, having his/her back to the field (instead of facing the field and having their back to the goal). The idea then is to keep the hole man close to the two meter line and even attempt to push them inside two meter. Defenders should be aware that while they will be trying to maintain position or push the hole man inside the two meter mark, the hole man will fight to push you out, closer to the four meter mark, thus giving him an open passing lane and creating open water for him to work.
Against a team which relies heavily on their hole man for their offensive production, fronting the hole may do several things that will benefit your defense:
1. It will force the team to shoot from the outside, increasing your goalies chances at blocking the shot.
2. If passes should come from the driver or point positions, it will be a high arching pass which can be picked off by the hole defender, or intercepted by the goalie. On a hole front, passes will normally come from the wing position, so those defenders, along with the rest of the field, should be playing tight "pressure" defense. Again, passes coming from the wing position, also have the opportunity to be picked off by the goalie.
3. Should the hole defender push the hole man inside two meter, and the ball not be inside two meter, he is in violation of the two meter rule, and the ball is turned over.
If nothing else, fronting the hole will kill some time off of the other teams shot clock. The hole man will fight to gain inside water position, or attempt to turn the defender and establish a conventional hole set. All of this will take time. If the hole defender is reluctant to allow the hole man to move (playing good tough defense and not mugging the hole man), it may be possible to eliminate that player from the offensive set up all together.
One final scenario to look for:
The hole man, knowing that he is in a bad position, may swim out of the hole to one of the wing positions, and let another player attempt to set. Normally, the winger opposite of the direction in which the hole man swam to, will set the second hole. All of this takes time, which is good for the defense.
Submitted by: Coach Dave
|
|
|
