Riding: and Drills to Improve it

1. Riding: and Drills to Improve it “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” -Unknown “Go Brits”

2. The most important muscle for a good riding team. “I don’t care who you are… if you got heart, you will play for me” -Ray Rostan

3. Key points for coaches to consider: • Sellyour team on riding, everyone must buy in • Riding takes H³ –Head, Heart, Hustle • Do the impossible: play one short and win • Keep it simple: every player must understand his role • Tell the attack that they will score “free goals” if they work hard • Play fast and athletic attackmen to increase speed and athleticism on rides • Pull slow attack off for less skilled but more athletic “riding attackmen” on horns • Above all else: “NEVER SAY DIE” on rides

4. Rules for successful riding teams: • Defend the Midfield line(MFL) • Keep clearing team in front of you to start on every ride  • Pressure as long as ball is on their defensive half of field  • Concede the clear only on a ball carried over MFL –only if out of position to trap  • Never quit -chase down loose balls, Attack -chase down players  • Force the long cross field pass and shade ball side • Defensemen must shut off Attackmen on ball side • Closer to ball, closer to your man; further from ball, further from your man • Use the sidelines as 11th defender • High risk = greater reward. Use ten man rides

5. Kill the Kid with the Football • Understanding the game: • It's basically a bunch of kids who run around and try to tackle and kill each other.

6. Rules of play: • One person, the Kid, has the ball and runs like hell to escape a mob of 10-15 other kids. • When he is caught, they will tackle the kid as quickly and violently as possible. • When the kid has had enough, he must surrender the ball to be let up from the pile. • At this point someone else picks up the ball and it starts again.

7. Objective of the game: • It makes no sense whatsoever because there is no winner. • There are no points to keep score, and what kind of coherent person would WANT to be brutally tackled repeatedly? • For some reason, we spent countless hours and suffered numerous concussions playing this, and we loved it.

8. Benefits of playing this game: • Playing a game like this taught me to fight an impossible fight. • To trust people I play with. • To learn to outwork and out hustle the competition. • Standing still gets you squashed. • Smaller athletes learn that it is critical to be able to run like hell.

9. How to beat a 1v2…. and teach a 9v10 Baseball pickle circa 1926 Salt Lake's Sean Rodriquez and Brandon Wood catch Nashville's Johnny Raburn in a pickle. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News 2008

10. Baseball Pickle drill, AKA Monkey in the Middle • This traditional drill is played two ways, but essentially teaches the same concept: I can beat both of you if I work harder, smarter, and have more heart. • In Pickle you win if you get to a base safely. • In Monkey you win if you win the ball.

11. 1v2 riding drill • Purpose: Teach and reinforce rewards for shorthanded riding defense • Goals: Improve ABC’s of the Man in the Middle, improve stick skills of the two outside players • Set up: Three players, four cones, ball, and a sideline • Play: Two outsides on one team, man in the middle must win ball. Outside players 10-15 yards apart depending on skill level. • Rules: A must run down and win ball. Ball won or thrown out of bounds results in 10 pushups for D. Ten consecutive passes by D results in ten pushups for A. D must stay within cones (about two yards apart) D. A D

12. 2v3 riding drill to cones • Similar to previous drill, but this drill teaches teamwork of riding team. Traditionally taught as 3v2 with offense on outside and defense inside. • Purpose: Teach and reinforce rewards for shorthanded riding defense • Goals: Improve ABC’s of the riding A, improve stick skills of the three outside players • Set up: five players, four cones, and ball. • Play: Three outsides on one team, two A in middle must win ball. Outside players 10-15 yards apart depending on skill level. • Rules: A must run down and win ball. Ball won or thrown away results in 10 pushups for D. Ten consecutive passes by D results in ten pushups for A. D must stay within cones (about fifteen yards apart) D D. A A D

13. 3v4 drill to clear: • Ball is rolled toward D, D breaks w Goalie advantage. • Hustle and ride-A defend MFL. • Stress ABC’s • Stress hands and hips

14. Sideline alley 1v1: • G pass to D, D breaks on ball. • A gets upfield first to a cone. • A uses sideline and positioning to win ball. • Stress good approach angle by A

15. Poor Pass Redirect drill: • Ball is rolled toward D • D breaks w Goalie advantage. • D throws cross-field bounce pass. • Hustle and ride-A defend MFL. • Turnovers =scoring opportunities for A

16. 9 man Press v 32 clear: • A3 presses to force redirect. P floats free safety. • D locks ball side a. • If d carries, A3 can win ball w A2 chasing • P engages when A2&A3 turn back d. • Shift over on redirect • A1 comes through m on redirect.

17. 10 man Press v 32: • A3 presses to force redirect. • P &D Float free safety. • D locks ball side a. G covers weak side a. • On redirect, A1 to d, A2 up field to chase, A3 to g. • P& D engage when A turns back d. • M2 comes back, M1 over, D free to engage

18. 9 man Soft/clog v 32: • A let ball come up field. • A1 and A3 clog up neutral area. A2 plays ball at restraining line. • P engages if d or m carry. • Shift on redirect. • Ball side M shuts off m

19. “Go Brits”