Rees' Thoughts

How did we came with this? After long "sobremesas" (it is how it is called in Spanish to the relaxed talk after lunch or dinner) with Rees and many others during the last Asian Games, we all came back home with some thoughts about this sport and the differences in between the top 8 countries and the others that play roller hockey.

A few months later I start going to Rees' club to give them a hand on the session and he saw me taking notes in my note pad which name as this blog. Rees told me "hold on, I've got something for you" he came a to me with another note pad and show me some reflexion about the sport. I was stunned, I couldn't close my mouth. That feeling was amazing specially coming from someone that didn't grow up on a top 8 country with an intense roller hockey culture.

Chapter I

Defence and the Universal Importance of Managing Space

Defence and the Universal Importance of Managing Space

Actively defending is about forcing the attacker to choose to attack how you want them to attack, leaving these decisions up to your opposition is a fool’s game. Whenever possible the defence should decide the terms of any action on the floor. The most simple form of deciding the

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Actively defending is about forcing the attacker to choose to attack how you want them to attack

Charapter II

Goalkeeping and the appearance of strength

Goalkeeping and the appearance of strength

Much of goalkeeping is in limiting opportunities for attacking players, the newer style of play enables a keeper to spend less energy on the simple parts of this desired result, covering a larger area of the cage and much of the ground that is hard for the old style. The

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Much of goalkeeping is in limiting opportunities for attacking players

Charapter III

On observation, Awareness and Reaction

On Observation, Awareness and Reaction

Human reaction times can only be so fast, the human limit can be felt and brute force cannot surpass it. So then the key to surpassing this limit is not in simply reacting faster, it is to be found in observing the things you intend to react to. Not just

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Reacting is always easier when you know the full range of the opponent’s options

Charapter IV

The importance of the first step

The importance of the first step

In beating a defender the most important step you can take is the first one passed them. The faster you can take that step through, the less trickery you need to use getting the defender off balance. The first step shares this importance in any sport with attack and defence,

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The easiest way to pass a defender alone is with momentum

Charapter V

Upcoming...