Following on from the 2nd team victory Nomads 1st's also played Jersey Ladies helped by a few 2nd team players with some 1st team regulars unavailable.

The game started with some early pressure for Jersey Ladies, as the new Nomads centre midfield partnership took some time to gel but Nomads continued to look dangerous on the break through the pace of Joni Gorman and Abbie Le Marquand. One such break eventually lead to a 3rd goal of the season for Joni scoring from a rebound.

Despite some chances spirited Nomads defence kept it to 1-0 at the break.

With a difficulty finding the same pace on the ball at Claremont and both teams playing in congested areas the match became increasingly scrappy at the beginning of the 2nd half with Jersey Ladies generally controlling the territory. 

Despite a number of chances they could not quite find a goal and as both teams tired Nomads started to find some extra space and increase the pressure on the Jersey Ladies defence. With less than 10 minutes remaining a short corner was well converted by Steph Edge and despite a consolation goal from a penalty corner with less than 2 minutes remaining Nomads held on for the victory.

After 2 good results to start the season the 2nd team had a match in the sun at Claremont looking to continue their good form.

Unfortunately a slow start not helped by the pitch pulled it into a scrappy match and players started to wander from their positions and our ability  to pass suffered. However despite this the finishing that was lacking in previous game was clear as we raced to a 3-0 lead at half time.

In the 2nd half the passing play was generally much improved, however poor decision making further up the pitch meant that we created far less chances than we should. A goal around 10 minutes into the 2nd half for Jersey Ladies threatened a comeback but a goal for Ella Brennand via a Jersey Ladies foot moved it to 4-1 to settle any nerves.

After this result Nomads are currently top of the 2nd division but will look for an improved team performance next week.

In a rare Saturday game in the Jersey Ladies Division 1 Nomads played RWB having got off to a winning start on the previous weekend.

With a number of players unavailable Nomads again called up some promising young players from the 2nd XI to help fill the gaps. As often happens in matches  between these 2 the game had a scrappy start with both teams competing strongly in midfield. Although RWB had the better of the territory good defending by Nomads limited the chances created.

A short time later Nomads almost took the lead when some good passing gave a chance to Lisa Grant-Phillips who shot just wide. Unfortunately this was followed a short time later by a RWB counter attack where a composed finish gave them the lead.

The 2nd half started with a similar way although Nomads slowly began to stretch the game and increase the pressure on the RWB defence. This started to create turnovers in dangerous positions and helped Nomads to equalise with Joni Gorman getting a well timed deflection.

However with less than 10 minutes remaining RWB regained the lead after a short corner broke down and could not be cleared. Nomads almost managed to steal a point when a well struck effort was somehow saved by the stand-in RWB keeper.

Despite the result Nomads can be proud of their performance in a tough game, 13 year old Lilly Wysmuller doing well in an unfamiliar role at right back where her positioning and anticipation stood out. With players to return and the juniors showing their ability to step up everything looks to be in place for a good season.

After last weeks impressive comeback for the 2s we were matched against a good Quackers Side.

After an entertaining start with some chances at either end Nomads slowly started to dominate the possession as the 1st half wore on. This was helped by some good passing moves from the defence up to the midfield.

However some strong defending from Quackers limited clear cut chances and they continued to look dangerous on the counter attack. 

The 2nd half continued in a similar way with Nomads slowly increasing possession and territory but despite a number of shots struggling to get a goal. After a long goal mouth scramble with both saves and defensive blocks the ball fell to Abbie Le Marquand who took a touch and picked her spot with a sweetly struck effort into the bottom corner.

Chances continued to come and despite her best efforts Ella could not seem to find the net with a number of attempts either being saved or just missing the far post. As players tired Quackers started to get on top of the game and threatened to grab an equaliser. 

However with just a few minutes remaining Emily Genee and Ella seized on a rebound to secure the victory, unfortunately without a video replay it is unlikely anyone will know for sure who got the final touch.

This is a skill that we have been doing a fair bit of recently in training sessions although it is not that easy to find a video of.

This one below shows the basics of how to perform the skill. As mentioned previously this technique is best used if you have you back to goal under pressure. It can be a very useful technique if you are not far out from goal for a few reasons

The 1st is that it is a surprise and keepers are not likely to be expecting a shot to be hit in this way when it looks like the defender has the situation under control.  The 2nd main benefit is that with the defender in the way the keeper is likely to be unsighted this means that they have far less time to react. The 3rd main benefit is that it is very tough for a defender to prevent the shot, it can force a defender to change their natural game.

Todays blog is going to go into some detail on the 4-3-3 formation and how it can change completely or transition into other formations depending on player roles.

The standard 4-3-3 is generally set up as below.

4-3-3 Standard
LW        CF         RW
      LCM RCM
           DM
LB    CB CB    RB
             GK

Standard back 4, CBs may both be marking/flat or may have 1 sweeping in behind
DCM- Defensive Midfielder,  plays in front of the defense looking to protect CBs defensively or provide easy outlet when with the ball. Will not commit as far forward and looks to provide pivot. Will often be a player who has alot of touches overall but distributes quickly and safely.
LCM and RCM - Left and Right Centre Midfielder, it is important that these players do not drift wide defensively 
LW and RW - Left and Right Wingers, in a standard 4-3-3 they will be playing ahead of the midfielder near the touchline
CF - Centre Forward - High Centre Forward

The 1st and most standard transition is to a 4-5-1 when the ball is lost, this involves the RW+LW dropping to a RM+LM position with a lone forward. This has the benefit of retaining 3 players in the centre of midfield while also providing additional support to RB+LB

A downside to this transition is that if your team does not retain the ball well the CF can become very isolated, it is important that the CF is able to hold up the ball if moved forward quickly to allow support to arrive. 

2-3-2-3/2-3-5

LW        CF         RW
       LCM RCM
LWB     DM     RWB
         CB         CB   
                GK

An alternative variation on the 4-3-3 is to change into a 2-3-2-3 when the ball has been won. This involves the RB and LB instead playing as Wing Backs, this requires them to provide assistance when attacking with normal defense roles in defense. This tends to require a high level of fitness and good use of rolling subs to be fully utilised.

In this formation the CBs will play much wider than normal when in possession of the ball and the WB from the opposite side of the pitch will drop round to provide additional support in case possession is lost.

The final variations tend to relate to the roles of the forward 3. These can be played either as a high 3, 2 high wingers with a deep lying centre forward or high centre forward and deeper wingers. 

Ideally the front 3 should be changing between these options fluidly as done well it will test the opposition ability to communicate and mark. However in the absence of that the most important rule to remember is that at least 1 of the players should be high and stretching the defense. This provides space for the midfield to exploit and can make it tougher for the defense to watch both the player and ball.

From the advanced position the attacker should still post up and meet the ball but more space will be available to all players because of this. 

4-3-3 - Attacking

              CF       
LW     AMC     RW
      LCM    RCM
              DM
LB         CB       RB
               GK

The last option that will be shown today is when 1 of the central defenders plays as a front sweeper/defense midfielder. This moves that player forward and allows the use of a narrow diamond while maintaining a front 3. 

This formation obviously includes more risk of being hit on the counter especially if the RB and LB are providing support going forward or if the DM overcommits. However in a game where possession and territory are in control it allows an extra attacking option and can be a good transition option from the 2-3-2-3 above.

Although just an overview of some of the options there are different ways of playing each system above that have not been covered. It is also worth noting that they could all be called a 4-3-3 

The Fixtures page here has been updated  to include a spreadsheet with all 1st and 2nd team matches as well as training sessions

On a rare sunny day during the hockey season the 1s started with a match against Caesarean Whites.

The 1st real chance of the game came to Nomads as the ball seemed to be going off the backline, however Joni Gorman's tireless running kept it in and managed to get it past the keeper but we were unable to score or capitalise on the resulting short corner.

The whites were looking increasingly dangerous on the break using their pace and skill and exploiting some gaps caused by an unfamiliar formation. One of these breaks lead to them taking the lead after finding a free player in the D. Nomads continued to look threatening and put together nice passages of play but couldn't find a goal from the short corners and chances created. It was a counter attack from a Nomads short that extended the lead to 2-0 just before the half time break.

After a rest and a some minor tactical adjustments Nomads came out with good intent with the cm of Ciara, Janet and Lisa taking charge, this lead to increasing pressure on the Whites defence and chances being created by turnovers in the opposition 25. This eventually led to a goal mouth scramble with Steph Edge getting the final touch.

With Sara and Trudy in central defence anticipating well and intercepting on the rare occasions the Whites got through the midfield we started to dominate both possession and territory. Eventually one of the penalty corners resulted in Joni Gorman getting a far post deflection in between the keeper and post to level the scores.

With around 10 minutes left Lisa found herself time and space in the D and after an initial mishit found space to flick home and beat the keeper who had made a number of good saves. Despite a late rally from Whites the defense held strong and some sensible play ran down the clock for Nomads to complete their 1st victory of the season.

After only a single training session at LQ the season got under way with a match against the DB Eagles boys team, as always they are a strong side with well coached and talented players.

With  Sarah Mutimer away for a Triathlon Lilly Wysmuller captained the side for the 1st time. Nomads almost got off to the perfect start when from the opening hit off some good passing earned a shooting chance in the opposition D.

Unfortunately the half didnt continue as well as the boys started to take charge and forced Ollie into some good saves in goal. Despite his best efforts we went into half time at 3-0 down, but changed only a few minutes into the 2nd half with Triona scoring a reverse stick deflection. This was followed by a sustained period of Nomads pressure as we outfought the boys in midfield and continued to create chances.

2 further goalmouth scrambles brought us level and with the score at 3-3 the game became stretched with opportunities at both ends, Amy at CB in her 1st game for Nomads made a number of important tackles throughout. However neither side could find a winning goal but both can be happy with the part that played in an entertaining match.

For Nomads this was a promising start to the season and they will need to show the same desire and commitment as in the 2nd half in all games. If they can do that there is no reason why they can not continue the improvement in league position.

With both basic and advanced skills covered by previous blog posts I thought it was time for a slight change and to instead focus on how you can get the most out of training as an individual.

Over my time playing various sports one of the biggest mistakes I have found that most players make is to fear making mistakes and trying to learn new skills. This can also be seen with players not being willing to experiment with the skills they already know to try and improve.

On many occasions this leads to players who perform the same skills in the same way year after year with minimal improvement. Training instead should be the time where you push the boundaries of your skill to find your limitations, by taking risks in training you also learn what options you can and cannot use in a game situation. 

Through the above you build the confidence in your own ability that will help all round.

Another large thing that many players neglect is having a target, a good example is in shooting drills where players will hit shots at random. Although you can build skill and accuracy this way it is far more useful to instead try and pick a spot(bottom corner across goal etc). This allows you to look at the hit after to see if it actually went where planned. This makes it easier to find any technical issues as well as to build up accuracy.

Obviously in the quicker pace drills where you are looking to get a quick shot off looking after receiving the ball is too late so is one area where i would expect players to be pre-scanning before receiving the final pass. This will allow you to work out both where the goal is relative to your current position and also if the keeper has got their angles wrong and left a particular area of the goal free.