It must have been planned for weeks and posted all over podio, but I only learnt about it last week: on Saturday there were the A-Team Try-Outs. OMG do we have to register? Did I miss the dead-line? Nope, just show up. The training will be closely observed by coaches Master Blaster, Bee Fattal and Daniel.
Until now the selections were based on continuous assessment along the preceding months only. The tryouts completing that assessment were (re)implemented for the first time for that season.
A dozen of players showed up to try their luck. The training was divided into three parts and felt a bit like a SUPERADVANCED MINIMUM SKILLS TEST. The agility skills were actually more challenging and more complete than those required for the Team France Try-Outs.
Part.1: INDIVIDUAL SKILLS
The test started with an individual skills course, covering:
- changes of direction, slaloming along a line of hoops while spinning
- changing directions in tranfering weight and switching slices, while following basketball circles marked on the ground
- backwards slicing along cones, in fact: alternate back snake
- two-feet back and and front shifts, alternating heels and toes
- alternated toe stops with a one-foot freeze to complete the movement
- alternated right and left side-surfs
- creative jamming: imagine you are jamming, imagine there are blockers, what footwork do you do?
The individual skills part was completed by checks on backwards skating:
- general stance including balance, flow and grabbing
- speed changes: reactively stopping and gaining momentum
And by a battery of test on stops with the general instruction to take speed and brake within a one-meter distance, as well as to make an explosive acceleration to gain speed back:
- two-feet plow stops
- one-foot plow stops, alternating feet
- hockey stops, alternating sides
- toe stops and go
And last but not least, a drill about edges and direction changes, following the sides of a 3*3m square. Key-notions: frequence, footwork, edges.
Part.2: INTERACTIVE SKILLS
By 'interactive' I mean skills involving at least two players, mainly blocking and hitting.
- Hip checks: stepping and blocking with the hip
- Body checks: stepping or slicing and blocking with the whole legal zone
- Thorax checks: bumping with the shoulder
- Slicing: to guide the opponent outbounds
Part.3: GAME SITUATIONS
The third part was divided into two:
- A situational scrimmage, with various instructions and various start situations, the main objective of which being getting the lead at all costs
- A real scrimmage, during which I lost a finger at the first jam.
The 20 WFTDA for the next 6 months were annonced in the evening and... I'M IN!
I am not sure I can unveil it here so I won't, although I crave to.
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