Happy Friday!  I hope you’re gearing up for a great hockey weekend, getting started with this week’s Playbook.

This is the final edition of this mini-series covering the Euro Hockey League Finals. Watching the Grand Finals this weekend did not disappoint. The technical and tactical level was very high, and there were some fantastic deciding goals.

Across the five days, I tried to watch as many of the matches as possible, and one clear theme stood out across the tournament—and proved decisive in the Men’s Grand Final. Looking at how teams attacked and tried to create chances, it was very clear that the ‘crash ball’ into the circle has become more and more common.

We saw the first examples of this in the goal-scoring positioning I highlighted last week. These all relied on a fast hit or sweep pass into the circle, often aimed straight at goal from areas in and around the attacking 25-yard line. Now, this is by no means a new game innovation. The ‘crash ball’ has been a tactic for decades, but the frequency with which top teams are employing it is on the rise. And this, in turn, may alter how we think about elite circle defending and the skills needed to execute it.

It was the first quarter that was decisive in the Kampong vs Gantoise heavyweight battle, with Kampong going up 2–0. Let’s view the highlights and then dig in further.

Both of these goals are born from similar circumstances: direct crash or slider passes into the circle from along the 25-yard line, followed—unfortunately in both cases—by defensive errors and poor first touches. Kampong, through Duco Telgenkamp and Finn van Bijen, were absolutely ruthless in their finishing from what were really only half-chances.

If circle defending is going to involve dealing with more and more early crash balls, then first touch is going to become even more important for defenders.

First touch and ball control are traditionally viewed as more attacking and creative skills, with tackling, marking, and distribution often being the focus for defenders. That could change if we continue to see the rise in early, high ball-speed circle entries.

A few years ago, I had a conversation with Mark Knowles—Australian legend and one of the world’s best-ever defenders. He was asked what the difference was in his 2014 season, when he won World Player of the Year, compared to the rest of his career. He said that at the start of 2014, he put a lot of extra time into improving his first touch. Every day, he had his teammates smash the ball at him for 30 minutes after training.

His goal was simple: “trap everything”. He credited that extra work with making a big improvement to his match performances and, ultimately, the form that led to him winning the best player in the world award that season. It’s very likely that Mark Knowles was the pioneer here. The ability to trap anything—whether driven at speed, bouncing awkwardly, or coming from the air—is likely becoming a major requirement for elite-level defenders.

Improving first touch simply comes down to lots and lots of reps—teammates hitting the ball at you, or using a wall or rebound board to train by yourself.  Using a tennis ball is a very valuable drill because the extra bounce forces you to use ‘soft hands’. This is how you deal with the high spin and velocity in a game and stop the ball rebounding too far off your stick.

‍

I think if most club and/or young players spent 10 minutes a day for a month working on extra first-touch reps, the results would be staggering. Give it a go, no matter what position you play.