One versus all
Organisation:
Groups of 4 or 5 players.
The court is the same on both sides: from 6x6m to 9x9m depending on numbers and age.
However, it must be a large court where the number must be a real advantage.
Aim of the task:
Each player plays a set on his own against a team of 3 or 4 players.
The player, same as the teams, is allowed three successive touches of the ball.
This situation of numbers imbalance is a test situation for problem solving. It allows to identify the problems and then turn them into working themes.
The situation is clear:
- The lone player has:
- A major disadvantage: a very large target to defend.
- Only one advantage: he knows that the ball is for him.
- The team has:
- One disadvantage: decisions to make on zones of confusion.
- One major advantage: several players to cover the court.
The analysis takes first into account the result of the match. Contrary to what the players might spontaneously believe, the lone player generally wins the match in the learning phases. This is therefore a significant test for the level of skill.
We must therefore push the analysis further to understand what the problems to solve are:
- The team makes errors due to late decision and lack of coordination.
- All the team needs to do is be able to aim at targets with precision to render the lone player's defence impossible. To do this, the attacking player must be placed in a favourable situation (be it on the first, the second or the third hit) which is: at the front of the court (but not too close to the net), oriented and within a manageable time constraint.
For this the players must take stock of the way that points are scored or lost.
Through working on these organisation issues, we must reach a systematic superiority of the team on the player.