Nottingham was the venue for the FIMBA GB +40 Women trials at the weekend as they started their journey to the European Championships in Pesaro, Italy next summer.
With a good mix of previous squad members, new faces and those who are looking to change age groups, there was a great mix of ex-international, professional and local players being put through their paces.
The Saturday was a chance for Coach Harrison to run various skill and fitness drills so he and Assistant Coach Lauder could get a good idea of the talent they had at their disposal. The drills, focusing on footwork, finishing, shooting and passing pushed the group hard and ensured a all aspects of their individual games were assessed. Based on the players’ performance the group were split into teams to run a basic scrimmage allowing the coaching team to see matchups on court.
After a quick break, the group rotated round 6 skill stations, where they were pushed to their limits with 1 minute of intense work at each and their scores being recorded.
The stations are my favourite part of a training weekend as you get a real insight into the mentality, commitment and teamwork of the players. I have to say, every single one of this group were pushing themselves and each other to make one more shot, one more pass, one more sprint before the time ran out. The work ethic and encouragement was incredible to see and will be a major asset for us moving forward. I am so proud to be part of this group.
Bruce Lauder, FIMBA GB +40 Women Assistant Coach
After a well earned break, the ladies had a scrimmage with the coaching team changing matchups and groups to see how the team dynamic changed at both ends of the court.
Day 2 was a more “relaxed” day, as Coach Harrison discussed and started implementing the offensive identity of the team based on what he had seen the day before. With a keen focus on spacing and timing, the ladies picked up the concepts quickly allowing the coaching team to add more and more options to the sets. The second half of the session focussed on defence before a scrimmage at the end to put all the work from the weekend together.
Next up a selection of the players will be playing at the Yorkshire Masters in September before the final squad announcement.
