How to trap penalty corners like the Spanish?

David LowrieCoach, England

I`m not sure about the Spanish team but I used to use a "South African" vertical reverse stick stop - as works on any surface. Best approach is to mentally aim to trap the ball under the stick, bringing it down at the last moment on the ball.

Use soft hands, right hand at the base/head behind the stick, left comfortably higher up. Keep your fingers out the way as an umpire may think it is a hand stop if they are unused to the technique. Part crouch so as to be able to move left or right easily & point the stick at the injector, almost aim it like a rifle or sword. As the ball is injected keep pointing the stick at the ball. As the ball is about to disappear behind the top of the handle bring the stick head (right hand) down to the ground, trapping the ball a few inches up from the head. A little downward pressure from the left hand will stop the ball dead (pressing out the rotation) on any surface, with no need for any special stick surface. As long as the stick face is perpendicular to the plane of travel of the ball there is mechanically nowhere it can go. With practice it will work on any surface and even on a slightly airborne or skipping ball, eg I could do it reliably on grass or astro in the days when the ball had to be seen to be visibly motionless to be deemed to have been controlled outside the circle.

The ball will be stopped precisely in one movement for a drag flick, or for a hit it can easily be tapped back along its trajectory simply by raising the left hand and pushing the right forward.