Escaping the tackle by passing the ball forward to yourself is an under utilized technique.
The Danish club Flipper is currently employing a tactic that one could call a variation on a Norwegian theme, the so-called blind pass into empty space.
Flipper coach Mikkel Rasmussen is a ball possession conservative. This style is very tough on the opponent’s offense, but it has also limited Flipper’s goal scoring opportunities when fast breaking out of their own zone. This season the club began to employ a new tactic to increase the number of effective attacks.
To prevent rapid counters from getting bogged down in the middle of the pool when one defender grabs the legs or torso of a player trying to reach the goal, Flipper will begin resort to a hard pass out in front to no one. The player who passes the ball instantly raises his palms and looks back to signal clearly to the opponent and referee that he is being held. The opponent will then release the player who will immediately continue swimming forward to recover the ball.
It happened in the game against Urheilusuklatjat in the first round of the Euroleague. Thor Lykke Funk almost single handed broke the Helsinki club’s defense by passing to himself not once but twice during a counter attack. First he threw the ball away into the space in front of him, forcing Leo Selehov to release him. He recovered the ball himself, then went on to do it again against another unidentified player. After launching that first attack on the goal he surfaced for air and quickly returned score on the right side. This pass to oneself technique is clearly under utilized by most players.
Flipper won their first three games of the season, putting them in a three-way tie for first place with Betta and Molde. Photo: Flipper
“We talked about how to do the fast breaks and decided that you pass forward to yourself if you don’t have any teammates with you,” explained Rasmussen.
At one time during the history of underwater rugby simply releasing hold of a ball did not constitute an end to possession. The rule was eventually changed.
Flipper’s decision to employ this tactic comes at a time that the referees appear to be proactively penalizing teams for holding. Twice Urheilusuklatjat had players sent off for two-minute penalties, although they had not received prior warnings.
The official rule on holding states:
This ban is important in order to maintain a fluid and high quality game. The referees shall, therefore give warning and thereafter time-penalties if the behavior persists. This is especially applicable in, but not limited to, the following situations; A player who has just passed on the ball and is still being held.
It is simple: not holding ball equals no possession,”
—Manuel Tito de Morais
Chief Referee, CMAS
The coincidence of Flipper’s decision and the referee’s possible harder line on mid-pool holding will surely be picked up on by other teams. Molde and other teams have players who are capable of winging the ball forward and swimming to recover it.
Maybe this can even be used by the ordinary club players to give their teams a sharper edge.