Playing in strong winds is not so prevalent when you are playing in stadia, however if you regularly play on an exposed pitch then you will be all too familiar with the scenario of having to over compensate for the weather.
I have been involved in windy games where I’ve taken a goal kick, propelled it forwards out of the penalty box, only to then stand in stunned panic as the ball whips back over my head and out for a corner!
…or when one of my defenders has had to crouch with his fingers holding the ball still, in order for a goal kick to be taken! That always took an incredible amount of perfect timing from the pair of us so that I missed cracking him in the face with my boot!
One of the good things about playing in strong wind, is when the wind is blowing ‘down’ the pitch and it’s now your turn to have the wind behind you. If you are anything like me then you look for every opportunity to get the ball in your hands so that you can have a go at scoring on their goal! It is a rare chance of glory (and extremely childish) but you still harbour a strong belief that one of your volleys will travel straight into the oppositions net! Never managed it though………
Still, playing in weather that has the ability to deviate the course of the ball’s natural flight always requires extra special attention. During your warm up, it is imperative that you work on opportunities to assess the flight of the ball. This will mean staging several serves from various angles in order for you to ‘get your eye in’ on just how the weather may affect your judgement.
This is not foolproof, as wind speed can change, however as with all pre-match warm ups, you are looking to build your confidence so take several serves from the floor, take some high lofted punts and make sure that you work the serves from both sides and if possible also reverse them – so that you are taking serves from both up and down wind if necessary (may mean facing your goal during warm up).
If, at any point, you are not sure of the trajectory of the ball then play it safe. Stay at home and cover any shot or header – but make sure that you communicate this decision very early with your defenders. Doubt is the biggest flaw in any goalkeeper/defender game play so be positive and have conviction in your decision – your defenders will appreciate it.
The next headache is distribution; your usual options may well have to fall by the wayside as the weather wreaks havoc on your booming clearances – so play tactically instead. Assess the situation; can you roll the ball short when playing head wind? Can you slide a pass to your central midfielder, rather than looking to hit your wingers?
Playing against the wind can force you to move out of your comfort zone, and it is virtually guaranteed that your team mates will wholly appreciate your clever tactics; it is very disheartening for an outfield player to constantly be chasing the game so by forcing them to reassess their game can also have a positive affect on their performance.
The real key to remember when playing in windy conditions is to keep it simple. Don’t try too hard to compensate for the weather, be decisive and communicative and your game will seem a breeze (sorry, bad pun intended!)
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