2020 Armor Drills – Keep-Up
Keep-Up is a game that puts a clear focus on defense and the two aspects of defense: Blocking & Stepping.
Settings & Setup
- Game #10 (Hit Meter)
- Health Setting: choose one appropriate for the skill level
- Time: Infinite Time recommended
- 1 vests on a BOB/Wavemaster/Bag
- 1 player
- Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
Gameplay
Set up a unit on a bag. When the participant lands their first hit on the bag, the hit mater will rise depending on the strength of the hit. The participant must then hit again to prevent the hit meter from falling back down to empty.
The object of the game is to hit as many times as possible in succession, keeping the hit meter up for as long as possible and beating your own record.
Difficulty for this drill can be calibrated to the desired level by:
- Limiting technique choices
- Changing the height of the bag
- Changing the Health Setting
- Require jumping
What They Are Learning
This game puts a clear focus on defense and the two aspects of defense: blocking and stepping. By forcing each player to take turns to attack, they focus their attention to the specific task being asked of them, which in this case is to have a good defense.
You can use this opportunity to tell the students that proper stepping and footwork is the first best line of defense – by getting out of the way. If you can not get out of the way, then they may sacrifice their arm to block. They also have a third option which is to cut off the distance and move in close.
The vest will show clearly when an impact is detected, so students will see where the holes in their defense may be. Ask them to watch to see if it's for certain kicks, or perhaps during the start of the match (when they might not be aware) or the end of the match, where they might be tired or careless.
Knowing when in the match their defense is the weakest is a critical piece of information for both the athlete and the coach. Having this awareness will allow both the athlete and the coach to direct extra mental and physical energy at these moments to increase the chance of winning.
