Korfball Theory
The Foundations of Korfball
Coaching
Introduction to the IKF Instructor
Course — IKF Level 3+
International
Korfball Federation — Development and Education Committee (DEC)
Introduction to the IKF Instructor
Course — IKF Level 3+
1. Mission, Vision and
Introduction
1.1
Mission and Vision of the Development and Education Committee of the IKF
The mission of
this program is to equip high-level korfball coaches with the knowledge,
skills, and professional attitude needed to lead players and teams to top
performance. The curriculum draws on scientific research, practical experience,
and innovation, and reflects the latest developments in sports science,
training methodology, and leadership. It supports continuous personal and
professional growth, with ethics, sustainability, and player well-being at its
core.
The goal is to
develop coaches who are both technical experts and inspiring leaders within the
korfball community. Through this course, the IKF's Development and Education
Committee (DEC) aims to train qualified IKF coach instructors worldwide,
thereby raising the overall level of play.
1.2
Introduction
Korfball has
developed into a sophisticated international team sport, demanding effective
communication, game insight, technical proficiency, and high levels of physical
and psychological performance. Coaches today have access to an extensive body
of knowledge from disciplines such as biomechanics, physiology, psychology,
pedagogy, motor learning, and performance analysis (statistics).
Yet however valuable these disciplines
This course
therefore begins with the game itself. Rather than starting from separate
scientific disciplines, it first establishes a theoretical framework that
explains the nature of korfball — and only then connects that framework to the
supporting sciences.
1.3 Why
Does Korfball Require Its Own Theoretical Framework — Korfball Theory?
This framework
provides the reference point against which knowledge from biomechanics,
physiology, psychology, motor learning, and pedagogy can be evaluated and
appropriately applied.
The
theoretical perspective adopted throughout this course is Action Theory,
grounded in a relational view of human action.
From this perspective, players are never understood as isolated individuals
executing movements. Instead, every meaningful action emerges from the
continuously shifting relationship between the player, teammates, opponents,
the ball, the korf, space, time, and the rules of the game. Korfball
performance is therefore described in terms of purposeful move-actions, rather
than isolated bodily movements or abstract psychological constructs.
This
perspective has direct consequences for coaching practice. Match analysis,
player development, training design, and performance evaluation should all be
expressed in korfball-specific action language. General statements such as “the
team lacked confidence,” “the players lost concentration,” or “fitness was
insufficient” only become meaningful once translated into observable game
actions that can be analysed, practised, and improved.
The chapters
that follow build this framework step by step. They begin by describing the
essential characteristics and logical structure of korfball, before introducing
the concepts of attacking, defending, transition, communication, game insight,
abilities, and competition fitness. These concepts are then connected to
representative learning environments through the Constraints-Led Approach and
Scenario-Based Learning, enabling coaches to bridge theory and practice.
The ambition
of this course reaches beyond teaching coaching techniques. It offers a
coherent conceptual framework through which coaches can analyse the game,
formulate training hypotheses, critically evaluate performance, and
continuously develop their own professional practice. By integrating scientific
knowledge with a korfball-specific theory of action, coaches become better
equipped to support both high performance and the holistic development of
players.
2. Korfball Theory: The
Foundations of Korfball Coaching
The Framework of Korfball
2.1 The
Game
A game does
not exist independently of the people who play it. It comes into existence
through their participation. Players accept a shared objective, operate
within an agreed set of rules and voluntarily confront the challenges that
these rules create. In this sense, a game is both a structured activity and a
human practice.
Bernard Suits
(1925–2007) described playing a game as the voluntary attempt to overcome
unnecessary obstacles. These obstacles are unnecessary in ordinary life but
essential to the game. They create the conditions under which playing becomes
meaningful. Without them, there would be no challenge, no uncertainty and
therefore no game.
However, a
game cannot be understood from its rules alone. Rules establish the formal
conditions of play, but they do not produce the game by themselves. The game
emerges only when participants interpret these conditions, respond to one
another and attempt to realise the purpose of the game.
The rules serve the game; the game does not exist merely
to serve the rules.
Rules protect
the identity of the game and regulate the interaction between participants.
They define what players may and may not do, but within these boundaries the
players themselves create the actual course of play. Every game develops
differently because the intentions, actions and interactions of its
participants are never completely predetermined.
A distinction
can therefore be made between game and play. The game provides the shared
purpose, rules and conditions. Play is what participants create within those
conditions. The game gives structure to play, while play gives life to the
game. The two cannot be separated in practice.
A game is
consequently neither a collection of isolated movements nor the mechanical
execution of prescribed techniques. Players perceive situations, form
intentions and act in relation to teammates, opponents, space, time, the ball
and the objective of the game. Their actions acquire meaning through these
relationships.
The
foundational axioms are:
• A game is created by its
participants.
• A game has a shared and recognisable
purpose.
• Rules create and protect the
conditions of the game.
• The rules serve the game.
• A game is both structure and play.
• Players do not simply move; they
act.
These
principles provide the basis for examining korfball as a particular game. The
next question is therefore not merely how korfball is played, but what makes
korfball the game that it is.
2.2
Korfball as a Game
Korfball is a
competitive team game in which two teams attempt to score more goals than their
opponent by throwing the ball through a korf.
This
definition identifies the formal objective of the game, but it does not yet
explain what makes korfball distinctive. Korfball is created through the
purposeful interaction of players who cooperate with teammates and compete
against opponents within the conditions established by the rules.
The ball may
not be carried or dribbled. A player in possession is therefore dependent on
the actions of others. Teammates must continually create opportunities to
assist and to shoot, while opponents attempt to disrupt these actions.
Cooperation is consequently not an optional choice but a constitutive condition
of the game.
At the same
time, the korf can be approached from every direction. The game develops in 360
degrees around the scoring target. Players must continuously relate their
actions to changing positions, distances, directions and opportunities.
Korfball is
also characterised by the relationship between attacking and defending. Players
contribute to both, although the formal structure of the game may organise
these roles in different ways. They must therefore learn to recognise and
perform a broad range of game actions rather than specialise in only one
isolated task.
Korfball is a
communication sport. Players continuously make their intentions perceptible
through their positions, movements, timing and use of the ball. These actions
communicate possibilities to teammates and threats to opponents. Communication
is therefore not limited to speaking it is embedded in the way players act.
Korfball can be defined as a competitive communication
and cooperation game in which players, acting within the rules and in relation
to teammates and opponents, create opportunities to score through a korf while
preventing the opposing team from doing the same.
Korfball is
therefore not simply a collection of passes, shots, movements and defensive
techniques. These elements acquire meaning only through the purpose and context
of the game. A pass is not merely a physical execution; it is an action
intended to connect players, change the situation and contribute to creating a
scoring opportunity. A defensive movement is meaningful because it restricts an
opponent’s possibilities and helps prevent a goal.
To understand
korfball, we must therefore begin with the game as a whole. Only from there can
we identify its defining characteristics, analyse its game actions and develop
a theory appropriate to coaching it.
2.3 What Makes
Korfball Unique?
Every sport
has a distinct identity. This identity is not determined by one isolated rule
or characteristic, but by the way its purpose, playing conditions, participants
and rules interact. Korfball is unique because several defining characteristics
combine to create a particular form of cooperation, opposition and
communication.
The objective
is to score by throwing the ball through a korf. Because the korf is elevated,
has no backboard and can be approached from every direction, scoring is
possible from anywhere around it. Attacking and defending develop in 360
degrees.
A player may
not run with the ball or dribble it towards the korf. After receiving the ball,
the player must act from that position by passing or shooting. Progression
therefore depends on the coordinated actions of teammates. Cooperation is not
merely desirable; it is built into the structure of the game.
Korfball is
played through two inseparable relationships. Players cooperate with teammates
while simultaneously competing against opponents. Every action affects both
relationships. Moving into space may create an opportunity for a teammate while
forcing an opponent to respond. Passing the ball changes the possibilities
available to all participants.
Korfball was
created as a mixed-gender sport. Women and men participate in the same game and
contribute to the performance of the same team. This belongs to the historical
and social identity of korfball and expresses the principle that participants
share responsibility for creating and playing the game.
Within the
team contest, players also act in direct relation to individual opponents. A
defender attempts to restrict an attacker’s opportunities, while the attacker
tries to create sufficient space and time to act. Players never act in empty
space; they act in relation to resistance created by opponents.
Korfball
players contribute to both attacking and defending. The game does not separate
participants permanently into attackers and defenders. Players therefore need
to understand multiple roles and situations.
Opposition is
essential, but physical contact is regulated. Players must restrict opponents
primarily through positioning, timing, anticipation and coordinated action.
Defending is not based on overpowering an opponent but on intelligently
limiting the opponent’s possibilities within the rules.
Because
players depend on one another, korfball is fundamentally a communication sport.
They communicate not only through words but through positioning, movement,
direction, timing and ball use.
No single
characteristic makes korfball unique. Its identity emerges from the combination
of an elevated 360-degree scoring target, no running or dribbling with the
ball, structurally necessary cooperation, simultaneous cooperation and
opposition, mixed-gender participation, direct personal opposition, attacking
and defending responsibilities, regulated physical contact and continuous
communication through game actions.
Korfball is best understood as a competitive, cooperative
and communicative team game in which participants jointly create and solve
changing game situations in order to score and prevent goals.
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Game Resources
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Playing Rules
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Playing Attitude
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Two teams try to win by scoring more
goals than the opponent
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Ball
Korf(s)
Zone(s)
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Rules based on the characteristics
of korfball
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Cooperation and communication
Game and
Play
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2.4 Why
Does Korfball Require Its Own Theoretical Framework?
Coaching
always rests on assumptions about the game, the players and the way performance
develops. Even when these assumptions are not made explicit, they influence
what coaches observe, how they explain problems and what they choose to train.
Korfball
therefore requires a coherent theoretical framework grounded in the game
itself.
Knowledge from
physiology, psychology, biomechanics, pedagogy and sociology can contribute to
coaching. However, none of these disciplines can independently explain korfball
as a whole. Each examines the game from a particular perspective. Without a
korfball-specific framework, their concepts may become detached from the actual
game.
The game comes first. Theory exists to explain the game,
and science exists to support it.
Coaches
frequently use expressions such as “The players lack confidence,” “They must
concentrate more,” “The team needs a stronger mentality,” or “We have to want
to win.” Such statements may express a genuine concern, but they do not
adequately explain what is happening in the game. They do not identify which
actions are ineffective, under which conditions the problem occurs or how the
players’ actions should change.
A
korfball-specific framework translates general impressions into observable and
meaningful game actions. Without such a framework, concepts such as fitness,
cooperation, communication and decision-making may be treated as separate
components. They then acquire meanings that do not necessarily correspond to
the nature of korfball.
The framework
must preserve the defining characteristics of korfball: scoring and preventing
goals, structurally necessary cooperation, opposition from opponents,
360-degree play around the korf, acting with and without the ball, alternating
attacking and defending responsibilities, and communication through game
actions.
A theoretical
framework provides coaches and players with a shared language for describing
the game. This language should refer to actions, intentions, relationships and
situations that can be recognised in actual play. It enables coaches to
describe what players are doing, explain why an action succeeds or fails,
identify the match problem, formulate a training hypothesis, design appropriate
practice situations, observe how players respond and adjust the training
process accordingly.
The framework
should help coaches understand relationships rather than reduce the game to
fixed patterns. It must explain how intentions, perception, communication,
movement and execution are integrated in purposeful game actions.
Scientific
knowledge becomes valuable to korfball when it helps explain or improve
performance in the game. Science supplies perspectives and evidence; the
theoretical framework connects them to the game.
Korfball
requires its own theoretical framework because it is a distinctive human
practice with its own purpose, rules, relationships and forms of action. The
framework must begin with korfball, remain connected to korfball and ultimately
help players and coaches act more effectively within the game.
2.5 Why Action
Theory?
A theoretical
framework for korfball must explain what players actually do in the game.
Players do not merely produce movements. They perceive a situation, form an
intention and act in relation to teammates, opponents, the ball, the korf,
space, time and the rules.
Action Theory
provides a suitable foundation because it understands human behaviour as
purposeful, meaningful and situated.
Players do not simply move; they act.
A movement can
be described in physical terms. A player accelerates, changes direction, raises
an arm. Such a description tells us what the body does, but not what the
movement means within the game.
An action
includes an intention. The player may accelerate to become available for a
pass, change direction to create space for a teammate, raise an arm to
communicate readiness or release the ball to score. The same visible movement
may represent different actions, while the same intended action may be realised
through different movement.
Every game
action is directed towards something. The intention gives the action its
meaning. The execution is therefore not an independent objective. It is a means
by which the player attempts to realise an intention.
Technique has
meaning only in relation to intention.
Korfball
actions never occur in isolation. A player acts in relation to the purpose of
the game, teammates and their intentions, opponents and the resistance they
create, the position of the ball and the korf, available space and time, and
the possibilities and restrictions established by the rules.
No game
situation is reproduced in precisely the same form. Positions, distances,
timing, pressure and the intentions of participants continually change. Players
must adapt their actions to these changing conditions. There may be several
effective ways to realise the same intention.
Korfball
depends on players coordinating their actions (cooperation). This requires
communication.
Communication is not limited to verbal instruction; it is embedded in
positioning, direction, timing and rhythm. By acting, players make
possibilities and intentions perceptible to one another.
Action Theory
gives coaches a concrete language for analysing performance. Instead of
attributing problems to vague internal states, the coach examines what the
player was trying to achieve, what information and possibilities were
available, how teammates and opponents influenced the situation, which action
the player performed and how that action changed the game.
The coach does
not simply transmit ideal solutions. The coach creates learning conditions in
which players can explore, recognise and improve functional actions. The
purpose of coaching is not to control every action but to develop players who
can act competently within the game.
Action Theory
is appropriate for korfball because it begins with purposeful game actions,
connects movement to intention, recognises the relational nature of
performance, incorporates cooperation and communication, accounts for the
changing context of the game, treats execution as functional rather than fixed
and connects match analysis directly to training design.
It provides
the conceptual bridge between the identity of korfball and the practice of
coaching.
The game
remains the starting point. Action Theory does not replace the game with an
abstract model; it provides a way to describe without interpretations and
understand how players create the game through their actions.
3. Acting in Korfball
3.1
Move-Actions
A move-action
is the bodily execution through which a player attempts to realise a game
action. The term deliberately combines movement and action. A movement is never
examined as an isolated physical event. It is understood as part of purposeful
acting within a specific game situation.
The
distinction is:
• Game action: what the player is
trying to achieve in the game (decision).
• Move-action: how the player attempts
to realise that intention bodily (execution).
The same game
action can be realised through different move-actions. Conversely, apparently
similar movements may serve completely different game actions. A player who
accelerates may be trying to become available for a pass, create space for a
teammate, approach a rebound position, follow an opponent or intercept a pass.
A move-action
should not be judged primarily by whether it resembles an ideal movement
pattern. Its quality depends on whether it helps the player realise the
intended game action under the prevailing conditions.
The
organisation of move-actions is influenced by the intended game action, the
actions of teammates and opponents, the position and movement of the ball,
available space and time, the rules and the player’s individual abilities.
Move-actions serve game actions. Their execution
describes how these move-actions are functionally organised.
3.2 The
Dual Structure of Korfball
Korfball is a
team game. Its purpose can only be realised through the coordinated actions of
the team. The logical structure of the game must therefore first be considered
at team level.
This structure
is determined by possession of the ball. At any particular moment, one team is
in possession and the other team is not. Both teams cannot possess the ball
simultaneously.
Korfball
consequently has a dual structure of team functions: the team in possession
attacks and the team without possession defends.
These two team
functions are opposed but inseparable. Every attacking action takes place in
relation to defensive resistance, while every defensive action responds to and
influences the attack.
Attacking
comprises all coordinated game actions performed by the team in possession with
the intention of scoring. The related team tasks are creating a scoring
opportunity, scoring and retaining or restoring attacking possibilities.
Defending
comprises all coordinated game actions performed by the team without possession
with the intention of preventing the opposing team from scoring. The related
team tasks are disrupting the creation of scoring opportunities, preventing scoring
and regaining possession.
Although
korfball has two fundamental team stated , possession can change at any moment.
Transition
describes the change from one team function to the other. It is not a third
permanent state alongside attacking and defending.
The structure is dual: two team functions; the game
process is continuous.
When
possession is lost, players who were attempting to create and score must
immediately begin disrupting and preventing. When possession is gained, players
who were disrupting and preventing must begin creating possibilities to score.
Transition
cannot be reduced to players moving quickly from one position to another. At
the moment possession changes, team intentions, player roles, relevant spaces,
communication and possibilities for acting all change. Players must recognise
that the game relationship has changed and coordinate their next actions
accordingly.
All Korfball
disciplines have a dual structure:
3.3 Team
Tasks, Patterns, Interactions and Move-Actions
A team task
describes what the team must realise collectively within attacking or
defending. Patterns, interactions and individual move-actions describe
increasingly specific levels through which players contribute to that task.
A pattern is a
recognisable organisation of coordinated move-actions. It describes how players
collectively attempt to realise a team task. Examples include attacking
organisations such as 4–0, 3–1 and 2–2, and defensive organisations such as
front defending, back defending, switching relationships, supporting and
collective rebounding arrangements.
A pattern
structures collective action through the organisation of roles but does not
determine every action in advance. Patterns flow into one another and roles
switch. It develops and changes in relation to the actions of the opponent.
An interaction
describes the direct relationship in which players act. Examples include passer
and receiver, shooter and rebounder, attacker and defender, or two players
contesting a rebound.
A
one-against-one situation is not itself a move-action. It is a changing
interaction between an attacker and a defender. Within that relationship, both
players perform different move-actions.
Team function → team task → pattern → interaction →
individual move-action.
This ordering
keeps individual actions connected to collective acting and ultimately to the
purpose of korfball.
Schematic
organization of Korfball Actions:
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TEAM IN Ball POSSESSION
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TEAM NOT IN BALL POSSESSION
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Team
functions
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Attacking
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<<Transition>>
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Team
Functions
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Defending
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Team
Tasks
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·
Building up Attacks
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Creating scoring
opportunities
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Scoring
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Retain ball possession
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Team
Tasks
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·
Preventing scoring
opportunities
·
Neutralising scoring
opportunities
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Intercepting
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Interaction
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·
Playing patterns
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Structures of communication
·
Role assignment
·
Role rotation
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Interaction
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·
Defending front and back
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Preventing free positions
of attacker
·
Hindering shooting and
assisting
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Move-actions
Execution of Decisions
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·
Attacking move-actions
·
Position; Direction;
Moment; Speed.
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Move-actions
Execution of Decisions
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Disrupting
the opposition:
Position
& Direction
Moment
& Speed
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3.4 The Anatomy of a
Korfball Action
A korfball action is more than an observable movement. It
is a purposeful attempt to influence the game within a specific network of
relationships.
Every korfball
action includes: game intention; team function and team task; context and
relationships; perception, communication; and game insight; decision; execution
through move-actions; and an effect on the game.
These
dimensions can be distinguished for analysis, but they do not occur as separate
stages in the player’s experience. During play, they form one continuous
action.
A player perceives,
communicates, decides and moves as part of one purposeful relationship with the
game.
Every korfball
action is directed towards an intended change in the game situation. The
intention gives meaning to the action. An individual action acquires meaning
within attacking, defending or transition and through the shared team task to
which it contributes.
A korfball
action always occurs within relationships with teammates, opponents, the ball,
the korf, available space, the rules and the developing match situation. These
elements do not merely surround the action; they help constitute its meaning.
Korfball
actions communicate possibilities and intentions. Communication may be embedded
in the move-action itself, non-verbal through position, direction, rhythm and
timing, or verbal through speaking, calling and coaching.
Before and
during an action, the player must remain sensitive to possibilities emerging in
the situation. This involves perceiving relevant information, recognising
relationships, interpreting the intentions of others, anticipating how the
situation may develop and assessing which possibilities can contribute to the
team task.
A decision
concerns the possibility the player commits to within the developing situation.
Players do not merely choose from available possibilities; through their
actions, they create possibilities for one another.
The intended
action is realised through move-actions. The execution should be assessed
functionally: did the player organise the move-actions in a way that realised
the intention under the actual conditions of the game?
Every action
changes the situation. A completed pass is not automatically an effective
action. It may retain possession while reducing the team’s scoring
possibilities. The relevant question is how the action influenced the team’s
possibilities of scoring or preventing a goal.
3.5 The
Modalities of Move-Actions
A move-action
is not defined only by what a player intends to achieve. Its meaning also
depends on how it is performed within the developing game situation.
Every
move-action has four interrelated modalities: Position, Moment, Direction and
Speed.
The quality of a move-action depends on how Position,
Moment, Direction and Speed correspond with the player’s intention and the
developing game situation.
Position
concerns where a player acts in relation to the ball, the korf, teammates,
opponents and the relevant playing space. Position is not simply a location on
the court. It is a relationship. A position becomes meaningful through the
possibilities it creates or restricts.
Moment
concerns when a player initiates or changes a move-action. Possibilities emerge
and disappear continuously. The same move-action performed earlier or later may
have a completely different meaning and effect.
Direction
concerns where the player or ball is moving and how that movement changes the
relationships within the game. Moving towards the korf is not always more
effective than moving away from it. Direction is functional when it contributes
to the intended change in the game situation.
Speed concerns
how quickly a particular move-action is performed. Greater speed is not
automatically more effective. A move-action may require acceleration,
deceleration, delay or variation in speed. Speed is functional only in relation
to Position, Moment and Direction. Acting with speed is good if this provides a
lead over the opponents.
Position,
Moment, Direction and Speed are analytically distinguishable, but they cannot
be separated in play. They form a relational unity.
Tempo concerns
the frequency and rate at which successive actions are connected. Speed belongs
to a move-action; tempo emerges from the succession of coordinated actions.
Game rhythm is
the changing pattern of tempo created through the interaction between both
teams. It includes accelerations, decelerations, interruptions, repetitions,
periods of preparation and sudden changes after possession is gained or lost.
Time is
important, but too broad to function as a separate modality. It becomes
observable through moment, speed, tempo and the rhythm.
3.6
Communication
Korfball
actions are never exclusively bodily movements. Players continually interact
with their environment and coordinate their actions with others.
Communication
in korfball comprises all actions through which players make intentions and
possibilities perceptible and coordinate their move-actions. It is embedded in
position, moment, direction and speed and may also take verbal or non-verbal
forms.
Players must
sense, understand and coach one another in relation to the current team
function and team task. Communication can therefore be characterised as game
insight at team level.
To act in korfball is also to communicate.
3.7 Game
Insight
Game insight
concerns the actions of the individual player and acquires meaning only in
relation to a team function and team task.
Players must
be able to read korfball situations by perceiving, recognising and interpreting
relevant relationships and by anticipating how these relationships may develop.
This enables move-actions to be performed at an appropriate Position, Moment,
Direction and Speed.
Game insight
can be defined as the extent to which an individual player is able to perceive
possibilities for move-actions related to a team task or team function,
including possibilities for the player’s own actions and those of teammates and
opponents.
Communication
creates and clarifies possibilities. Game insight enables the player to
recognise those possibilities and act upon them.
Perception are
individually, none of them, on its own, explains the game of korfball.
Perception → Communication → Decision → Execution.
3.8
Abilities (Skill)
Abilities
describe what a player can realise through move-actions within concrete
korfball situations. An ability should not be understood as a general quality
detached from the game.
It is
insufficient to say that a player has speed, strength or a good shooting
technique. The relevant question is whether the player can organise the
move-actions required to realise an intention within the changing relationships
of the game.
A player may
be able to accelerate at an appropriate moment to become available for a pass,
establish a position that restricts an opponent, or organise the move-actions
required to score under changing conditions.
There is no
universally correct execution independent of context. Different situations and
different players may require different move-actions (bodily solutions). The
quality of an ability becomes visible through the correspondence between
intention and Position, Moment, Direction and Speed.
3.9
Conditionalities and Korfball Fitness
The
performance of move-actions depends on bodily and personal conditions. Players
must be able to perform their actions appropriately, repeatedly and throughout
the match. These conditions are referred to as conditionalities.
Conditionalities
do not constitute korfball actions in themselves. Strength, endurance, recovery
capacity, resilience and concentration become meaningful only when they support
or restrict the performance of specific game-actions. These conditionalities
are described in action language.
Conditionalities support action, but they do not replace
action as the starting point for analysis.
Korfball
fitness is the ability to continue performing and coordinating relevant
korfball actions under the changing demands of the game.
It becomes
visible in the player’s ability to repeatedly create or restrict space,
accelerate, decelerate and change direction, maintain effective relationships
with teammates and opponents, act after gaining or losing possession, preserve
the quality of Position, Moment, Direction and Speed, remain connected to
collective tempo and adapt to changes in game rhythm.
A player is
korfball-fit when fatigue does not prevent the player from continuing to
perceive, communicate and perform functional game actions (deciding).
At a higher
level, useful space becomes smaller, relevant moments exist for less time,
opponents restrict possibilities more effectively, move-actions must be
performed more frequently, transitions occur under greater pressure, collective
tempo increases and changes in game rhythm become more demanding.
Competition
fitness is the ability to maintain functional korfball performance throughout
the specific course of a match. It includes repeatedly recovering from
demanding actions while remaining able to perceive, communicate, recognise the
appropriate moment and organise move-actions effectively.
Once the
demands have been identified in korfball language, knowledge from physiology
and psychology can help explain and develop the relevant conditionalities.
Korfball action → observable performance change →
relevant conditionality → scientific analysis → training intervention.
3.10 A Complementary
Perspective: The Substantial Body View
The
theoretical foundation developed in this book is relational. Players are
understood as acting participants whose intentions and move-actions acquire
meaning within the game.
Coaches may
sometimes need to examine the bodily conditions underlying a move-action. This
requires a different, more substantial perspective.
The
Substantial Body View considers the body as an identifiable physical and psychic
entity that can be examined in terms of structures, processes and capacities.
It enables specialists and coaches to analyse joint movement, muscular force,
balance, coordination, acceleration, energy supply, recovery, fatigue and
injury and also mental aspects such as, and persistence, resilience, confidence
and perseverance.
This
perspective can provide valuable information. However, it does not by itself
explain the meaning of a korfball action.
The Substantial Body View can explain bodily conditions,
but the game explains what those conditions are for.
Scientific
knowledge only becomes meaningful when interpreted within the logical structure
of the sport itself. Without a clear theoretical framework describing what
korfball fundamentally is, concepts such as technique, fitness, concentration confidence or team cohesion
risk being interpreted in isolation from the game they are meant to improve. A
coach may then apply scientific knowledge correctly within its own discipline
yet still fall to translate ineffectively into korfball practice
Action Theory
asks what the player is trying to realise within the relationships of the game.
The Substantial Body View asks which bodily structures, processes or capacities
support or restrict the execution.
Action Theory
begins with the meaningful whole. The Substantial Body View examines selected
parts of that whole for a specific analytical purpose.
4. Coaching Korfball
The preceding
chapters established the identity and logical structure of korfball. They
described players as acting participants who create the game through purposeful
and coordinated move-actions.
The central
question now changes: how can a coach help players and teams improve their
ability to act within the game?
Coaching
begins with understanding korfball. A coach must be able to observe what
happens during a match, describe it in korfball-specific action language and
connect the identified performance problem to an appropriate learning process.
The basic coaching process: match performance → action
analysis → performance problem → training hypothesis → training design →
observation → adjustment.
This repeats
itself for an entire competition. It is a cyclical process. The game remains
the point of departure and the point of return.
4.1 The
Distinct Responsibilities of Players and Coaches
Players and
coaches participate in korfball from different positions.
A player acts
within the immediate and continuously changing situation of the game. The
player perceives possibilities, communicates with teammates, responds to
opponents and performs move-actions under time pressure.
A coach does
not perform these actions on behalf of the player. The coach observes
performance, interprets what is happening and creates conditions in which
players can improve their ability to act.
Players solve game problems. Coaches design learning
situations in which players can improve their ability to solve those problems.
A good player
is not automatically a good coach. The ability to perform does not necessarily
include the ability to explain performance, diagnose a problem or design an
appropriate learning environment.
Competent
players may recognise and solve game situations without being able to describe
the process in detail. Much of their competence may be immediate and implicit.
Coaches have a
different responsibility. They must make performance accessible for learning.
This requires the ability to observe team performance, describe actions in
korfball-specific language, identify the relevant team function and team task,
recognise relationships, examine Position, Moment, Direction and Speed,
distinguish intention from execution, identify a performance problem, formulate
a training hypothesis, design a representative learning situation and adjust it
in response to player behaviour.
What players perform intuitively, coaches must be able to
translate into a learning process.
4.2
Conscious and Unconscious Competence
Experienced
players and coaches often recognise patterns and performance problems quickly.
This rapid recognition can be described as unconscious competence.
Recognition
alone is insufficient for coaching. The coach must also understand why a
problem occurs, explain it in action language and design a learning situation
that addresses it. This requires conscious competence.
Unconscious
competence supports rapid recognition, sensitivity to relationships and
anticipation. Conscious competence enables the coach to describe a problem
precisely, connect it to a team function and team task, analyse interactions
and move-actions, formulate a training hypothesis and deliberately modify the
learning environment.
Unconscious competence supports recognition. Conscious
competence supports explanation and intervention.
Effective
coaches move between both forms of competence. They recognise what appears to
be happening, investigate the observation in action language, formulate a
possible explanation, test that explanation through training, observe how the
players respond and revise the explanation when necessary.
Coaching is
therefore an iterative and reflective process.
4.3
Coaching in Action Language
The quality of
coaching depends partly on the language used to describe performance.
Statements
such as “The players lack confidence,” “They must concentrate more,” “The tempo
is too low,” or “The team is not fit enough” may express a concern, but they do
not identify which korfball actions must improve.
For example,
“the tempo is too low” may mean that players make passing possibilities visible
too late, the player in possession retains the ball after a useful possibility
has emerged, players do not establish a new position after passing, transitions
are recognised too slowly, or successive move-actions are insufficiently
coordinated.
The coach must translate the initial impression into
observable action language.
Instead of
“The defenders lack concentration,” the coach might describe: “After the
attacker changes direction, the defenders repeatedly recognise the new passing
relationship too late and cannot establish an effective Position at the
required Moment and Speed.”
Instead of
“The attack lacks confidence,” the coach might describe: “Players recognise a
favourable scoring possibility but continue passing, allowing the defenders to
restore their relationships.”
The purpose is
not to make coaching language unnecessarily complex. It is to make the
performance problem sufficiently precise to guide observation and training.
4.4 From
Observation to a Performance Problem
A match
produces an enormous amount of information. The coach cannot respond
effectively to everything at once. Observation must therefore be directed by
the purpose and structure of the game.
The coach
begins at team level, asking:
• Which team function is involved?
• Which team task is insufficiently
realised?
• Which pattern of coordinated actions
can be observed?
• Which interactions influence the
problem?
• Which individual move-actions
contribute to it?
• How do Position, Moment, Direction
and Speed affect the result?
This order
prevents the coach from beginning prematurely with an individual player or an
isolated bodily execution.
The coach should first describe what can be observed
before offering an explanation.
An observation
might be: “During the attacking rebound, the supporting players repeatedly
leave the relevant space before the shot is released. As a result, the team
loses possession after unsuccessful shots.”
This
description identifies the team function, the team task, the relevant
interaction, the moment at which the relationship breaks down and the effect on
the game.
A performance
problem is the difference between the actions required to realise a team task
and the actions currently performed by the players.
A useful
problem description identifies the game context, the intended team task, the
observable player actions, the relevant relationships and the effect on scoring
or preventing goals.
A performance
problem is not a judgement about the player as a person. It is a description of
acting under particular game conditions.
The coach does not diagnose the person; the coach
investigates the performance problem.
This provides
the foundation for formulating a training hypothesis.
4.5
Methodology: The Constraints-Led Approach and Scenario-Based Learning
The
Constraints-Led Approach (CLA)
The
Constraints-Led Approach encourages players to explore the korfball context and
develop functional behaviour through interaction with a dynamic environment.
Training is grounded in match situations but is manipulated through constraints
to guide learning. The structure of a CLA training session progresses from a
simple korfball design to a design that captures the complexity of the korfball
match.
Three types of
constraints are distinguished:
• Individual (performance)
constraints: individual characteristics such as height, fitness, preferences,
motivation and emotional state (personal individuality, quality and
relationship).
• Task constraints: rules or
modifications in the training — for example, playing 4-0 against passive
defenders who only follow without intercepting the ball (phases, variation,
challenge).
• Environment constraints: external
factors such as playing outdoor or indoor, or zone size (materials,
participants, rules).
Within the
Constraints-Led Approach, no fixed techniques or tactics are prescribed.
Instead, constraints are deliberately manipulated to invite functional
solutions.
For example,
in a 4-0 situation against low defensive pressure, passing becomes a key
challenge. A pass must enable a teammate to create a scoring opportunity.
Players must organise themselves to solve this interaction problem.
The coach
creates a learning environment in which players arrive at functional solutions
through self-organisation. Players perceive, communicate, make decisions, and
act on affordances. As constraints become more representative, training
increasingly resembles match conditions.
The coach’s
role is to guide attention and reflection by asking questions such as: What did
you see? What made the interaction successful or unsuccessful? In this way, the
coach manages cognitive load and supports learning through shared reflection.
Scenario-Based
Learning (SBL)
Scenario-Based
Learning is a methodology derived from the Teaching Games for Understanding
(TGfU) model. It focuses on developing players’ understanding of game
situations. Players learn to act in competitive situations through purposeful,
constrained scenarios that put decision-making and cooperation at the centre.
The learning objective is clearly formulated by the coach.
In
Scenario-Based Learning:
• Realistic game scenarios are
designed.
• A specific problem is embedded in
the scenario.
• Players must recognise and solve the
problem.
This approach
is often referred to as situational coaching.
The coach
constructs scenarios based on previous matches, anticipated game situations,
and recurring tactical problems. These scenarios may include structured
attacking patterns or defensive set-ups designed to challenge players’
perception and decision-making.
Literature:
Buytendijk
F.J.J. (1979) Algemene theorie der menselijke houding en beweging. Utrecht. Het
Spectrum.
Crum Ben (2012)
The IKF Guide to Korfball Coaching. Zeist. IKF.
Crum Ben (2014)
Eenvoudige Korfbalvormen en Helden van nu. Zeist. KNKV.
Crum Ben
(2021) The Art of Korfball Coaching E-
Book. Erasmus Program.
Houterman Aldo
(2019) Wij zijn ons lichaam/ Amsterdam. Ambo/Anthos.
Tamboer Jan
W.I. (2016) Football Theory Amsterdam. World Football Academy.
Technische
Commissie KNKB (1949) Dat is Korfbal. Rotterdam / ’s Gravenhage. Nijgh &
van Ditmar N.V.
Verheijen
Raymond (2020) Football Coaching Theory. Amsterdam. Football Coach Evolution.
Verheijen
Raymond & Marcel Lucassen (2025) Designing Training Situations. Amsterdam. Football
Coach Evolution.
Van Yperen
Nico.W. (2021) Focus, Vertrouwen, Veerkracht. Nieuwegein. Arko Sports Media.
