Northern Starchive- July 06
Breaking down the Backcourt
A few months ago we took a long look at frontcourters and all the things that make them tick. This month we’ll start our foray into the backcourters, a different breed of Jai-Alai player. By the end of this article you should have a solid understanding of what makes a backcourter, and a lot of the little pieces that make a backman excel.
When I say a backman is a different breed of player, I mean it. Yes, it’s still the same sport, but the things each position need to accomplish to make a team effective are quite different. And even among those, there are many different ways a professional Jai-Alai backcourter can be productive. Fortunately for us, there are a strong core of essentials that any great backman will have, and we can start off with those.
Most fans watching the game will think of two things when they think of a great backman. Superlative catching ability and power. And they would be correct, as those are two things almost every backman needs to compete at an elite level. But those are far from the only things. Backcourters must deal well under pressure, they must have the endurance to last long points when they will be doing the majority of the throwing, and they have to be a leader and communicate well with their teammates.
Raw power. Looking up at #38 Lopez and #62 Iru while they heave the rock and you’ll understand what I mean. It’s kind of like my grandmother once told me. Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it sure does help, and power sure does help a backman in the sport of Jai-Alai. While a frontcourter gets a lot of the fun jobs, like putting away an opponent when they are on the ropes, the backcourter has to do the opposite. The backman has got to be good with a shovel. In other words, when a team is on the ropes, most of the time, it’s the backman’s job to dig them out.
Nothing gets you back in the open when you are buried against the back wall like power. Power is the vicious right side throws that Larrea and Urtaran unleash, that seem to always find a way to pop over an opponent’s head. Power is the torque-o-matic reverse that Oyarbide uses to befuddle foes. Low, strong, and with more spin than a mechanical top. And power is the forehand rebote by Lopez, who can throw it wall to wall from pretty much anywhere on the court.
All that power means nothing if you don’t have the endurance to repeat it a couple of hundred times a day. To me, people look a little too much at mobility when they think of endurance. Though, in this case, I don’t think it could be farther from the point. Every time a Jai-Alai backman throws the pelota, and the few front rows of fans here the woosh from the cesta, he’s putting everything he’s got into it. Practice that a few times in your living room or on a local court, and you’ll quickly realize the tremendous breaths of air an athlete must take if he is to keep throwing the ball at that pace.
To be able to throw with strength over the course of a long point or game, a player must have been born with the lung-power to distribute massive amounts of oxygen across the body. Generally, human muscles are made of two types of fibers, slow twitch and fast twitch, and we usually only exert one type of muscle fiber at a time. Fast twitch muscle fibers fire rapidly with burst and are typical of a sprinter, while the slow twitch fibers are what made Lance Armstrong famous. A bit slower off the line than their fast twitch cousins, but much more effective at processing oxygen because of a substance called myoglobin, which is present in large amounts in slow twitch fibers.
A Jai-Alai backman utilizes both the fast twitch and the slow twitch fibers, which is extremely exhausting to the body and muscles. The slow twitch fibers move them around the court and into the first half of the throwing motion, while the fast twitch fibers kick in and provide the burst into the throw. So, while a backman does not have to necessarily be very mobile, he does have to have great endurance to get on the board consistently.
Whether it’s Osa pulling the ball off the side wall, Ikeda standing strong in the pit, or Enbil gracefully swooping in, it’s hard to argue that catching is not the most important part of a backcourter’s game. While a weakness in many aspects of the game can be overcome, if you don’t catch, you don’t win. Period. Make that an exclamation point.
Catching form is basically the same as a frontcourter, just with a bigger basket. You want to always be moving forward into the ball, you need to engage the pelota when it is out in front of the body, then you need to turn the basket inward to break the spin as you wind up the catch. Though many great plays are made by backmen moving backwards or on their heels, it’s not desirable. Full power and control on the throw come when the body is moving towards the front wall.
Great catching in the sport of Jai-Alai requires a lot of focus. While catching predominantly on one side is done effectively by some players, the ability to make tough catches on both sides is still a necessity. A solid catcher must be able to handle the pelota off the side wall, on the short or long hop off the floor, in the air on both sides, and don’t forget about the nail chewers along the back wall and especially in the back corner, or pit.
Professional backmen take pride in their ability to make the tough catches in the corner. It means that you are cool under pressure, and have overcome the fear of a miss. The toughest catches on a Jai-Alai court come against the back wall for a couple of reasons. First, a player can have a tough time figuring out exactly how far from the wall they are as they focus intently on the incoming pelota. More importantly, if a player misses while up against the back wall they are likely to get hit in the back, neck, or in worst case, face, if they turn as the ball goes by.
The other pressure point is what I like to call the island. When a team’s frontcourter is forced to play the outside, leaving the backman to cover almost the entire court. There are so many ways a player can be beat while on the island. A pop fly over the head, a shot low and short to the inside, and crossing the wall at the point of attack are a few.
Knowing your partner is there besides you is a great comfort on the court. Remove the partner and all the pressure is on you. A player must have confidence when stuck on the island. He must be prepared for anything, be it a hard shot thrown at his feet or a chic-chac thrown out by the cage. The backman has to be ready to scrape it off the side wall or make a diving rebote save near the back wall.
A great backcourter in the sport of Jai-Alai is a great leader, a court commander. In some ways he is a coach on the court, constantly keeping the pressure off his frontcourt partner by telling them what to do. Look at a player like Dania’s #43, Ulises. Not what you’d call a power player, but has always been very effective. Part of that is his great catching ability, but the other part is his leadership on the court.
Fans in the Dania crowd hear a lot of Ulises. There is nary a time the pelota takes flight that Ulises is not barking out instructions to his partner. Aire! Sale mas! Fuera! Dos! Those are just a few of the words you’ll hear coming out of his mouth. From whether or not his partner should catch the ball, to his partner’s court positioning going into the catch, even the type of shot his teammate should throw, when appropriate, Ulises is in constant contact with his partner.
Why does a backman need to lead, and why is it not more appropriate for the frontcourter to lead the team? The backcourter has a much better view of the court than his cohort in the front. When an opponent throws the ball, the backman has a much better vista of the trajectory, and therefore is in a better position to make the call.
A Jai-alai backcourter also has the luxury of time. With the speed of the pelota, it’s not much, but is still considerably more than a frontcourter has. While the frontman scrambles around the court in pursuit, his backcourt partner is helping him hone in on the pelota. The better the backman is at conveying information, the less the frontman has to worry about what to do, allowing him to focus on the things he needs to do to make the team successful.
To a lesser extent, game calling is a two way street. The frontcourter is likely to get vocal whenever the backman is attempting a catch near the back wall. The most common calls you would hear then, by the frontman, are: libre - you have room to catch the ball without hitting the back wall, voy- let me have the rebote, and voy sino- if you have it, take it, if not, I’ll take it.
Working the court, throwing the pelota, is an area where there are many ways to be successful as a backcourter. You’ve got guys like Larrea that try to overpower you, but not with much accuracy, Oyarbide and his controlled fury on the backhand, Erkiaga II who uses his quick release on the pica to keep the pelota away from the frontman, or a guy like Iru, who can beat you with power, but also will toss the high bounce carom to his advantage.
While there’s no one right way to work the court, there are a few rules of thumb. Keeping the pelota away from the opposing frontman is a good place to start. A backcourter would like to keep the ball right on the side wall, and as close to the back wall as possible. The ability to throw shots to the outside of the court is a benefit, as it forces the rival front to cover the outside, which in turn places the opposing backman on the island.
We spoke of Ulises’s talent calling the game earlier, but he also manages the court quite well. He uses a variety of shots depending on his court positioning, and rarely gives his foe an easy kill shot. When moving aggressively on a ball Ulises will throw a sidearm forehand, and is adept at keeping it on the side wall. Ulises does not have the power to pass the frontcourt when he is on his heels or near the back wall. In this case he usually utilizes the overhead forehand, or picada. The idea is for the ball to bounce in front of the rival frontcourter, over his head, and into the backcourt.
Oyarbide keeps pressure on other players with his not just the power in his backhand, but the tremendous amount of spin on the ball. He winds his body so well when he throws, the pelota takes a low trajectory and bounces downwards back towards the floor. Oyarbide only uses the forehand as a last resort, though he does catch well with it, especially off the bounce. Oyarbide wins games by punishing opponents in the corner until they can’t field one of his deadly backhand throws.
Erkiaga II works a lot off of his picada. He doesn’t really pressure foes against the back wall very often, but plays the side wall pretty well. Erkiaga II wins by making the tough catches, playing keep-away from the other team’s frontman, and his lightning quick release. The quick release prevents the opposing frontman from having time to make a play on the ball, and limits the chances they have to get the pelota in scoring position.
Those are a few ways Jai-Alai backcourters can go about their business, and there are many others. Hopefully you’ve gained a little more understanding about the men in the backcourt and what they do to be successful. Next month we’ll go into detail on one player’s game, and really break down all of the pieces. If you have a suggestion on who you would like to see me critique, feel free to send me an email at mrjaialai@betdania.com.