I recall looking around at the 30 talented attackmen at the 1994 and 1998 World Team tryouts and thinking, 'how will the coaches pick the five best to represent the USA in the World Games?' They were all tremendous athletes, had been captain of their team and earned All-America honors and various other accolades. These guys were fast, good dodgers, good finishers and good feeders, all the things you needed to be selected as one of the five.

I continued to think about what aspect of the game would help a player make this team. What would distinguish the best from the best? How could an attackman stand out amongst such an impressive crop of players? When I finally came up with the answer, I was surprised at how easily it could be overlooked.

Let's take a look at the skill of riding in more detail and touch on the elements that can make you great at it. First, it�s got to be a group effort. It takes all three attackmen to make a successful ride. Make sure your teammates are reading this, because the only way to be successful is if you are all on the same page. You can�t achieve a good ride if only one of you is playing hard � the result will be an easy clear for the other team. Ideally, help from the riding middies will make your ride easier as an attackman.

If each attackman commits to the ride, you should generate at least one goal on a turnover per game. What makes a good riding attackman? Hustle, hustle and more hustle. If you simply hustle and don't play lazy you will become a very good riding attackman.

An initial concept to grasp is that your job as an offensive player is not done once the opposing team makes a save. If you can make it difficult every time for the other team to clear the ball, it will eventually wear them down and provide you with frequent potential scoring opportunities.

Secondly, you must understand the concepts of individual and team defense. At the start of most settled clears the opposing team will have four players to your team's three (three defensemen and a goalie). Because of this, you will need to understand the concept of playing a zone or an area of the field. As the ball moves to your area and you feel you can make a play on the defenseman or goalie you will need to know how to play defense.

Don�t attempt to rush the defenseman in an out-of-control manner and over commit. Rather, approach him in a controlled manner breaking down at the knees in an athletic position. You want to make sure you don�t go for his stick fakes and especially do not jump and leave your feet in an effort to pick off a pass. Defensemen have great stick skills, and if they give you pump fakes and you jump he will easily run right by you. Also, just as your defenseman has done to you, scout him. Know his weak hand and get him to go that way. Use the sideline to your advantage, try to get him to go toward the sideline and simply push him out of bounds. Also, make sure you try to check his bottom hand. When defensemen clear the ball they often show a lot near the head of the stick but can quickly and easily take that away. The bottom part of the stick and the hands should be the target.

The last component of being a good riding attackman is to be in shape. If you can ride hard on every clearing opportunity you will eventually wear down the opponent. It takes a lot of stamina to play hard during your offensive possessions and the ride. Be relentless and create havoc. You will be surprised how this can help you make a team or increase your playing time.