KEY POINTS:
The Force have turned to the way of the master.
In an effort to improve her team's concentration, Force coach Yvonne Willering called in an expert from Karate New Zealand to teach her players control of the mind.
She hopes it will all kick in on court tomorrow night, in the major semifinal of the National Bank Cup against the Sting.
"We wanted to work on our mental preparation, so we broke bricks," Willering said.
There have been snags. Silver Fern Sheryl Scanlan broke her hand before the season started: "She didn't use the correct technique," Willering said. Fortunately Scanlan's hand has healed, and her recent form for the Force should earn her a recall into the Silver Ferns.
Concentration is obviously in need after a poor dress rehearsal on Sunday, when the Force had their heads in the clouds and almost fell to the Shakers. A last-dash comeback will be harder to muster against the merciless Sting, who haven't lost a game since the opening round - to the Force.
The key to a better performance, Willering believes, may also lie in patience.
"The Sting are patient in their approach, and it pays off for them," she said. "There's a lot of flair in our team, we know each other well, so we have a tendency to want to play at pace. We have to be a bit smarter.
"Our shooting statistics are cool - it's been more about not getting enough ball into the shooters. It's quite simple stuff really."
Neither team will hark back to that opening game of the season, when the Force won by five.
"It's been and gone - the Sting will probably say we caught them by surprise. The only thing we can take from it is that they're beatable."
Sting coach Robyn Broughton said that, in a "rather ironic way"the Force did her side a favourby winning that day.
"We were introducing a whole new style on and off the court, and it made us realise it wasn't going to be a piece of cake. But it set the benchmark for us."
And the six-time champions have continued to climb every week since.
Both sides will call from complete squads of 12 for the clash in Invercargill. Former Silver Fern powerhouse Vilimaina Davu arrived back in Auckland yesterday after time coaching her Fijian squad.
"We tend to work better with our full team together," Willering said.
The Sting are back to full strength with the return of their steadfast captain, Jenny Ferguson, who sprained her ankle against the Diamonds a fortnight ago. The Southlanders meet in camp today.
The loser of tomorrow night's game will meet the winner of the Diamonds-Magic match in Rotorua on Sunday.
The Diamonds are down to 11 players, with midcourter Helena Hoult out of the rest of the competition after tearing a knee ligament last weekend.
The team head south tomorrow and have been promised a "gentle" team bonding adventure by coach Sue Hawkins.
