Be a Better Field Hockey Player

Tips on how to improve your hockey skills.

Steps

  1. Bend your knees and get down low to the ground. It is easier to maneuver the ball that way and you can get more power and accuracy out of pushes, hits, and drives. With the ball in front of you, there is less risk of your stick rolling over the ball.
  2. Become a faster sprinter and improve your endurance. This can go a long way to improving how well your perform.Take up strength training and work on overall fitness.
  3. Try to push as much as you can as opposed to slapping and hitting. Any type of hit where your lift your stick is an opportunity to get a penalty or to get the ball taken away from you.
  4. Watch your feet! Stepping on a ball or not moving your feet fast enough is something that can be easily corrected, but if not will result in the other team getting a free hit, so just move your feet!
  5. When blocking free hits, put your stick completely on the ground from end to end. This gives you a much larger area to stop the ball with and increases your chances of getting the ball greatly.
  6. When within your own 25, and especially in your own circle, hit the ball to the outside! Better it go out of bounds then for them to get a direct shot on goal.
  7. Use your sidelines as much as possible. Just trust me on this one, it is much easier to get up on the field this way as there are less players crowded over to the sides and it's easier to maneuver.
  8. Be aggressive and work hard. Listen to your coaches and your teammates.
  9. Try air dribbling by allowing the ball to go on your stick, then bandy with it
  10. Allow your opposition to use the side line. Channel them down the side, preventing them from passing in towards the middle. Run them out over the backline. They cannot score unless they come into the circle. Watch for the back pass from the baseline towards the spot though.
  11. Look around for team mates and pass to them.

Tips

  • Communicate with your teammates and listen to your coaches.
  • Call for the ball.
  • Play your position.
  • Never cross the goal if you're within your circle, that only increases the chance of the opposing team scoring.
  • If the ball is going out of bounds from the other team, let it. Your team will get the ball.
  • Don't be afraid to take the ball.
  • Stay on your player when you're on defense.
  • Be alert.
  • Do not smack and slap your stick on the opposing player when you want to steal the ball from them or block their shot on goals. Stay low, keep your stick down, and poke at the ball to force a turnover.
  • Hold the stick with your right hand on the paint and you'll have a lot more control.
  • If the opposition is coming towards you and there's no one in space for you to pass to, move quickly before they get you and dribble it forward for someone to then run into space until you can pass it to them.
  • When in possession of the ball, run up the wings and avoid the center of the pitch.
  • Wait for the opposition to make a mistake instead of tackling them- pressure on them is better!
  • Don't be shy or scared to wait for the ball. If it's near you, don't wait for a teammate to get the ball. Get it yourself.
  • Always stay in your lane and make sure you don't block your other teammates.

Related Articles

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Be_a_Better_Field_Hockey_Player&oldid=333680"