hockey~: August 2009

This week we look at how with the right preparation you can design a session, which can be challenging for players of all standards, and be managable even when faced with large groups. Take at look at this session, if you are just starting the season in the southern hemisphere, this session can be used as part of a Try-outs or trials day.

In planning or delivering any session, it is best to start with a learning objective, for example; this session all players will come away of having improved their basic skills.

Agility: Whether your teams use static or dynamic stretches in the warm up, include some agility work without stick and ball at the start of each session, try to vary these exercises each week.

Stick and Ball: After the agility, which is often done in teams and relays - eg ladder exercises, you can progress quickly to some basic relays with stick and ball, this helps get players focussed ready to train hard, add competitive races to get players to concentrate.

Small Groups: When faced with coaching a large group with a range of abilites, using small group drills, eg 4's, means players can work with other players of similar abilites so, therefore weak players don't stop stronger players from training hard. As a coach you can direct this and therefore keep training challenging for all levels.

This session uses these principles and some top small group drills to improve and test players basics.

Pass and move into square

DESCRIPTION

Set out grids 5 by 5 m. For the practice 1 player on each corner with 1 ball between 4. Player passes ball clock wise and after pass moves to touch the cone in the middle of the square and back out again.

COACHING POINTS

Change direction of pass to anti clock wise