Had an interesting discussion with 2 junior hockey coaches last night with regards to the ability to pull the ball to the right hand side.
Because the majority of hockey players are right handed / right hand dominant the natural instinct when running with the ball, is to pull the ball hard to the left to go round an opponent.
Much of this is attributed to not developing these muscles and body mechanics early on as a youth player.
Youth players need to be coached to move the ball to the right - it is a physical skill that takes practice and the earlier they learn it, the stronger they will be at it when they get older.
Create entire exercises that focus on movement to the right.
It is important also to not let players simply pivot on their right foot and then still pull to the left. That is defeating the object and is as predictable.
The pull must be a genuine controlled movement to the right hand side...
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Penalty corners - 1
Coaches are often infatuated with coming up with complicated short (penalty) corner combinations that sees the ball passed 15 times before somebody tries to put it into the goal.
It all looks very impressive with people running left, right and centre and ultimately it turns into a cock-up and the chances of actually scoring a goal are somewhere between 0 and ... 0!
For some reason, many coaches seem to think they're "above" the ordinary straight push, stop and hit the ball at the goal. Don't ask me why - because statistically its one of the most easy ways to score goals in school and amateur leagues in particular.
A couple of pointers here.
1. Speed and accuracy of the pusher is imperative. They don't need to zing it through so hard that the stopper has no way of stopping it, but they do have to beat the first wave to the hitter.
2. The hitter must hit it with the face of the stick. For some silly reason, you still get coaches who believe "blading" the strike (hitting the ball with the blade of the stick instead of the face) is the way to go.... I've seen it practiced hundred times and never once seen it work.
3. The hitter (believe it or not) doesn't need to see how hard he or she can hit it. They do however need to be accurate. Its still astounding to see how many people will sacrifice accuracy for power... See what the keeper is doing, pick your spot and tuck it away.
Hockey is a relatively simple game - don't confuse a bit of skill with overcomplication.
It all looks very impressive with people running left, right and centre and ultimately it turns into a cock-up and the chances of actually scoring a goal are somewhere between 0 and ... 0!
For some reason, many coaches seem to think they're "above" the ordinary straight push, stop and hit the ball at the goal. Don't ask me why - because statistically its one of the most easy ways to score goals in school and amateur leagues in particular.
A couple of pointers here.
1. Speed and accuracy of the pusher is imperative. They don't need to zing it through so hard that the stopper has no way of stopping it, but they do have to beat the first wave to the hitter.
2. The hitter must hit it with the face of the stick. For some silly reason, you still get coaches who believe "blading" the strike (hitting the ball with the blade of the stick instead of the face) is the way to go.... I've seen it practiced hundred times and never once seen it work.
3. The hitter (believe it or not) doesn't need to see how hard he or she can hit it. They do however need to be accurate. Its still astounding to see how many people will sacrifice accuracy for power... See what the keeper is doing, pick your spot and tuck it away.
Hockey is a relatively simple game - don't confuse a bit of skill with overcomplication.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Basics in coaching
Many coaches (particularly at higher school and club levels) seem to forget the value of coaching basics to their players.
Instead the interest seems to be on developing horrificly complicated short (penalty) corners or set pieces.
While these do have some merit (when they can actually be executed properly), many sides suffer from not having good solid basics that allows them to pick up a ball on either front or back (weak) sticks.
Until your players can make and receive 5-10 metre passes, your chances of being consistent and being able to execute many of the expansive set pieces you have developed will be nullified. Focus on the basics and you will open up your level of play and success enormously.
Spend time during practice, irrespective of level of player, reinforcing and demanding a high level of basic hit / stop / pass execution while static and then on the move. When these skills are developed, then you can start looking at the set pieces.
Instead the interest seems to be on developing horrificly complicated short (penalty) corners or set pieces.
While these do have some merit (when they can actually be executed properly), many sides suffer from not having good solid basics that allows them to pick up a ball on either front or back (weak) sticks.
Until your players can make and receive 5-10 metre passes, your chances of being consistent and being able to execute many of the expansive set pieces you have developed will be nullified. Focus on the basics and you will open up your level of play and success enormously.
Spend time during practice, irrespective of level of player, reinforcing and demanding a high level of basic hit / stop / pass execution while static and then on the move. When these skills are developed, then you can start looking at the set pieces.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
African Champs
SA U21 Men 3—2 Egypt
SA U21 Women 6— 0 Egypt
Well done to the young South African hockey teams!
SA U21 Women 6— 0 Egypt
Well done to the young South African hockey teams!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Overhead pass in ladies hockey
In the lower levels in particular, the overhead pass can be one of the most powerful 0ffensive tools in ladies hockey.
I am not sure whether it is unique to South Africa (I highly doubt it), but many of the sides playing ladies hockey are completely at sea when the ball comes off the deck.
The value of having a player who can launch overheads into the corners of the oppositions defence or pressure the keeper by throwing balls into the circle cannot be stressed enough.
Despite this apparent weakness / opportunity, very few coaches and players spend much time developing these skills.
I am not sure whether it is unique to South Africa (I highly doubt it), but many of the sides playing ladies hockey are completely at sea when the ball comes off the deck.
The value of having a player who can launch overheads into the corners of the oppositions defence or pressure the keeper by throwing balls into the circle cannot be stressed enough.
Despite this apparent weakness / opportunity, very few coaches and players spend much time developing these skills.
Centre forward / striker
There seems to be a split in ideals around the role of the Centre Forward / Striker in South Africa.
A lot of this has to do with the way certain teams go about looking to get the ball in the back of the net. We have a very successful university side whose core strategy is to work the ball around to eventually force a penalty corner and then depend on some slick, really well worked moves to score. They don't have a "target man" who is going to blast the ball home - 'roof and rising' that they centre the game plan around.
Many of the other sides are far less rigid structure / tactic and centre much of their game around getting the ball to a guy who is going to blast the ball into the back of the net.
Characteristics of a good striker are normally:
- Composure under pressure
- Ability to hit on both front and back sticks shots
- Pace
Comments on what makes up a good centre forward / striker?
A lot of this has to do with the way certain teams go about looking to get the ball in the back of the net. We have a very successful university side whose core strategy is to work the ball around to eventually force a penalty corner and then depend on some slick, really well worked moves to score. They don't have a "target man" who is going to blast the ball home - 'roof and rising' that they centre the game plan around.
Many of the other sides are far less rigid structure / tactic and centre much of their game around getting the ball to a guy who is going to blast the ball into the back of the net.
Characteristics of a good striker are normally:
- Composure under pressure
- Ability to hit on both front and back sticks shots
- Pace
Comments on what makes up a good centre forward / striker?
The Sweeper
As part of the offering, we will be reviewing various positions on the hockey field and inviting comment from hockey coaches around the best ways to utilise these players, whats expected of them and what characteristics make up a good player in that position.
The Sweeper is typically your defensive kingpin. Characteristics that normally make up a good sweeper include:
- Strong communication skills
- Speed
- Ability to read the game
- Good distribution skills
- Ability to throw and defend against the overhead pass
Different teams operate with different roles for the sweeper:
Some opt to have a roving sweeper either man marking a specific opponent
Others look to the sweeper as the last line of defence and to be able to switch the ball around
Other coaches have less rigid ideas where the sweeper and centre half simply interchange as and when they are needed
If you have comments on what has worked for you in the past and how you pick and utilise your sweeper, post it below
The Sweeper is typically your defensive kingpin. Characteristics that normally make up a good sweeper include:
- Strong communication skills
- Speed
- Ability to read the game
- Good distribution skills
- Ability to throw and defend against the overhead pass
Different teams operate with different roles for the sweeper:
Some opt to have a roving sweeper either man marking a specific opponent
Others look to the sweeper as the last line of defence and to be able to switch the ball around
Other coaches have less rigid ideas where the sweeper and centre half simply interchange as and when they are needed
If you have comments on what has worked for you in the past and how you pick and utilise your sweeper, post it below
Welcome to the Hockey Strategist
Welcome to the Hockey Strategist blog
I'm a South African sports enthusiast who is involved in hockey, cricket and rugby at different levels.
Field Hockey in South Africa, while relatively well established, lacks a lot of resources and exposure to take it to the next level and make it genuinely competitive on the international scene. At club level, many of the coaches lack formalised training and you see the same ex players being rotated amongst the clubs.
New coaches wishing to join, don't have resources to exchange ideas and spread the knowledge. For this reason, I've decided to try and create a platform from which South African coaches and administrators can interact with international counterparts, list clubs, coaching opportunities etc and try and take advantage of the power of the internet to build their hockey skills.
We invite comment from coaches around the world on various positions, tactics, teams and tours to try and turn this into a thoroughly interactive site.
I'm a South African sports enthusiast who is involved in hockey, cricket and rugby at different levels.
Field Hockey in South Africa, while relatively well established, lacks a lot of resources and exposure to take it to the next level and make it genuinely competitive on the international scene. At club level, many of the coaches lack formalised training and you see the same ex players being rotated amongst the clubs.
New coaches wishing to join, don't have resources to exchange ideas and spread the knowledge. For this reason, I've decided to try and create a platform from which South African coaches and administrators can interact with international counterparts, list clubs, coaching opportunities etc and try and take advantage of the power of the internet to build their hockey skills.
We invite comment from coaches around the world on various positions, tactics, teams and tours to try and turn this into a thoroughly interactive site.
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