Field Hockey Conditioning Drills

Field hockey conditioning drills are primarily useful for practice, so that when a hockey match arrives, players' limbs and muscles would be supple for quick, flexible, agile and easy movement. Field hockey is a collective sport engaging a six or eleven per side team. The objective, like football, is to score by flicking the ball in a net set on the field. Requiring that players be fit and in the pink of health, good nutrition and balanced diet must be employed in accordance with the following field hockey conditioning drills. 

1. Dribbling Powerball is a type of field hockey conditioning drill which demands at least two pairs of hockey players. The goal of this drill is to dribble the hockey ball with the stick through cones or gates within the playing field. The distance between one cone and the next should average two feet in width. 
2. Back to Back is another field hockey conditioning drill involving about from three to six players per side. In this activity, both hockey goal posts are planted back to back instead of being on opposite ends of the field. Each team has to score alternate goals. 
3. Four Corners is another conditioning enhancing field hockey exercise where the goal posts are fixed at each of the four corners of the hockey field. The extra goals would automatically put strain on the defenders to prevent the opposing team from scoring. This effort would school the body in working in a high-pressure environment. 
4. Stretches is another strategic conditioning technique for field hockey players. As in athletics, stretches aid in making the joints and muscles flexible and ready to function. Before any activity, it is best that all players stretch for fifteen minutes before getting involved in strenous play. Stretches prepare the body to deal with physical strain, yet improves the body's adaptability to different levels of playing, whether light, moderate or high-energy games. 
5. Mini hockey is another way to stimulate conditioning for field hockey. Small matches among a reduced number of players help get the body accustomed to the sport and its demands.