Field Hockey Shooting Drills

Embarrassing goalies and keepers is just part of the job description for a talented scorer, but game day is always perfected on the practice field with field hockey shooting drills. The drills are fairly straightforward and require a few cones, but they'll help you immensely when taking advantage of your scoring opportunities during a field hockey game.

1. Shooter finesse drill. Set up a single cone near the top of the circle. Place two cones to the left of the cone, with each cone being separated by at least 5 yards. Do the same for the right side of the cone. Start at one of the far cones, either on the right or left side, bob and weave until you get to the center cone. Stop at the cone, whip your body around, and fire at the goal. Repeat until you have done this five times. This drill can also be done with a goalie blocking the net.
2. First touch drill. Stand with your back to the goal and have someone throw a pass. You must quickly catch the pass, turn toward the goal, and shoot the ball into the net. You can do this drill from a variety of positions to help improve your shot when you need to get it off quickly. This is opportune in a "fast break" like play.
3. Change of direction drill. Place a cone just outside of the circle in front of the net. Start at mid-field and run slightly left of the cone. When you are about a stick's length away, make a hard shift to the right going right of the cone and into the circle. As soon as you get in the circle, release the ball with your right foot planted. This will help you maintain your accuracy even when you making a hard cut to get an open shot.