Qucik Intro: Field Hockey Drills

Field hockey drills are necessary for learning and retaining skills, especially when a team is just starting out or has taken on new members. If a coach presents them as just another way of having fun, though, the kids won’t mind having to spend time on the field hockey drills, especially after they put them to use and win the game.

There are several different kinds of field hockey drills, and all of them lend themselves to being presented in a way that’s enjoyable. For instance, when working on proper stick grip, make it a challenge by having everyone line up on the end line, lay their stick down, and put their hands behind their back. On hearing the word “Go!” each player grabs his stick, grips it properly (right hand on top, left hand on bottom), and runs to the opposite end line without losing their grip. The first one to reach the opposite end line with grip still intact gets to choose the next drill.

Field hockey drills also include one called the “Indian dribble”. Using a back-and-forth flipping motion, the player keeps the ball on the stick at all times. Like all field hockey drills, doing this one over and over can get boring unless a coach can figure out a way to make it fun. This can be done by choosing two players at a time and having them practice this move until one of them drops the ball, or until a specific length of time has passed. If there is a winner, he gets to choose the next challenger, and the game continues until someone else wins or everyone has had a chance to participate.

There are other field hockey drills that can be turned into mini-games, inter-team challenges, or simply altered to where the kids will want to practice them. After all, the goal of any youth sport should be to have fun, and this includes both field hockey games and field hockey drills.