Basic ball carrying. Dribble with the ball in front of you. Carry the ball first, pass the ball second. Look before you pass. Dribble into space
Throw in a new ball when the ball goes out (no free hits)
Game with 4 goals! Learn to play with vision. Try to teach children the rules of the game playfully!
Basic ball carrying. Run with the ball with direction change.
Clockwise or anti clockwise only. Cross diagonally. Add obstacles in between the houses.
There are four boxes. Each player is assigned to one of the boxes as their "home". On the whistle every player must visit all the other "homes" before returning to their "home". The first team that visits all the other houses and gets everyone back to their house wins.
Basic ball carrying. Run with the ball with direction change.
In between, get the kids together, give them one tip on technique and let them try again. Player distributes the balls
The trainer starts in a square with all the balls. The trainer pushes the balls out of the square while the players try to stop the balls and dribble them back into the square.
Basic ball carrying. Keep your head up! Run into space
Let the players dribble with an Indian dribble. The defenders only have to touch the ball to win the ball. The attackers that are tackled join the defence till there are no more attackers.
The attackers must try to dribble the ball across the area without losing the ball to the defenders. If they succeed, they keep attacking next round. When a player loses the ball, they become a defender, the defender takes over the ball and becomes an attacker.
Hands apart (wide grip). Effective ball position around half past 2. Left elbow out. Stick makes a roof over the ball. Head up for vision Stick full contact on ball.
Use coloured cones: red/green – stop/go. Make it a slalom.
The kids each have a ball. The trainer raises a number of fingers at the eye level of the children, and the children say how many.
Basic ball carrying. Dribble away from the tackler into space. Keep ball on your forehand. Protect the ball with your body.
Two tacklers. Ball is not allowed to stop rolling. Smaller area. Ball must stay inside the area of play.
All players except the tackler (robber) have a ball. The tackler tries to take the ball away from the players (cops). When your ball is taken away you become a tackler.
Focus points run with the ball. Focus points basic attitude.
Change the teams. Do a practice round. Create three teams. Create four teams. Round off on goal.
The first slalom sees the feet travel through the middle of the cones and the ball move around the outside of the cones. The second slalom sees the ball travel through the middle of the cones and the feet move around the outside of the cones.
Focus points basic carrying position.
Do a practice round. Create three teams. Create four teams. Shoot on goal afterwards.
The first slalom is a normal slalom. Feet and ball go around the cones on the same side. The second slalom has the ball and feet move on the opposite sides of the cones.
Basic ball carrying. Run with the ball with direction change.
Trainer now only points in a direction (vision). Trainer raises a coloured cone (yellow is middle line, red is clubhouse, etc).
All players stand with a ball in the middle of the field. The coach calls a direction where the players dribble, e.g. goal; after 5 to 10 seconds the trainer shouts another after direction. Continue for one minute before rest.
In the dummy action you bring the ball to the left. Then you fake a step to the left and fake drag around the ball from right to left with your stick (leaving the ball). On the way back make the actual drag to the right with your backhand. When the ball is in front of your right foot, speed up around the cones.
The ball doesn’t stop rolling.
The player dribbles the ball toward the wall of cones. As they approach the cones, they perform a dummy then drag around the cones and move on to the next set of cones. Players should make defender think that they are going to play the ball to the left then pull the ball wide to the right and acceleration over the opponent's backhand.
In the dummy action you bring the ball to the left. Then you fake a step to the left and fake drag around the ball from right to left with your stick (leaving the ball). On the way back make the actual drag to the right with your backhand. When the ball is in front of your right foot, speed up around the cones.
The ball keeps rolling. Keep the ball on the stick instead of leaving it.
The players dribble the ball towards each other. In the middle they meet and pass each other using the dummy.
Footwork is vitally important. When turning to the right players must get their feet around the ball to change direction.
Stagger or offset the cones. Move the cones closer together.
Dribble in a slalom through the cones keeping the ball on the forehand only.
Defenders use their stick to prevent the ball from hitting their feet.
Smaller / larger field. Play in teams.
Play in pairs. One player has a ball, one does not. Points are scored when the attacker can dribble the ball onto the defender's foot. Ball on the foot is a point. Ball out is one point for the defender.
Adjust speed and strength of push. Acceleration and deceleration.
Rotate the starting direction clockwise and possibly increase the speed. Add more people.
Players dribble the ball around the outside of a square. At each of the corners, the player pushes the ball on the inside of the corner while they run around the outside and pick up the ball on the other side.
Basic ball carrying. Keep your head up!
All children follow one player. Put obstacles on the field. The leaders also have a ball.
The players stand in pairs. One with a ball, one with out. The player without a ball leads the way. The player with a ball dribbles behind following with the ball on the stick. Switch after about 30 seconds.
Basic ball carrying. Run with the ball with direction change.
Add a tackler. Trainer is the tackler. Smaller goals. Who scores the most? First to 10.
Everyone should try to score as much as possible by dribbling the ball through the different goals. You can't go through the same goal twice in a row. With every goal you get a point.
Basic stance. Change of direction. Target the defender's backhand.
Tackled players join the defense on the wall. Larger or smaller wall.
Make a narrow zone (wall). The attackers try and cross the wall. Defenders try to tackle the attackers and can only move side to side along the wall. The space either side of the wall is safe for the attackers
Basic ball carrying.
How many runners can a king / queen tag in 2 turns? Apply your own variation.
The tackler (king or queen) stands in the circle (castle) as the dribblers (villagers) approach. Blow a whistle to release the tackler. The tackler tries to tackle the dribblers and send them back to the village, the villagers are trying to get in to the castle. The first villager to enter the castle becomes the King or Queen for the next round.
Hands low and stick low. The ball should stay below knee height.
Keep stick on the ball when lifting. Left to right / right to left, then lift.
Players dribble the ball to the cones. At the cones they lift the ball over and accelerate to the next cones.
Basic ball carrying
Start the exercise without a ball. Make the distance between the rats and the ravens smaller /larger. Let the children come up with their own names. Start in different positions (sitting down, bridge, press up position).
Half of the players (the rats) set up on one side of the line, the other half (the rabbits) on the side opposite. All the players have a ball. When the trainer shouts "rats", the rats dribble the ball over the line on their side as quickly as possible (e.g. 23m line). The rabbits leave their ball and try to tag the rats before they cross the line. Then everyone takes position again. The trainer shouts "rats" or "rabbits" again and the game continues.
Basic ball carrying
Let the players dribble with an Indian dribble instead of a straight line.Put obstacles between the cones.
Make 2 or more groups. Set up 2 cones in a line for each group. The players race one at a time round the far cone and back. First team with everyone back wins.
Dribbling with the ball. Basic push pass.
Indian dribble. More / less cones. Larger / smaller target. Larger / smaller distance to goal. "Five" seconds to go through the slalom.
Dribble around the cones (slalom); the ball stays on the forehand. At the end of the slalom push at goal then re-join the back of the line. Players can start in quick succession.
Basic ball carrying.
First run the exercise without ball and stick. The trainer gives a sign "change"! Players must switch cones. Add a tackler. Players must keep moving.
Players must move from cone to cone (tree to tree). There can not be more than one player in each tree at a time. It is not allowed to be in a tree for more than 10 seconds. The number of cones (trees) is equal to the number of players -2.
Basic push pass. Basic closed receive.
Dribble to halfway and push the ball to the other side. Indian dribble. Relay: who is the first group to go back and forth 10x.
Make groups of 3 or 4. A dribbles to the other side and gives the ball to B. B dribbles back and gives the ball to C. C dribbles back and gives the ball to A Etc.
Start with the basic grip. Ball position. High Left elbow. Head up.
Pass with the right foot in front. Indian dribble.
The player with the ball dribbles toward the other side. As they cross halfway, they pass the ball to the other side.
Basic ball carrying. Make the crossing without collisions. Stop the ball on the line excatly
Let the players dribble with an Indian dribble instead of straight. Use all 4 sides of the square. Put obstacles in the middle.
Players line up in 2 lines facing each other. On the trainers signal the players all try dribble to the other side while avoiding crashing into each other.
The ball must go past the cone in the middle before the drag back. The first drag is always in a backwards direction.
Larger V drags. Relay matches against each other. One-on-one games against each other. Scoring at the end of the cones.
Set up 3 cones in a “V” shape. Players dribble towards the cones then drag the ball in a “V” shape around the cones.
Waikato Hockey Association
Gallagher Hockey Centre
Innes Common, PO Box 820, Hamilton
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