One of the most impactful skills in hockey is the drag flick, owing to how difficult it is to defend it, and how many goals are scored from penalty corners. In the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, a third of all goals came from penalty corners (Olympic organising committee, 2012; 2016). This provides good evidence that it is important to get this action right, in order to maximise your 10 v 5 player advantage in this key moment. In this article, I am going to provide an overview of how...
11 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
In this article I will be explaining how to make your conditioning training more position specific, based on the physical demands of the position on the hockey pitch. If you have played multiple positions, you will have recognised that each position has different physical requirements. This is because they have unique tactical roles to play, and this manifests itself in the type of running and changes of direction required. An example of this is the difference between centre backs and...
30 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 4 min read
Strength training has been related to increases in athletic performance, including power, speed and jumping ability, and also to increases in muscle hypertrophy and other muscle characteristics (Folland and Williams, 2007). It is important for field hockey players to have well-developed lower body strength due to the amount of decelerations, accelerations, and repeated low positions that they find themselves in. Furthermore, strength training has been shown to increase agility, strength and...
30 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Imagine if you didnāt have to suffer from that niggly lower back pain caused by playing as much hockey as you do. The lower back is one of the most common injury sites in hockey (Barboza et al., 2018; Dick et al., 2007; Murtaugh, 2009). The low positions and repeated forward flexions performed in hockey mean that the lumbar spine experiences a great deal of stress. As you will find yourself in half-rotated positions on a regular basis and perform frequent lunges and tackles in low shapes, you...
30 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 4 min read
Acceleration is the ārate of change of velocity per unit of timeā. This is usually assessed with a test such as a 10m sprint and is measured in msā2. In simple terms, this is how quickly you can increase your velocity from either zero (standing still) to sprinting, or whilst still in motion (transitioning from a light jog to a max effort sprint, for example). Why is this important for me as a hockey player you may ask? I didnāt come here for a physics lesson! Well, put simply, the faster your...
30 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 4 min read
The 16 pitch lengths assessment is a time trial test of 1600 yards or 1462 metres. It is a useful measure of aerobic capacity, which is vital for field hockey performance. In this article, Iāll be sharing a range of ways to improve your time in this test. Aerobic capacity can be measured by maximal aerobic speed (MAS), the lowest speed at which VO2 max occurs (Berthoin, 1992). It has been correlated with total distances achieved in rugby players (Swaby et al., 2016), and is a key physical...
30 days agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Repeat sprint ability is defined as a sequence of a minimum of 3 sprints with an average rest of <21 s between sprints. This occurs frequently in Field Hockey owing to the nature of the sport, with forwards typically required to perform a higher relative workload of sprint distance when compared with other positions. This quality is highly important in a game like Field Hockey where the ability to accelerate and decelerate repeatedly at high intensity is a key physical determinant. By gaining...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
Field hockey is a fast-paced, intense sport that demands top-level fitness and agility. Whether you're experienced or new to the game, understanding how to get fit for field hockey can improve your performance. Improving your fitness not only enhances your game. But also reduces the risk of injuries, ensuring you can play at your best throughout the season. Neglecting fitness training can lead to poor performance. As well as frequent injuries, and a lack of enjoyment in the game....
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Agility is a vital component of performance in field hockey. The ability to change direction, accelerate, and decelerate quickly is a component of performance on the pitch. In this blog, Iāll explore several key strategies to help you become a more agile field hockey player. Firstly, what is agility? Agility is a ārapid whole-body movement with a change of direction or velocity responding to an external stimulusā (Sheppard & Young 2006). The key thing to consider here is that it is in...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read