Demands of Field Hockey Field Hockey can be categorised as an intermittent running-based team sport, characterised by repeated high-intensity actions such as accelerations, decelerations, and changes in direction at speed. We can also include shooting and defensive actions in this too, or any explosive movement that involves the alactic/phosphocreatine system. These actions are then interspersed with periods of low-intensity recovery, with the majority (around 90% of the game spent in...

Hockey goalkeepers have unique requirements, from a technical, physical, psychological and tactical perspective. Not only do goalkeepers need to be agile, reactive and explosive, they also need to be able to repeat these high-intensity actions over the course of a game. The implications of a fatigued goalkeeper are fairly obvious in a game dictated by the outcome of goals conceded. One of the fundamental determinants of performance is the ability to quickly reposition following a save, to...

Introduction Strength training is well documented as a means of developing athleticism, power and performance potential in a range of sports. This article will be looking at the impact that it can have on field hockey performance, how it can mitigate the risk of certain injuries and which boxes we need to tick in our training programme. The guidelines in this article are purely for reference and are not intended to be used as a substitute for a well designed, personalised training programme...