Field Hockey: Working the Square - follow your pass

Spread your team anywhere inside the half of a pitch. Only give your team 3 balls.

You may pass the ball around to anyone inside the half. This will create a lot of talking and activity.

Do this exercise for about 5 minutes. It is important that the players keep talking and moving off the ball, always making themselves available to receive the ball.

For quick decision making do the same exercise inside the circle.

Setup:

1. Lay out sticks on the ground about 1 metre apart.
2. Six sticks should be laid in a continuous straight line.
3. Five cones in a zig-zag formation.
4. Use ladders or a line of two cones close together (about 30cm between each pair).
5. Place a stick on a pair of cones x6, about 1 metre between each one.

The drill:

1. Players run in and out of the sticks
2. Players jump with feet together over the sticks (from left to right followed by right to left)
3. Run round the cones, the players should touch the cone with the inside hand each time
4. Players touch the pitch with one foot between each space
5. Players run through and over as fast as they can. Check that they lift their knees nice and high going over the hurdles.

Players are trying to keep possession of the ball for as long as possible. Players inside the area can use the two players on the outside of the grid to help them keep the ball.

Players line up in two groups outside the 23 metre area.
Player on the left, passes the ball to a player on the right running towards the goal. On receiving the ball this player runs into the circle and shoots at goal.

After passing the ball, the player on the left runs towards the goal and receives the pass from the player on the left etc.