Field Hockey: ball skills

How do you compete against a team that is superior in ball handleing skills? Our season is packed with teams like this. What my girls end up doing is chasing the ball, which of course, is not working. What drills would benefit this problem?

My team are due to play an asian side, i currently employ a zonal def for my forwards and man to man with my defenders,,, due to asian players having such good close ball skills, and if you allow them time to turn they very often beat the first defender,,, any suggestions on how to play against this style of team...regards shawn

I am looking for the basic skill points for children when pmoving and receiving the ball for a brief 15 minute session which includes a conditioned game in the 15 mins.

What are the basics that need to change when taking a team from playing on grass fields to playing on astro turf??? Malcolm in SA

Hi all,I've got my level 2 assessment coming up on Sunday and I just wanted to quickly check whether there's a 'recommended' structure to the session plan.Btw, this is a level 2 practical assessment and is with juniors (U14s).One coach has suggested a 3 part approach:1) techniques and skills required2) unopposed 3) opposedThe theme I'm choosing, which is a bit of a generic one, is defending in a channel (as I'm a defender and it's pretty straight forward).I'm not really looking for info on what exactly to include (i.e. theme specific) but rather general structure or whether E.H. have an approved structure to sessions?My session's on Sunday, so a quick reply would be awesome.Thanks,Gary

At home, inside my small basement, I don't have a huge space to practice field hockey. I have cones, an equipment ladder (for agility), and a rebounding board. I have basically been practicing dribbling, passing against the rebounding board, and dodging "defenders" (cones). After a little while, I run out of creativity for drills, and I feel that I may not be getting the most out of practicing. Do you have any drills that will improve my ball skills greatly that are okay for one person?

How do I improve ball skills in s small space indoors? Are there any drills or practice plans that you feel are helpful?

Why wont this session open for me when i log in its not there ??

Any idea's on new pre game drills? We are now playing the '5' just passing and the last one shoots, but after a few months it got bored. So looking for new drills! Any suggestions?

Hi,I perhaps naively, expected to have most of our team from last year carry over and only have a few new comers to integrate and get up to speed with the rest. However meeting the team at our first practice last night i find I have five players still at school from last year and the rest all new comers, most of whom had not held a hockey stick at all till practice.This being only my second season coaching (year 9 to year 13 boys) has left me feeling a little blindsided, and feeling quite unsure how to prepare practices that target both groups of boys. Do i lump them both groups together, keep them separate? What drills/exercises to best bring the new comers up to speed.I don't want to neglect either group, keep practice worthwhile for the experienced boys, but also bringing the new comers up to a level were they can mix in with the others and learn organically from them while practicing as a team. David

Need help with planning a rolling subs with 11 players and 5 subs.Keeper,4 backs, 4 midfied, 2 strikers.Any ideas please

I'm new to coaching and i'm coaching a team that barely knows how to even hold a stick properly. Where can i start with improving there skills and hockey kowledge ?

Does anyone have good drills for players to progress their individual ball skills and stickwork from medium to advanced

how to play half press and full press

Share your top tips on how to move faster with the ball in a game, in preparation for the upcoming season!

how can I make practises such as the indian dribble and running with the ball using the correct grip more entertaining for junior players?

I have a midfielder that wants to practice defending against lifted balls in a 1-2-1 situation, any ideas for drills that will assist with this?

What's the best way to break ball hogging habits

Hi all- I am 37 years old. I played field hockey for 3 years only (in high school). As you can imagine, I'm not very good/experienced. I was a competitive soccer player which made me good enough athletically to play field hockey but anyway, the point is: I never played field hockey at a high level.I now find myself in a head coaching position. (Long story-I did coach some field hockey some years ago and had a blast but it was a while back). Anyway, I have three assistant coaches who aren't much more experienced than I am. Our high school program is VERY weak and so nobody really steps up to coach there.Basically, my question is: what do I do? I have some girls who have played but not much. Then I have girls who literally don't know how to hold their stick and are quite I athletic. We barely have enough girls to field a team. As for drills, I'm trying to use this site but if you were in my position, what specifically would you be doing with these girls so they don't lose 7-0 every game? Right now, I'm focusing on body control and comfort with the ball- (we are playing possession and they are so uncomfortable they just hit the ball away because they don't have the skills to hold). Any help you can give is greatly appreciated!Brooke Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

I'm in the U.S., coaching a team of 11-12 year olds, with 1-2 years of experience. Defending the circle, when the ball is loose, my players are not getting control of the ball to hit out of the circle. It's congested with opponent and my team's players. If my players get control, they lose it quickly. If the opponent has control, my players aren't very good at taking the ball or stopping the opponent from taking a shot. Luckily we have a good goalie but she can only do so much. (Full disclosure: I didn't play FH but have a decent understanding of the game. No one else in my community would step up to coach so it's fallen to me.)