More than anything PLAYING FIELD HOCKEY is the best way for you to be in hockey shape. Practicing stick work for just 15 minutes per day will help you more than you probably realize.
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When passing, hitting, receiving, or working on your stick skills, please be mindful of the details!! Practice the right way to build muscle memory!
Be creative/use the internet! Any combination of elimination skills or tracking, with or without cones, can be a stick work drill. Work on increasing your comfort with the stick and ball together and your comfort to manipulate the ball with total control while at speed and with vision. Think about ball control, vision, change of speed, and change of direction in all stick work drills.
Below is a list of ideas to get you started. If you have not been playing for a long time-these are INSPIRATIONAL. We do not expect everyone to do these skills perfectly. Practice makes PROGRESS . Try the crazy and fun stuff alongside the fundamentals!
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Moving with the Ball TECHNIQUE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfq26j4ym8Y
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This is what good looks like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy1CstDdJbU
Please notice how their right hand is farther away from their body than their left hand and the right arm is almost fully extended away from their body.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRAkfHEj5wM
Please notice the sharpness of their skill execution, how quickly they get the ball back into their hip frame when they pull outside of it, and how far in front of their body the ball is. This is only possible because their right hand is further away from their body than their left hand . Notice also their right shoulder is slightly lower to the ground than their left shoulder (their shoulders are on a slight downward diagonal to the right), which allows them to extend out their right hand.
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Proper Yard-stick Pull Technique:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL9kcaAkHJ4
SAMPLE SKILL PROGRESSION and Video of Good Technique:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBllZdGavtU
Please notice how the ball is in front of his right foot and his right hand is farther away from his body than his left hand ( push out your right hand ).
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Fundamental 3D Breakdown:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mx1v3tnuc8
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3D Ball Control Progression:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPMnTAbCXOA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahig2BR72Do
7 Elimination Skills Progression:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-T0pneaztk
For all skills, please notice how far the ball is in front of her feet, so her right hand is farther away from her body than her left hand!! Please practice skills 1, 2, 6, and 7.
1. Please notice how she shows the ball to the white cone (even with her left foot), so as she does her pull, she’s able to lift the ball on her forehand with her hands staying inside her hip frame and the ball staying in line with her right foot, not outside of it, so she can accelerate forwards.
2. Please notice how he stays inside his hip frame, comes behind the ball with his stick, and lifts his left elbow to create the stick-angle needed to lift the ball with control over the defenders stick. On all 3Ds, we want to get two touches on the ball – one to lift and one while the ball is in the air.
6. Notice how she creates separation from the defender on the forehand roll, so as she’s coming out of the roll, she’s in new space not going right into the defender’s stick.
7. Also known as a C-pull for the fake over the ball. Notice how far the ball is in front of his body and how he steps with his right foot to “catch” his pull in line with his right foot rather than outside of his hip frame.
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3 Elimination Skills Progression
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhBTrqkUgfc
Receiving. Fundamental Technique Explanation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORghhycCHwE
Please notice the ball location in front of the right foot on the reception.
Fundamental Technique Video in Slow Motion:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnIMreaOwWk
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Please notice at :30. This is a BEAUTIFUL example of receiving a pass across your body onto your forehand, staying inside of your hip frame, and then pushing out your right hand to accelerate to space. Also notice that off the reception into the acceleration, the slight lean to the right side (their right shoulder is closer to the ground than the left shoulder), which allows the players to extend their right hand in front of their body.
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TECHNIQUE FOR BOUNCING BALL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiVM5JXI9SQ
(good explanation at 5:05 in the video)
TECHNIQUE FOR PUSH PASS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtioALdc_JA
( good explanation at 5:00 in the video)
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Slow Motion Technique for Push Pass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STuNCtp4tJc
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Push Pass on the Move:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rSCdpRLrI
Really good Hitting Technique Breakdown:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STuNCtp4tJc
Rapid Fire Stick Work Drills:
3x1 minute Yard Pulls
25 Reverse Dribbles on the left side of your body
25 Reverse Dribbles in the center of your body
25 Reverse Dribbles on the right side of your body
20 Pull Rights to strong-side 3D lift
20 Pull Lefts to reverse-side 3D lift
3x1 minute Air Dribble
Pulls Against a Wall
Stand perpendicular to a wall so that your left shoulder is closest to the wall. Practice your pull lefts by snapping the ball as hard as you can towards the wall and receiving it with your reverse stick before it hits the wall. Then switch so that your right shoulder is closest to the wall and practice your pull rights, receiving the ball with your strong---side stick.
Wall Work
You can also use a wall or fence to work on your pushes, lifts, sweeps, and hits. Always focus on your footwork around the ball, transferring your weight, and staying low through the skill. Make sure you are bending with your knees and not with your lower back.
Cone Series Progression
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzXA9ji-3Do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZze9moivkY
WRIST EXERCISES
Try to do one or two of these on each of your workout days.
Make a wrist exerciser by taking a dowel rod, old hockey stick, old broomstick, or something similar. Tie a sturdy rope that is about 3-4 feet long to the middle of it. On the other end of the rope, tie a 5lb weight or something heavy to it. Holding the stick out in front of you with both hands, roll the rope around the stick with the weight all the way up and then slowly roll it all the way down (do not let it unroll). Do these 5 times and gradually work up to doing it 10 times or more by the end of the summer.
Hold your hockey stick straight out in front of you with one hand holding the end. Point the stick straight up (so that the toe of the stick faces the sky), then to the left, then right and then back to the straight up position. Repeat the sequence until you can no longer do it anymore. Go slowly. Switch hands and repeat the same sequence.
Hold your hockey stick out to the side (parallel to the ground) with only one hand at the top of the stick. Hold this position for 30 seconds, rest, and repeat 2 more times. Switch hands. Gradually increase your holding time during the summer.
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HIIT/Total Body WORKOUTS for Stoga FH by Casey DiNardo