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Finish with a Flourish - Teamwork and Individual Confidence - Positive Movement and 1v1 Confidence

Trouble with keeping possession as a team or perhaps your players lack confidence in the 1v1? Either way this week we've got a session for you! Finish your season with a flourish and help your team to keep the ball and play positive attacking hockey. Read on to learn more!

1 vs 1 - Using a change of direction to beat your man

To ensure your players don't get rabbit in the headlights syndrome this session aims to give your players an extra trick to put up their sleeve to wrong foot their opponent and get behind them to run up the field. This simple trick is a change of direction! By getting the opposition's defenders to over commit your players will be able to cut back and make the most of their moments indecision!

Confidence in the 1 v 1 is very important, especially when training young players. You don't want them to take on every player in sight but you do want them to have the confidence to take on their man and to know when to pass and when to go it alone.

Give your players the confidence to take on their man - try this 1v1 session today!

Keeping Possession as a Team

As Aristotle famously said, "The whole is more than the sum of its parts." That's why it's important your team practice working together and play possession hockey, rather than making things difficult for themselves and trying to keep ball as an individual.

This team-work session starts as it means to go on with a passing and moving drill, with players supporting one another to keep the ball when they've got the numerical advantage in a 2v1. After this we progress to a 2v2 where your players should constantly be looking to offer passing options to their team-mates, both verbally and in their movement around the field!

Get your team talking, calling for the ball and offering options to keep possession as a team!

Press as a team and Attack down the Wing!

Is your attack making full use of the wings? Are you defenders closing down the opposition quickly enough? If not then this week we've got two sessions that'll be right up your street. Read on to learn more!

Pressure play - Pressing the ball as a team

Teach your team the principles of channelling and pressing as a team with this week's session, as we get your players working as a team - putting pressure on the player in possession in order to force an error and win back possession!

Starting with some simple interception warm ups the session then develops the skill, making the drills relevant to match play as we practice putting pressure on your opponents to force the error and force the turnover.

Teach your team to defend like the Musketeers, "All for one, and one for all!"

Passing while Moving and Attacking down the left

Don't pass and then just stand still - that kills the attacking momentum and gives the opposition time to recover and effectively shut down your chance to attack! That's why in this session we look at ways for your players to keep your attack moving in order to keep possession!

With particular focus on moving the ball down the left wing this session looks at how you can encourage players to be aware of other players around them and use the reverse turn to pick out a support player who can then run with the ball (without stopping) and continue the attack!

To get your players attacking with verve we start a couple of simple pass and move exercises, before progressing the skill in a couple of overload attacking drills - lastly, we finish the session with a fun conditioned game of 'Hockey Rugby', designed to run with the ball and use the reverse turn to look for support.

Pre-Season preparation - Keep training hard!

Don't stop now! This week we're bringing you part 3 of your Pre-Season conditioning program - Written by a professional personal trainer specifically for getting hockey players ready for the fast approaching season - plus a 1 v 1 confidence building session! Read on to learn more!

Pre-Season Conditioning - Part 3

We continue to push your players hard, gradually increasing the intensity so that your players will be fit and ready for their first match. Using these sessions you'll be able to prepare your players, mentally and physically, for the new season. By building up their strength and stamina levels you'll be able to help your players avoid getting injured by preparing their muscles for demands of a full 70 minute long match.

From warm-up to cool-down this session explains every step of your training with detailed notes and images, enabling you to push your players hard to get them fit and raring for the approaching season.

• Have the confidence to run a fitness session with groups from 5 to 50 people
• No specialist equipment required

PLUS - each session comes with a handy A4 summary sheet for you print and take with you to the pitch.

Keeping possession in the 1 v 1 (turning away)

The second session this week works on the dribble dash; running at speed with the ball under control towards defenders, with the choice of either taking on their man on or turning away and passing the ball to a supporting player.

Keeping possession is one of the best ways to stifle and tire out your opposition. If they don't have the ball how can they score? That's the lesson in this week's session which works on close control whilst also getting players to weigh up their options and not simply run recklessly forward.

Cardio Fitness and Timing your Run Sessions: Pre-Season Sessions

Pre-Season is an important time for all teams! Your players should be getting to know one another and also be working on their all round fitness - making sure they're ready for the first whistle of the season! Help your team be ready for their first games of the season with part 2 of your Pre-Season conditioning program Read on to learn more!

Pre-Season Conditioning - Part 2

This week we continue to work on your players' strength, aerobic and anaerobic levels through interval training, improving their cardiovascular endurance - working on all the major muscle groups to help your players avoid getting injured and building the foundations for future development.

Hockey is a physically demanding sport and players require a blend of strength, power and muscular endurance. From warm-up to cool-down this session explains every step of your training with detailed notes and images, enabling you to push your players hard to get them fit and raring for the approaching season.

To really see a difference in your players' fitness though they will need to be working outside of training as well, just 20 minutes of physical exercise 3-5 times a week is enough to see an improvement in their general fitness levels.

• Have the confidence to run a fitness session with groups from 5 to 50 people
• No specialist equipment required
• PLUS - each session comes with a handy A4 summary sheet for you print and take with you to the pitch.

In next week's Conditioning session we increases the intensity again, reducing rest periods between exercises, so now would be the perfect time for your players to start taking responsibility for getting fit and ready for the season.

Looking for space and moving for the ball

The second of this week's sessions focuses on running to support the player on the ball, moving into space and timing your runs so that you arrive just as the ball does.

You may have one of the best players in your league on your side but they're only as good as the service they receive from their team-mates.

To get your team working as a well oiled machine we've put the emphasis of this session on all the players not in possession of the ball - so everyone can get involved.

However, we also recognise that sometimes the problem can be players running forwards without looking up and getting themselves into trouble. To put a stop to this foolhardy running we've included some exercises which restrict player's movement when they're on the ball - stopping your players from putting unnecessary pressure on themselves.

Working in small groups your players will need to move to create space for their team-mate to pass the ball around the defender. After a simple warm up we start adding new rules into the mix - restricting movement for the player on the ball. Their team-mates will have to work hard if they want to stand any chance of keeping possession when all the ball carrying player is allowed to do is pivot on the spot!

Try this complete possession keeping session with your players today!

Pre-Season Conditioning and Goal Scoring Session!

This week we've got two very different, but very exciting sessions for you and your team! To get them ready for the start of the new season we're working on all round fitness and positive passing! Read on to learn more!

	Pre-Season Fitness and Conditioning for Hockey
	Have the Best Season Ever! Starting from this week we're bringing you a weekly conditioning program for your team / club, written by a Professional Personal Trainer specifically for preparing your players for the season ahead. Now is the time to start building a base of aerobic stamina before you move onto lactic and speed training for hockey. Don't delay and miss the opportunity to start the season ahead of the opposition. We start the programme with 2 weeks of hour long conditioning programmes. Then continue later in the season with bite-size sessions, allowing you to either build a fitness and conditioning element into your weekly training sessions or continue by running a separate weekly conditioning session. No specialist equipment required Have the confidence to run a fitness session with groups from 5 to 50 people. Each session includes all exercises clearly explained with photos, plus the knowledge of how they relate to the game of hockey. PLUS - each session comes with a handy single A4 summary sheet for you print and take with you to the pitch.

Make sure you Score - Intelligent Passing!

This week's Sportplan session concentrates on getting your players to use clever and quick passing; playing the ball intelligently to progress up the field and pick out the perfect defence splitting ball.

Most teams are usually the same - when things are not going well players start to blame one another. It's always someone's fault - either player x isn't passing the ball at the right time or player y isn't making enough movement up front. All of this is fairly elementary and usually you'll find that the problem is x + y = a combination of the two.

To prevent negativity breeding negativity we've designed this positive passing session which works on releasing the ball at the right time rather than simply passing for the sake of passing. Of course, there's no formula for the perfect team but what does always help is practice. So why not try this games based session with your players today?

Ensure your players are passing with purpose, using the ball to outsmart the opposition and make sure they score!