Coaching Field Hockey: The One on One Battle Drill

It is essential in field hockey that coaches teach their teams various skills that will help them become better players. One drill that can help teams hone their skills is the one on one battle drill. This field hockey drill focuses on players who are in situation in which they are against only one opponent when trying to recover the ball. This is a very important skill that often arises through the field hockey match.

As the name suggests, the one on one field hockey drill involves two players at a time. The coach should shorten the field, meaning that he or she should instruct the players that they are only allowed to play in a small area of the field. During the drill, the player should line up as they would in a game, and the coach should shoot the ball somewhere in the general vicinity of the two players. The player should then attempt to recover and take possession of the ball, using proper techniques and strategies.

Instead of running the drill with only two players at a time, you can also split players into groups of three so that all of the players can practice at the same time. If you only involve two players at a time, a practice can become very time consuming and almost become ineffective if players that are not involved lose their focus and do not pay attention. After splitting the groups up, instruct one of the players to act as the coach normally would and pass the ball into the two players. The remaining two players should attempt to maintain control of the ball while their opponent attempts to steal it back.

Coaching field hockey can be a challenge, so attempting to find new drills and variations is very important in order to keep the players from getting to comfortable with one drill. Additionally, the players can become bored if they are faced with constant repetition, which can actually hurt the overall morale of the team. Field hockey is a challenging game and practicing drills is very important to having a successful team.

Sources:

Planet Field Hockey
Field Hockey Sticks