Field Hockey Playbook Hitting

Field Hockey Playbook The Hit
Derek E. Pappas
Objectives
Hit a pass that your teammate can receive-make your teammates job easier Hit the ball at a target-goal, teammate, gap between the defense-direction Hit the ball so that it arrives at a point on the eld at the right time-space and time
Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010
The analysis of the golf swing is much more advanced than the analysis of eld hockey hitting.
I have been studying the golf swing for 40+ years and the hockey hit for 33. The fundamentals in golf are well understood. Not so in hockey.
Al Pacino said in the movie Any Given Sunday "it is a game of inches". Bad techniqueresults in bad hits. I have watched a lot of games and I think that hitting can determine the outcome of some games. Missed shots on goal Raised crosses that result in a foul Bad outlet passes that are intercepted Bad passes directly into the top of the D that are off target that would have resulted in goal scoring chances
Why hit the ball

Shoot on goal Make a long pass across the eld at speed Relieve pressure by hitting the ball through the defense up the eld
Objectives
Hit the ball smoothly on the ground Hit the ball at the target Hit the ball at the right pace Hit the ball without any spin Hit the ball at the right time
Ever wonder about your hit?
Ball is 1 foot off of the ground WHY?????
Good Technique is Not Enough Lang Wedemeye

The coachs responsibility is to create the environment in which players are placed under immediate pressure. The role of the coach is to help players understand the cues that allow them to apply the proper technique in game-like situations. We always hear there are no tactics without technique. Well, there is no technique without tactics. The use of the proper technique comes from decision-making ability in pressure situations.
Playing under pressure

Lang Wedemeye
On several occasions I have heard U.S. National Team coaches Bruce Arena and April Heinrichs mention that one of the biggest problems with our rising youth players, boys and girls alike, is that they do not have the ability to play effectively under pressure. The players technique breaks down when under pressure and their speed of play is not fast or accurate enough to create a flow in high-level games.
Defining technique and skill

Lang Wedemeye Technique is the mechanism with which the body maneuvers itself to be able to complete an objective. If the objective is to pass the ball 15 yards to a teammate, the brain informs the body to maneuver itself in order to kick the ball in that direction.
Defining technique and skill (cont.)

Lang Wedemeye
How well the body adjusts to the demand determines how good the technique is, while how quickly the brain interprets the cues and the message sent to the muscles determines the speed of play. The better the technique, the greater the likelihood that the ball will go where we want it and how we want it played.
What is the difference between technique and skill?

Lang Wedemeye
As taught to me by the late Mike Berticelli in my first NSCAA National Course, technique is the mechanics behind solving a problem and skill is being able to solve the problem regardless of the mechanics. Skill is basically getting the job done no matter how it looks. But with better technique, the players success rate is heightened.
Hitting Do nots Under normal situations

Do not hit a bouncing ball Do not hit an off target pass/shot Do not hit the ball too fast or slowly Do not hit the ball with side spin
Hitting Dos
Hit the back of the back Position the ball in the correct position relative to your feet Release/Sweep the stick through the ball
Donts-under normal situations

Do not hit the top or bottom of the ball Do not get the ball outside of your shoulders Do not chop down on the ball uless it is deliberate to raise the ball for a shot on goal
Fundamentals and pressure

The relative orientation of the stick should be maintained throughout the swing. If the relative position of the stick is changed during the swing then the player will have to make a correction during the swing Corrections are easier to make when there is no pressure on the player

Fundamentals hold up under pressure Bad fundamentals cause bad hits under pressure If you have good fundamentals then under pressure when the adrenalin is owing you will hit the ball better Under pressure bad fundamentals result in hits which are bouncing, miss the target, have side spin, are the incorrect speed
Fundamentals and pressure (cont.)

Corrections are not easy to make when the match is on the line and a smooth hit is required The orientation will be changed if any of the following occurs Rolling the hands Swaying the body Lifting the head up Many other causes (see later slides)

Players with good fundamentals can deliver a proper hit under extreme pressure in match situations on the ground, at the target, no/top spin, correct speed Players with poor fundamentals will miss hit the ball under extreme pressure in match situations

The orientation in one or more axis will be changed if any of the following occurs If the stick rotated around the axis of the stick If the end of the stick is pulled in or pushed away from the player If the stick moves above or below the plane at address
Fundamentals
Head moves towards ground for hard hits Shoulders parallel to target and ball between shoulders Take away-stick behind ball, sweep stick back along the ground and dont change wrist position Turn stick back with shoulders not the arms Hips lead pulling torso and arms Stay on plane and watch the spot where the ball was after the shot with a limited follow through
Fundamentals
Grip Footwork/body posture Take away turn Pivot point/plane weight shift release
Grip
2 vs formed by thumb and for nger face right chin Hands facing each other to work together Right Hand coves top of grip Hands are two sts holding the stick Relax the hands when holding the stick Right hand faces down the line towards the target
Grip- dont do this

Do not use a baseball grip where the hands are not facing each other Do not hold the stick in ngers only Do not wrap ngers aginst palm-wrap the ngers around the stick
Triangle
Hands and shoulders form a triangle The triangle is maintained at the take away to waist high The triangle compacts above the waist on the back swing, impact and follow through If the triangle shape is maintained and the orientation of the triangle is not changed then the toe of the stick will point up at address, when the stick is pointing away
Triangle (cont.)
If the triangle shape is maintained and the orientation of the triangle is not changed then the toe of the stick will: point up at address when the stick is pointing away from the target on the back swing at impact on the follow through when the stick is pointing at the target
Toe of stick
The toe of the stick stays up the entire time The toe of the stick should not change its orientation Do not twist the stick around the handle
Angles
End of stick is a pivot point-this is the point that should form the angle between the wrists and stick. Do not use the point between the hands or the right for nger to form the angle. You will push the stick down and change the plane of attack
Ball position relative to the feet
The ball is positioned somewhere between the middle of the feet and the left foot
Shoulder turn
The shoulders rotate around the spinal column The shoulders should turn as far as is possible physically and given the amount of time/space that the player has
Hands
Hands stay a constant distance away from the body on take away because the triangle is maintained Do not pull hands towards the body push hands away from the body push hands down/up twist hands
Stick position
Toe up Address-between feet Back swing pointing away from target Follow through-pointing towards the target
Feet
In a natural position-same as when you are running
Footwork
Stationary hit step into ball off of the right foot pivot off of left foot and hit left pivot off of left foot and pull ball to the right Cross over moving left to right Hit on the run off of left, right feet, optionally turning shoulders
Footwork
Footwork really refers to the relative position of the feet and ball You adjust your feet and the ball to move your body into the correct position relative to the ball
Footwork
The body can be in motion running in a straight line, curl, forwards, backwards, cross over step, and in this case the player probably has to position the ball by placing the stick on the side of the ball opposite from the player to slow the ball down/tee it up or the player has to carry the ball by their right foot to allow the ball to travel forwards to the correct position at impact
Footwork
You do not want to position the ball outside your feet in normal sitations This means when running down the eld position the ball relative to your right foot so that at impact the ball is between your feet
Cross over step

Used for moving sideways and hitting the ball
Footwork-exceptions
If you are running with the ball and want to hit it backwards to the left the ball will be outside your left foot and your shoulders will face to the left and you will hit to right center of the ball ont he equator If you want to hit the ball to the right relative to the orientation of your feet you must rotate your shoulders and hands to hit the left center of the ball on the equator
Hips and right elbow

Hips turn to generate power on the down swing Right elbow is touching right side on down swing Players who used this technique: Berman. Delme, Michael Peters, Fabragas
Hitting basics
Grip pads of right hand on top of stick (cover the grip so you cannot see it) bottom of left hand on top of right hand stick at less than 45 degrees to ground bend back into ground as at as possible as you hit bend left knee 90 degrees
Hitting basics (cont.)

Angle of attack of stick sweep the stick back and though point the stick at the target on the follow through the end of the stick points at the center of your body at address, back swing prior to cocking wrists, and at follow through Clip the ground-do not chop wood

Practice sweeping the stick back and forth across the same spot between your feet. position the ball between your feet to hit it if the ball is outside of your left foot you should hit it left not straight with a block out (no wrist release)

Hitting footwork free hit step past ball and hit it side ways cross over and hit run around ball and hit (Craig Davies) pull to right across body, rotate 90 degrees and hit hit off of right foot

Keep left arm against rib cage (put a sock underneath your left arm and hold it in place during the swing) do not roll hands on the back swing (end of stick will point at target after a 1/4 swing which is wrong) Little nger on left hand is a pivot point (not the index nger on the right hand)

Toe of stick is always pointing up Right hand is always vertical Angle of wrists does not drop down on back swing Hit against the left tricept Hit the ball on the straight part of the stick
Hitting
Grip Footwork Posture Weight shift Sweep Half way Upright
Hitting-cont.
Stationary Normal Off of right foot On the run Left foot Right foot Choke up on Stick Argie reverse stick hit
Stationary hits
Hitting fundamentals
turn shoulders on back swing maintain triangle between shoulders and hands hands face each other top of left wrist touches bottom of right wrist right elbow into side hands by knees
cover the top of the stick with the pad of your right hand shoulders, hips, feet square ball between feet-not outside left foot back is at not arched right wrist is cupped sweep stick back-dont pick it up
Left arm straight Hands close to body
Player Analysis
Dos
Smeets has the ball behind/even with the right foot-knees bent Hands are close to the body-eyes on the ball
Footwork
Footwork adjusted to the position of the ball Ball even with the right foot Ball will roll forward to the correct position on the downswing
Right elbow
Right elbow touching the right side of the body
Downswing
Right elbow still touching right side Toe up Wrist angle maintained Left knee bent Left arm straight Push off of right foot! Right knee bent Hips turning
Follow through
What happened?
Donts Helicopter
Elbow points straight back-ying elbow Player has to loop stick Ball outside of feet Right hand in baseball position
Right elbow is facing 90 degrees to the target line because of the grip and helicopter swing Right elbow is too close to left elbow Hands roll over through the ball to release the stick
Right elbow faces target
Analysis
Good: Elbow in side, hips turing, ball between feet, left arm straight, wrist at. Bad: stick off plane (dropped), left knee straightening, where is the weight (left or right foot)?
World class player

Good: Low position, right knee very close to the ground-lunge postion, eye on spot where ball was hit. Ball position at impact? Baseball grip? Weight on toes?
Right hand seems to stay under the stick Not pointing at the target line on release
Compensation
Toe of stick at 45 degrees on follow through Right side of body twisting down towards the ball instead of releasing through it-right hip should follow through towards the target Hands roll over the ball.
Dont lift the stick up on the backswing

Everything bent Eyes on the ball Why pull the stick in towards the body. Requires an adjustment on the downswing Ball to far forward towards outside of left foot. Player will compensate in the next photo.
Compensation
Too upright-hands far away from body Right foot swings in the opposite direction of the hips/stick to compensate for the ball being outside of the left foot. Leaning back away from the ball. Right leg twisting in the opposite direction NOT good for your left hipit band/knee in the long run Left foot facing target-not 45
Hitting
Elbow in side But shoulders have rotated faster than the arms
Toe pointing to the left of the target.
As a consequence the hands roll over the ball.
Hitting follow through

Point the stick at the target Key arms straight Keep the triangle intact Let the arms overlap Weight on left knee/foot (not your toes)
Common hitting mistakes

moving head, body, left wrist left/right or up/down back curved-no vision-can see ground-not eld curve on ball rotating wrists instead of maintaining triangle between shoulders and hands right hand rotated counter clockwise-can see top of stick Hit ground not back of ball
Common hitting mistakesrotating wrists on back swing picking stick up pivot point is not left little nger bottom of right wrist not connected to top of left wrist ball to left of left foot and not between feet no weight transfer weight on right foot not left
Bad right hand grip

Ball is bouncing
Out of plane
Flying right elbow causes the stick to be out of plane (pointing straight up instead of at the ball) Player must make an adjustment on the downswing
Baseball grip
Flying elbow
Stick pointing up and away from body.
Falling away from the ball

As a result the players weight is on their right side instead of the left side at impact.
Making space
Put the ball in a position away form the defender. Here the ball is outside of the players right foot. He will lean to the right to hit it.
Right hand position

Slide the right hand up the stick to get ready for the hit
Problems
Keep eyes on ball even after follow through Follow through is too long Twisting hands Pivoting off of the end of the right hand (picking it up) Pushing the left hand down on the back swing or follow through Not bending ankles, back, knees
Problems (cont.)
Holding the stick with a baseball grip Cannot release right hand through the ball If the ball is between the feet the stick will hit the top of the ball If the ball is to the left of the body the sholders must turn on the follow through.
Hitting drills
Hit the ball with one hand (left and right) Hit the ball with feet together Hit the ball off of left and right feet Hit the ball and hit the ball left and right by changing hand position on the down swing Hit the ball on the run Cross by wing, shot on goal, pass forward
Hitting drills
Swing stick backwards and forwards and sweep the stick across the same spot on the ground-Bulbir Singh 4 Oympic gold medals Wall hitting-cement is ideal Stand 1,5,10.20 yards from the wall Right hand only on stick (maintain angle between stick and forearm) Play tennis-hit ball against wall and stop it
Hitting drills (cont.)

Move left, right, forwards, backwards and hit ball against wall Hit off of left foot and right foot Face wall Stand 90 degrees to the wall
Excercise 1
Bulbir Singh 4 time Olympic gold medalist for India Swing stick back and forth and sweep over the turf on the same spot.
Excercise 2
Marshall Page Rhodesia-one of the best fullbacks in the world in 1974 Position the ball half way between your feet and hit it against the wall-repeat
Excercise 3
Moin Iqbal full back Pakistan 1952 Foot work-rotate right foot forwards and hit the ball to the left. Popular in the Netherlands and Germany. Stephan Blocher used this move. Right hand pull and hit in one motion. Pul the ball to the right and slide hand up as the body rotates to the right, bend and hit the ball.
Excercise 4
Steven Davies Australia Foot work-run around the left of the ball and hit it laterally to the right. Choke up on the stick.
Excercise 5
Gavin Featherstone GB 1970s While carrying the ball forwards look one direction and hit it in the other direction
Excercise 6
Toen De Noor Nederlands While carrying the ball forwards look use a very short quick hit with no follow through to pass the ball to a team mate. Hands make the action.
Excercise 7
move the stick in a T from address to back swing pointing away from target to impact position to follow through pointing at target
Excercise 8
Neville Berman captain of South Africa 1974 put the ball 1 yard from the end line and shoot it in the goal. repeat with 10 balls Move the ball in 1 foot - repeat Move the ball to 1 foot from the end line - repeat Put the balls on the 10 yard line run and shoot from 3 feet, 2 feet, 1 foot from the end line
Excercise 9
Neville Berman Put 10 balls on the 25 yard line. Dribble one ball to the top of the D and shoot run back to the 25 and repeat
Baseball grip
Ball is bouncing Toe of stick is pointing sideways on follow through
Slap shot
Cross over step and hit
Forearms touch on follow through
Curl to the right and hit
Preparation
Eyes on target Feet close together so that adjustments in aligntment to target can be made Right hand is sliding up stick
Back swing
Toe straight up left arm straight
Folow through problem
Left arm collapses Stick is pointing way left of the target on the follow through
Preparation
When moving forwards in preparation of hitting the ball correct footwork is vital Position the ball at or behind the right foot The stick is angled over the ball
Back swing
Feet are positioned together ball is between feet and rolling forwards hands are close to the body eyes on the ball
Down swing
On the down swing the upper right arm is parallel to the upper body which is leaning forwards The right arm against the right side retains the angle of the stick and wrists which delays the release of the stick The delayed wrist release results in the maximum stick speed when hitting the ball
Follow through
Left knee is still bent hips turn still bent-stay down
Leaning backwards
Leaning to the right
Right foot swinging behind left The ball was outside of the shoulders and left foot.

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Field Hockey Playbook Hitting

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Field Hockey Playbook The Hit

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Why hit the ball

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Ever wonder about your hit?

Ball is 1 foot off of the ground WHY?????

Good Technique is Not Enough Lang Wedemeye

Playing under pressure

Defining technique and skill

Defining technique and skill (cont.)

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

What is the difference between technique and skill?

Hitting Do nots Under normal situations

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Donts-under normal situations

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Fundamentals and pressure

Fundamentals and pressure

Fundamentals and pressure (cont.)

Fundamentals and pressure

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Fundamentals and pressure

Grip- dont do this

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Ball position relative to the feet

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

In a natural position-same as when you are running

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Cross over step

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Hips and right elbow

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Hitting basics (cont.)

Hitting basics (cont.)

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Hitting basics (cont.)

Hitting basics (cont.)

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Hitting basics (cont.)

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Left arm straight Hands close to body

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Right elbow faces target

World class player

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Dont lift the stick up on the backswing

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010

Toe pointing to the left of the target.

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2010