Hockey Session (Senior): Sunday 19th Jan Session

Warm Up Pass/Shoot

- In pairs, pass between the cones, make the gaps between cones relatively challenging. 

- The player on the right, must play every pass and receive on their forehand. 

- The player on the left, must play every pass and receive on their reverse/backhand

- Whoever receives the ball at the top of the circle has a shot...on target=safe, off target = the pair runs

Think about where the receiver wants the ball, ball pace and how far in front (or behind) they want it. 

Do 2 crates of balls, ensuring you mix up being on the left or right. Then do 2 further crates and put a target on the number of goals/shots on target - let's start being ruthless in the circle. 

Structural game

Structural play:

- Blue team out letting from a 16/hit out

- Orange team defending/set up in a press/screen as the front 5 (2 strikers and 3 attacking mids). 

Aim:

- Blue team try to connect with 2 blue players on the half way line by transferring ball between the 3 (ideally keep the 2 players beyond the half way line to make more difficult for blues, and slightly easier for orange but if orange become too successful then can put a blue player in the middle 25 zone as one of our defensive mids.)

- Orange team press/screen against blue team. Remember our principle is narrow defence so help side midfielder (furthest from the ball) needs to be narrow, but no narrower than the centre line if the pitch was cut vertically. Everyone shifts/moves laterally left and right with the ball. Wide midfielders need to make sure they cut the line ball out as we want the outletting team to play inside as that's where we have more numbers. 

If blue outlet the ball to the half way line, they gain a point

If orange win the ball, they earn the right to attack (so GK may be very busy or not depending how well you press). 

Comms is important, but also know your role and think about angles of pass, make yourself look big and scary so they won't pass into or through you. 

As the pressing team (orange) if you keep the shape well, you will deny the blues an easy outlet opportunity...if it's scrambled and messy and out of shape, it will be soooooooooo easy for them to outlet through you. 

If there's a spare player, get them to stnd behind the half way line and observe as it's clear to see what's not quite working and where the missing links are

Any feedback/comments through the exercise need to be productive and positive...think back to meeting number 1 where we aim to put a positive spin on everything. 

(Can also try out letting with a back 4 and having just one player on the half way line) 

Make sure both teams switch up attack vs defense and try to play in a position you'd like to play in.