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Field Hockey PlaybookThe HitDerek E. Pappas
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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 field 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 field 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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Al Pacino said in the movie Any Given Sunday "it is a game of inches".
Bad technique results 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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Why hit the ball
Shoot on goal
Make a long pass across the field at speed
Relieve pressure by hitting the ball through the defense up the field
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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?????
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
“Good Technique is Not Enough” Lang Wedemeye
The coach’s 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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Defining technique and skill Lang WedemeyeTechnique 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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Defining technique and skill
(cont.) Lang Wedemeye
(cont.)
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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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 player’s success rate is heightened.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting “Do not’s”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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting “Do’s”
Hit the back of the back
Position the ball in the correct position relative to your feet
Release/Sweep the stick through the ball
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Don’ts-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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Fundamentals and pressure
Fundamentals hold up under pressure
Bad fundamentals cause bad hits under pressure
If you have good fundamentals then under pressure when the adrenalin is flowing 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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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)
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Fundamentals and pressure
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Fundamentals and pressure
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
FundamentalsHead 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 don’t 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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
FundamentalsGrip
Footwork/body posture
Take away
turn
Pivot point/plane
weight shift
release
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Grip
2 v’s formed by thumb and for finger face right chin
Hands facing each other to work together
Right Hand coves top of grip
Hands are two fists holding the stick
Relax the hands when holding the stick
Right hand faces down the line towards the target
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Grip- don’t do this
Do not use a baseball grip where the hands are not facing each other
Do not hold the stick in fingers only
Do not wrap fingers aginst palm-wrap the fingers around the stick
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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 from the target on the back swing
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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 finger to form the angle. You will push the stick down and change the plane of attack
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Ball position relative to the feet
The ball is positioned somewhere between the middle of the feet and the left foot
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Stick position
Toe up
Address-between feet
Back swing pointing away from target
Follow through-pointing towards the target
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Feet
In a natural position-same as when you are running
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Footwork
You do not want to position the ball outside your feet in normal sitations
This means when running down the field position the ball relative to your right foot so that at impact the ball is between your feet
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Cross over stepUsed for moving sideways and hitting the ball
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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 flat as possible as you hit
bend left knee 90 degrees
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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”
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting basics (cont.)
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)
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting basics (cont.)
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting basics (cont.)
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 finger on left hand is a pivot point (not the index finger on the right hand)
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting basics (cont.)
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting
GripFootworkPostureWeight shiftSweepHalf wayUpright
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting-cont.
StationaryNormalOff of right footOn the runLeft footRight footChoke up on StickArgie reverse stick hit
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Stationary hits
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting fundamentals
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 flat not arched
right wrist is cupped
sweep stick back-don’t pick it up
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting fundamentals
Left arm straight
Hands close to body
Player Analysis
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Do’sSmeets has the ball behind/even with the right foot-knees bent
Hands are close to the body-eyes on the ball
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
FootworkFootwork adjusted to the position of the ball
Ball even with the right foot
Ball will roll forward to the correct position on the downswing
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Right elbowRight elbow touching the right side of the body
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
DownswingRight 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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Follow throughWhat happened?
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Dont’s Helicopter swing
Elbow points straight back-flying elbow
Player has to loop stick
Ball outside of feet
Right hand in baseball position
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Right elbow faces target
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
AnalysisGood: Elbow in side, hips turing, ball between feet, left arm straight, wrist flat.
Bad: stick off plane (dropped), left knee straightening, where is the weight (left or right foot)?
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
World class playerGood: 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?
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Right hand seems to stay under the stick
Not pointing at the target line on release
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
CompensationToe 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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Don’t lift the stick up on the backswingEverything 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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
CompensationToo 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 degress or less
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
HittingElbow in side
But shoulders have rotated faster than the arms
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Toe pointing to the left of the target.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
As a consequence the hands roll over the ball.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting follow throughPoint the stick at the target
Key arms straight
Keep the triangle intact
Let the arms overlap
Weight on left knee/foot
(not your toes)
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Common hitting mistakes
moving head, body, left wrist left/right or up/down
back curved-no vision-can see ground-not field
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Common hitting mistakes-rotating wrists on back swing
picking stick up
pivot point is not left little finger
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Bad right hand gripBall is bouncing
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Out of planeFlying 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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Baseball grip
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Flying elbowStick pointing up and away from body.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Falling away from the ballAs a result the players weight is on their right side instead of the left side at impact.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Making spacePut 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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Right hand positionSlide the right hand up the stick to get ready for the hit
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Hitting drillsSwing 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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
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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.
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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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Excercise 5
Gavin Featherstone GB 1970’s
While carrying the ball forwards look one direction and hit it in the other direction
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Excercise 8Neville 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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
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Baseball grip
Ball is bouncing
Toe of stick is pointing sideways on follow through
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Slap shot
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Cross over step and hit
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Forearms touch on follow through
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Curl to the right and hit
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Preparation
Eyes on target
Feet close together so that adjustments in aligntment to target can be made
Right hand is sliding up stick
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Back swing
Toe straight up
left arm straight
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Folow through problem
Left arm collapses
Stick is pointing way left of the target on the follow through
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Back swing
Feet are positioned together ball is between feet and rolling forwards
hands are close to the body
eyes on the ball
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
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
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2010
Follow through
Left knee is still bent
hips turn
still bent-stay down
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Leaning backwards
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Leaning to the right
Right foot swinging behind left
The ball was outside of the shoulders and left foot.