If you have decided to move from playing hockey into coaching, then there are certain things you should be doing in order to make that transition a successful one. Here we look at some useful things to know if you want to be a successful field hockey coach.
Whatever your nationality, you cannot fail to have been impressed by the performance of the British women’s hockey team at the Rio 2016 Olympics as they won the Olympic Gold Medal in a penalty shoot-out against the Netherlands. A contributing factor to the success of the team was the coaching of Danny Kerry, who over the course of 11 years turned the GB women’s hockey team into a world-beating force.
Start as You Mean to Go On
It is a good idea to start by making sure your team knows what is expected of them. Things such as a positive attitude during training, turning up to train on time and ready to do so, as well as making sure the players respect you and each other, are all things that are worth reminding the team about. Once a team knows what is expected of them and you understand what they expect from you, then they are likely to perform better and winning matches becomes more likely.
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Plan Around Your Team
If you are new to the team, it is going to take a while to work out where everyone fits and to get to know everybody’s strengths and weaknesses. This can take some time to work out, and it is important to remove any bias when choosing players to start a game, as this can lower morale among the team. It is also important to create a working team dynamic and team mentality and this can be achieved off the pitch as well by taking part in team-building exercises like Tank Driving Experience gatherings like the ones that you can find at armourgeddon
There should be a plan for all practice sessions, with each session including field hockey drills and stamina work.. They should include some drills to help build skills and can vary from session to session, as well as other activities. The other activities should generally take place in every training practice so that each practice session has a clearly defined structure.
So if you are about to start coaching hockey, whether at the amateur or professional level, then as long as you remember to start as you mean to go on and plan around your team, then you should be a success.
