COACHING RESOURCES
Long Term Field Hockey Development (LTHD)
Sports can be classified as early or late specialization. Sports such as gymnastics and figure skating qualify as early specialization, while other sports such as soccer and field hockey are classified as late specialization.
Because field hockey is a late-specialization sport, LTHD actively discourages early specialization since premature specialization contributes to imbalanced physical development, overuse injuries, early burnout, and inadequate development of movement and sports skills.
In harmony with the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model developed by Canadian Sports Centres and currently being adopted by over 50 sports organizations in Canada and around the world, LTHD recognizes these seven stages in the development of field hockey players:
- Stage 1: Active Start: Ages 0-6
- Stage 2: FunStix: Ages 6-10
- Stage 3: Learning to Train: Ages 9-12 males, 8-11 females
- Stage 4: Training to Train: Ages 12-16 males, 11-15 females
- Stage 5: Training to Compete: Ages 16-19
- Stage 6: Training to Win: Ages 19 and beyond
- Stage 7: Hockey for Life: All ages
Here are some resources for each developmental stage as well as some specific skill areas such as goalkeeping and penalty corners.
Active Start (0 - 6)
Absolute beginner skills and drills to practice them - aimed at complete beginners and younger players
FUNdamentals (6 - 10)
Developed by FHC this is a 10-session plan for FUNdamentals level coaches with many games and activities. Works best if used throughout as skills build from one week to the next.
http://www.panamhockey.org/files/documents/2013/eng/2013-FUNdamental_fieldhockey.pdf
FUNdamentals level coaching guide for new coaches.
This guide walks you through hockey basics and offers 10-session plans. Suitable for 6 - 10 year old players.
Learn To Train (9-12 males, 8-11 females)
http://lthd.fieldhockey.ca/en/u10lessonplans
10 sessions for U10s all planned out. Can easily be adapted to lower or higher levels, but provides a great framework for a series of sessions.
Train To Train (12-16 males, 11-15 females)
Comprehensive resource aimed primarily at higher levels. Use this to find specific skills. To slot into sessions. Best used when you know what you are looking for.
Train to Compete (16 - 19)
Comprehensive resource aimed primarily at higher levels. Use this to find specific skills. To slot into sessions. Best used when you know what you are looking for.
Goalkeeping
Field Hockey New Zealand Goalkeeping Resource
This resource leads you through the basics of goalkeeping and offers many drills to get you started.
Other Useful Resources
This is the foundational document for most recent research and development of sport principles in Canada, and increasingly in the rest of the world too. A must-read for anyone interested in current trends and thoughts in sporting development.
A comprehensive guide to the LTAD principles aimed at parents. It outlines why early specialisation is not recommended and why the LTAD principles are used.
This document outlines the importance of physical literacy throughout life. It is a useful background document for those who are interested in going into more detail into the theory and policy decisions surrounding sport for life.
https://fieldhockeybc.com/coaches/coaching-resources/
FHBC's page of resources for a variety of extra help, including sample lesson plans and links to further resources.