5 Field Hockey Skills for Beginners
Hockey is both fun and a competitive sport that includes a combination of team strategies and physical skills. When you are a new hockey player, then it can be more overwhelming and exciting both at the same time. Therefore, the hockey player must learn and know the importance of starting the game in the right manner.
The beginner players of hockey should have the ability to have aggression to make the right and quick decisions for the game. They should also be willing to be focused and coordinate with other players as a team.
Therefore, to brief you more about hockey, here are five essential skills that are to be remembered when you want to improve your beginner’s game.
- Positioning and Leading
Positioning and leading are coincidentally the same and are a skill of passing the ball during the game. For example, a hockey player must pass the ball effectively to the player and ask them to position their body appropriately to take the ball.
Leading allows the player to give more time to all the other players and make the best decisions according to the time. It is also important to hit the ball at the correct timing as, without this, the entire skill is not possible.
- Stick Tackle
Make sure to have a flat stick tackle that is required for every hockey player on the field. Committing more time to the stick tackle and being flat-footed can make a bad tackle that results in injury.
You have to be patient and wait for the moment to keep your stick down and make a clean and right tackle. It is necessary to have a perfect stick when playing hockey as there are so many materials and styles, and it is hard to decide what to get.
Therefore, buy a hockey stick made of wood from Ritual Hockey as wood is a flexible and durable material that is helpful to start the sport.
- Hitting
Having powerful hitting in the field hockey game is necessary to get the right position. Several factors are involved in having an accurate and powerful hit, such as body, foot, and head position.
It is essential to make sure that your hip is rotating, your head is on the top of the ball, and your weight is going forward during a hit. This will let you hit the ball more powerfully and accurately.
- Passing
Field hockey is a game that requires movement during play. Therefore, it is essential to have players that can easily pass the ball to teammates that do not disrupt the moving. Passing is very useful for every position on the hockey field.
You may also have to work on various styles of passing that are found during your position. For instance, if you are a striker, you want to work on a one-touch pass, and if you are a midfielder, then it is required to work on passing off the left or right foot.
- First Touch
It is essential to have a great first touch to move the ball in the correct direction where you see the space. A good touch is when you can receive and move the ball in the right or left direction, which indirectly creates space between you and the defender.
You also get time to scan the field and know about the next move. Then, to create the first touch, know the right trick to receive the ball from a variety of spots and angles on the field.
Bonus Tip– There is a time when players use 3D skills to defend. So, you should use a controlled lift that can be used against players who use flat stick tackles. When you also use 3D skills, then the defender will think about approaching you next time with doubts in their mind. Also, learn certain lifts and jinks to stay in the game.
These are the basic skills that will help a beginner to play field hockey in the best possible way. Therefore, do not spend too much time knowing about the fancy skills that you have never listened to and read about; rather, follow the tips listed above. Remember, if you pass and receive well in the game, then you can reach the winning level.
