How to Be a Better Field Hockey Player

Co-authored by Adam Falla

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 References

Looking for tips on how to improve your hockey skills? It takes training and practice, but with the right approach, you can turn yourself into a better field hockey player.

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It is easier to maneuver the ball that way and you can get more power and accuracy out of pushes, hits, and drives. With the ball in front of you, there is less risk of your stick rolling over the ball.
This can go a long way to improving how well you perform.Take up strength training and work on overall fitness.^{[1]
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Any type of hit where you lift your stick is an opportunity to get a penalty or to get the ball taken away from you.
Stepping on a ball or not moving your feet fast enough is something that can be easily corrected, but if not will result in the other team getting a free hit, so just move your feet!^{[2]
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This gives you a much larger area to stop the ball with and increases your chances of getting the ball greatly.^{[3]
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Better it go out of bounds then for them to get a direct shot on goal.
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Use your sidelines as much as possible. Just trust me on this one, it is much easier to get up on the field this way as there are less players crowded over to the sides and it's easier to maneuver.
- Always try to use the full width of the field. The more crowded the area, the more benefit for using the sidelines.
Listen to your coaches and your teammates.^{[4]
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Channel them down the side, preventing them from passing in towards the middle. Run them out over the backline. They cannot score unless they come into the circle. Watch for the back pass from the baseline towards the spot though.
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Expert Q&A

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How do you get colleges to notice you for field hockey?

Adam Falla
Field Hockey Coach
Adam Falla is a Field Hockey Coach and the Director at Leap Hockey in Austin, Texas. Adam co-founded Leap Hockey, an online platform to help players develop their skills & hockey fitness. Adam has been coaching for over 25 years in the UK & US and was one of the US Men's Masters Coaches at the Exin World Cup in Teresa, Spain 2018. He has also been the Head Coach at Lonestar FHC.

Adam Falla

Field Hockey Coach

Expert Answer

The best way is to start playing with a recognized club that plays in the USA Field Hockey tournament system. The tournaments that are run by most of the major hockey clubs, attended by most of the major hockey clubs in the country, all have college coaches watching and attending them as well. There's also a program called Nexus (run by USA Field Hockey) that you can be entered into by your club coach or high school coach. That's another opportunity to be spotted by the college system by playing club hockey.

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How do I get better at field hockey as a beginner?

Adam Falla
Field Hockey Coach
Adam Falla is a Field Hockey Coach and the Director at Leap Hockey in Austin, Texas. Adam co-founded Leap Hockey, an online platform to help players develop their skills & hockey fitness. Adam has been coaching for over 25 years in the UK & US and was one of the US Men's Masters Coaches at the Exin World Cup in Teresa, Spain 2018. He has also been the Head Coach at Lonestar FHC.

Adam Falla

Field Hockey Coach

Expert Answer

The important thing is to try and find your local club—in-person coaching is really valuable since field hockey is a technically complicated sport. If that's not possible in your area, there are some great resources on the internet, whether it's YouTube videos or specific training websites. Ultimately, you're going to need some experienced instruction in order to get the correct fundamental techniques that will allow you to go out and enjoy the game.

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Should I angle my hockey stick in order to receive the ball?

Community Answer

Yes, angle your stick a little bit towards the ground. If your stick is flat to the ball, it will likely to go high or over the stick.

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Tips

Play your position.

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Call for the ball.

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Communicate with your teammates and listen to your coaches.

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Warnings

A backhand can be used as an aerial shot or flat on the ground to score amazing goals, or if you're playing up the right side of the field a backhand can be used if you are running out of room to whack the ball up to the circle!

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