North Shore United Hockey Club

It is designed for you, so please try out the new features including:

• Player Positions and Systems of Play
• Practice Sessions
• Drills and Skills
• Team Tactics
• Video Analysis
• Coaching Q and A
• NSU Player Profiles

Did you realise that……

A coach has a strong influence over the athlete. We must all have a clear philosophy based on our aims, beliefs and personality.

The objective is to educate our athletes about why and how we coach and develop trust and above all improve results and performance. A coaching philosophy will help you clarify your delivery and consistency, creating a strong bond between you and the athletes, leading to greater commitment and heightened performance.

This coaching section is designed as a tool to help develop a “roadmap”, giving your coaching direction. My advice is to:

• Get to know yourself as a coach, your strengths and weaknesses
• Know your obstacles and have strategies to overcome them
• Understand your athletes, their personalities, abilities, goals and why they play

Hopefully this will help you to enhance your coaching delivery, make your sessions more enjoyable and develop success.

The Effective Hockey Team

Whilst as Coaches and Players we like to add our own individuality into the mix, it is important to remember some fundemental laws of the Game:

1. The Ball travels faster than the Player - Although obvious this is the most under-employed and misused law. Not only can carrying or dribbling the ball effect the teams tactical shape it can serve to tire players out.

2. Play One-Touch Hockey - This concept needs players with an understanding of movement, footwork and vision in possession. It is harder for the opposition to focus their defence if the ball is constantly moving.

3. The Passer is free 9 times out of Ten

4. Attack from the Right, Score from the left - Initiated attacks down right channel often lead to more productive outcomes with scoring opportunities from the left. Of Course there is flexibility with this strategy depending on strengths of players and also tactics. However Germany use this simple strategy very effectively

5. Play in Triangles, Utilise depth and width of field -Dividing whole team into mini-zones which carry out attacking and defensive strategies

6. Keep switching focus from right to left and visa versa - Make the opposition constantly move, tire and leave spaces to exploit. Move the ball from side to side via back third to create channel openings to exploit, at pace.

7. Use of Back four - Team can rotate , swing and function through back four

- Paul Smith