Tactical Problem – Maintaining Possession of the Ball

Lesson focus:  Passing and Hand Eye Coordination

Skill objective:   To teach the students the basics rules and objectives within the sport of field hockey by use of short passing drills and relays.

Introductory task/game

Four-goal game

-Four goals were set up on the fours sides of a square. The students were partnered up and instructed to pass the ball three times before scoring on each goal. Students could not intercept other teams’ passes and must have control over their ball at all times. Equipment used was field hockey balls and sticks.

-First the game was used as a race, ensuring that the game be a warm-up activity.

-The game was then timed and the students were to count how many goals they were able to accumulate in a minute.

Diagram:

Relays

-Students were lined up in groups of three and (one at a time) were to run to a cone in front of them, bounce the ball five times on their stick, drop the ball, and run back to their partners.

-The goal of the second relay was simply to dribble to ball from the start cone to the far cone and back.

Skill/Concept development tasks/games

The skill development began with brief explanations how to grip a field hockey stick, how to pass, and the variations on passing.

The students were then placed in pairs, lined up parallel along the soccer goal line, and:

-tried both types of passing (push and hit)

-began passing races (largest count of passes within a time limit)

Game and culminating activity: 

The students were placed in games for two main reasons:

-For us as teachers to get an idea of what the students were capable of within the sport and base the next two lessons on that information

-For the students to have time to explore the game as a whole.

Three rules were explained before the game began:

1.No hitting the ball with the back side of the stick

2.No hacking the stick of other players

3.No hitting the ball with your feet

Finally, the class was given a short review of what was covered in the class.