Level III Hockey Coaching
Course
Karnataka State Hockey Association, Bangalore
Conducted from April 16, 2003 to June 28, 2003
AGE OF 7
Physical Development
- Growth is slow and steady
- Annual growth is 2-3 inches in height, and 3-6 pounds in weight
- Starts losing milk teeth
- Hand and eye coordination improves
- Better use of small muscles
Behavioural Characteristics
- Sensitive to the feeling and attitude of others
- Needs approval of elders
- Interests of boys and girls differ
- Full of energy, but get easily tired
- Anxious to do things well
- Likes to use hands a lot
- Talkative
- Enjoys songs/rhymes/fairy tales/stories/comics/drama
- Starts thinking about right and wrong
Special Needs
- Right combination of independence and encouragement
- Adults should not be rude and rough, they like the adults to be friendly
- Active participation
AGE OF 8
Physical Development
- Growth still slow and steady (arms lengthening)
- Eyes ready for near and far vision
- Permanent teeth continue to appear
- Large muscle groups are developing
- Skills improve further
- Attention span improving
- Chances for developing poor posture start
Behavioural Characteristics
- Often careless/noisy/argumentative but also alert/friendly
- Still dependent on mother
- Sensitive to criticism
- Prone to injuries
- Likes to have good friends from the same sex
- Greater capacity for self-evaluation
- Shows interest in small class room dramatics
- More responsive to group activities
- Knows the value and use of money
- Fond of team games/adventure stories/collections and comics
Special Needs
- Praise and encouragement/responsibilities to be often reminded
- Wise guidance to channelise interest/supervision and planned after-school
activities
- Needs both large and small muscle group exercises
AGE OF 9 (TO 13)
Motor Development
- Many skills are already learnt/new skills can be easily learnt without
assistance
- Simple movements are learnt very easily
- Called as 'specific performance age'/speed and basic endurance with
coordination ability increases considerably
- Flexibility starts decreasing, more attention should be given at this age
- Want challenging tasks/training can be hard
- Partner exercises, with apparatus throwing and jumping exercises
- Methodical approach is necessary because spinal column is still developing
– weight training exercises must be performed by sitting or lying down
positions
AGE OF 10
Recommended Activity
- Emphasis should be on fun and participation
- Individual develops perceptual and motor coordination skills. Emphasis on
stick/ball handling skills and hand-eye coordination movement
- Individual assumes and follows leadership, team activities are introduced.
Provide opportunity for players to practice skills they have discovered.
- Cannot understand complicated game rules
- Early success is important in developing self confidence and eagerness to
learn more
- Physiologically, girls are almost a full year ahead of boys, they develop
coordination skills faster
Skills Training
- Dribbling with a comfortable/correct grip – moving with the ball and
stopping
- Moving the ball from reverse to open side- moving with the ball and
bringing to open face
- Close dribbling, scanning while dribbling
- Pushing – stationary push/push to either side while dribbling/push to
front and both side
- Receiving – trapping stance and stick position – moving to trap the
ball/receiving on the move/trapping for next move/trapping on the reverse
- Passing – to gain an advantage/to retain possession/to beat an opponent
- Hitting – grip and stroke – hitting on the move/retaining possession and
keeping off opponents/concept of attack and defence/players to rotate amongst
all playing positions
AGE OF 12
Recommended Activity
- Low-key competition
- More emphasis on winning can be detrimental to skill acquisition and
personal development
- Make them accept both winning/losing
- Emphasis on skills learning, early success in skills learning is important
for self confidence
- Continuous all round physical activity is required
- Complicated rules could be given a thought
Skills Training
- Dribbling – grip/scanning while dribbling/beat an opponent/create space
- Pushing – from close dribbling/reverse stick push/review pushing in all
directions
- Receiving – review stance and stick position/trapping on reverse/review
trapping while stationary and moving/trapping into advantageous
position/trapping raised balls
- Passing – square pass/back pass/through pass/passing over an opponent
stick
- Hitting – review grip and stroke/hitting with power/hitting off either
foot
- Flick and scoop – stance and grip/flicking on the move/penalty stroke
- Tackling – confronting the opponent/direct tackle/tackling
position/reverse tackle
- Review concept of attack and defence/creating space and working off the
ball/encourage communication and decision making/encourage rotation in playing
roles and leadership
- Allow them to have other activities like athletics/cricket/swimming, etc.
AGE OF 14
Recommended Activity
- Emphasise on skills learning and acquisition
- Remedial work on basic skills
- Individuals could specialize on positional play and alternate position
- Girls advance faster than boys due to maturation
- Physical training involving endurance and strength are fine, but the training
procedures should be closely associated with game requirements
- Individuals should be given more opportunity to be involved in decision
making and group goal setting
- More complicated playing rules and interpretation should be taught
Skills Training
- Dribbling – review all techniques/emphasise on change of pace/feinting
- Receiving/controlling – reviewing trapping technique/deflecting to receive
in space/pushing/hitting/scooping to eliminate an opponent/receiving to shoot
at goal/passing skills/slap shots/rebounds
- Tackling – review confronting and delaying the opponent/direct and reverse
tackles/lunge tackles
- Goal keeping – review stopping with feet/clearing/blocking/use of hands
and feet/stopping with hands/stick clearances/side tackles/defending penalty
corner/penalty strokes
- Set plays/attack and defence in relation to space/expand on creating
space/varying the tempo of the game
