2000 Pan American High Performance Coaching Course February 10 – 15, 2009

Hamilton, BermudaCourse Conductors: FIH Coach Grade 1 – ShiazVirjee (Canada)

• FIH Coach - William (Bill) Gaudette (USA), FIH Coach• Olympian - Jorgelina Rimoldi (Argentina)

Development Quickness• Field Hockey Specific Speed: FH speed is the ability to

start quickly from all different positions, accelerate to top speed in the shortest time possible, change direction, and stop rapidly, under control to make the play.

• Why Train Footwork: The feet are in contact with the ground in movement and all movements are initiated off the ground. It is the feel that must absorb shock on ground contact and then use these forces to propel the body in the desired direction.

• Get Hips to Feet: Quick feet are actually quick and supple hips. Control and positioning the center of gravity is the major objective of proper footwork.

Quickness• Foot Position/Weight Distribution: It is not necessary to

be up on the toes because the foot must come back down to the ground to initiate movement. The weight should be distributed approximately 75% to the forefoot and 25% to the rear foot in order to allow multi-directional movement.

• First Step Position: First Step should be of appropriate length to create a positive shin angle. The foot should hit slightly behind the center of gravity to allow the large powerful hip extensors to work. A long first step forces the player to try to pull themselves over the foot. This is not a good position for force production.

Quickness

• Foot Movement– Contact point – preferably toward the ball of the foot– Weight distribution – the weight should be distributed

over the whole foot– Height of step – A low heel recovery is necessary to

put the foot in proper position to push against the ground. Movement upward is a wasted motion.

– Sound – Quiet is the Key, no foot contact sound– Rhythm/Tempo – foot contact should be rhythmic

Evaluative Criteria for Exercises

• Is it functional• Does it relate to the actual movement on

the pitch• Is it adaptable

Quickness• The difference 20 years ago and field hockey

today is speed, agility and quickness. Despite research of the influence of saq in field performance, in spite of research of the changes possible in players and teams; in spite of research showing the impact of saq in rehab; we only see saq a little bit now and again, here and there but no sustained programs. Not only can we increase on field performance, impact win loss records; and reduce incidents of injury. 80% of injury occurs in non contact activities.

Quickness

• There are 3 planes of Motion: acceleration, deceleration and stabilization

• Frontal Plane: Side to Side• Sagittal Plane: forward and backward• Transverse Plane: rotational

Quickness

• 80 to 90% of injuries occur when you deceleration and rotation. Here is the kicker, most training is linear or in straight lines and transverse or rotational training is rather ignored. Most actions are Multi Plane with 3 muscle actions.

• Technical, acceleration & agility, nuero muscular training, core & stabilization training.

Quickness• Technical: you don’t need much space nor much equipment, you

can learn a lot just by observing your players run, is there a little foot rotation, knew inversion, external hip rotation, excessive or multi directional arm movements.

• tweaks in your back pocket that you can show your players• 1. segittal Plane: elbows locked, tight position, shoulder upright and

square.• Chin to pocket, wasted side to side movements, tell your player he

is in a glass box pinching in in all directions, your elbows flare out you break glass wall, toes flare in or out you break glass,

• Look at the Knee complex and the Ankle complex. Repair these by tweaking: run in place with high knees, elbows locked and tight, look at all the details, arms, good hip separation, core, hip complex, knee complex, ankle complex. Paint the walls and don’t break the glass.

Quickness• You need to have a Chest Up position in a low

run position, by bringing up the chest in the low running position we tighten the abs. The spine is aligned and the core is tight, and this with the chest up gives you proper alignment of the back. Any motion we have from upper body is transferred to lower body and any motion from lower body is transferred to upper body.

• Stretching and flexibility: Remember we do not do any static stretching until we get the core temperature up.

Quickness• Stretching the Hip Flexors, these flexors control the

external rotation of the foot. You can stretch them by moving your hips forward, shoulders back raise arms and now bring shoulder back. The stretching leg is forward and extended.

• If you have tight hip flexors – your stride length is shortened.

• Speed is a function of stride length and stride frequency so if we can improve one of these we can increase speed.

• There are a series of exceptional exercises that can be accomplished in 30 minutes that encompass all these muscle motion groups.

Quickness• Acceleration Drills: These are much more

important than raw speed. 15 yards is the average sprint distance of a hockey player so why are we testing 40 yards, we need to enhance speed and agility.

• Warm up using a 3 point sprint stance – acceleration mechanics. Set position, butt higher than shoulders, left foot in front of R, toe aligned with heal, right foot out shoulder width apart.

• This will be a 5 yard run but field hockey is most importantly about the 1st 3 steps. And in 5 yards complete deceleration.

Quickness• Pretend the ground is a drum machine. Every step I take

on a drum machine, should sound like 1-2-3 or bang, bang bang. In order to decelerate, drop hips, decelerate low, shorten strides.

• x x x• x x x• Watch the back foot, that it stay just behind the front foot,

do initially at ½ speed, then ¾ speed.• The key is to stress the lead leg. Yes this is not field

hockey specific, yet.

Quickness• You need to decelerate Quicker, low hips, short

stride, after you achieve the 3 key strokes, begin deceleration.

• Reverse lie-down's ; again the first 3 steps of acceleration are important and then deceleration, now field hockey specific. Lay flat on stomach, in one motion get up, plant right foot, explode 15’ then decelerate. Again coaches look at the most important 1st 3 steps first. Now we can see some players quicker than others and some stop more efficiently. When finished initial sets, repeat same with other leg.

Quickness• Ladders: 6 exercises – key is to teach a safe quick progression, progress properly• 1. 2 feet in and 2 feet out, side of ladder, need a stable base, single plane

• 2. Stable Base, 2 plane: side hops

• 3. Stable Base, 3 plane: fast, one kick back 2/3

• 4. Unstable Base 1 plane: single leg in and outs, drop hips, chest up, short, choppy, quick

• 5. Unstable Base, 2 planes: one leg hops, one leg stabilization and rotate, ACL & MCL injuries cost 6 – 12 months loss of your player.

• 6. Instable Base, 3 planes: 90 degrees, one leg with 90- degree turns.

Quickens• rotational forces on ankles cones, 7 or 8

• Start at half speed, progress to full speed, terms will be switch and home. Start clockwise, turn on a dime, switch direction, full speed, switch, turn on a dime, home (continue current direction till home)

• Each athlete can have a number, call out 2 numbers and goal is to weave in an out of cones and beat your teammate back home. This is a Raw Agility exercise

• Full speed counter clockwise, switch, switch, switch, Home.

Quickness• Ply metrics: The body does not work in isolation so plyo’s are a

great exercise to teach the body muscle groups to work together, BUT there are rules:

• Treat ground like surface of sun• Land safely• antelopes not elephants• Knees to chest not knees tucked• Reduce risk of injury• Be sure landing mechanics are proper• Progress – jump, land and stabilize for 2 seconds• Coaches look at feet, knees and hips of the players• Now in Sequence• Jump Quickly

Quickness• Now up a gear• Max power, agility and Quickness• Go through exercise and chase – plyo, then plant 5 yd

sprint and end with 5 yard back sprint to starting line.• 2 players at a time• 1 to 5 is the best work/rest ratio• Train to max power – very important for this is the rest

ratio, so if it takes 6 seconds to go through exercise, you need to rest 30 seconds.

• Competitive – you can make it so you try to catch the first person.

Quickness

• The Body has 3 systems• ATPCP (this is what we are stressing)• Glacalitic• Oxidative • You will never max speed, agility and

quickness unless you use proper rest ratios

Quickness

• Staggered Hurdle Drill – lateral jumps and then back pedal. Be sure you have breakdown steps before you back pedal

• You do this as it is the same action that can cause injury but we are doing it under a controlled environment – so it is explode, decelerate and then back pedal

Quickness

• Neuro muscular• 8” hurdles• 1st Box hops, then one foot hops over cones,

then 1 foot hops over 8” hurdles then long linear hops

• Developing neuro muscular efficiency• This is an unstable base with 3 verticals• You need to get max height so you can go much

higher than the hurdle to achieve max output.

Quickness• Combine neuro muscular training• Hurdle React:

• Quick feet – feet comfortable width apart• Fast firing feet• Chest up, core tight• Commands: jump, sky floor, left, right• Force: drive, drive, drive

Quickness

• Fatigue makes cowards of us all, Vince Lombardi

• Advanced: when I say left go R• When I say Sky go floor• When I say floor go Sky• When I say l go R• All with quick feet.

Quickness

• Core Circuit• Outer core is the stuff you see on the beach but

if you work on your inner core you can actually cut your time in a 10 yard sprint

• Your inner core fires first before your outer core and other muscle groups, TVA, pelvic an deep

• The inner core gives the prime movers their signal to fire

• We need to train these under time and tension

Quickness

• Vee Sit• Level 1 Back Straight, Core tight, only

raise heels 1” off ground, no leaning back

• Level 2 Same with 24” Keep back straight.

Quickness

• Level 3: legs out and arms out• Key: as soon as you breakdown one facet

the exercise is over. Do not try to re-start

• If you have some difficulty in Levels 1,2 & 3

Go to the Plank: advance to one leg up