Hitting fundamentals

The Art of Hitting:Hitting Fundamentals

in Field HockeyDerek Pappas

Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2015

The questions• Ever wonder why international teams

hitting the ball during a shooting warmup can’t consistently put the ball into the goal corners?

• Ever wonder why at the end of the game when a team needs a goal they lift the ball into the D when they hit it?

• Why payers can’t hit the ball on the ground, without spin at a target consistently?


Fundamentals

• The are fundamentals that must be followed in order to hit a ball correctly

• The hitting fundamentals are not written down or coached on a regular basis

• Players are told to hit the ball at practice with little regard to the fundamentals

• Why?


Argentina WNT 2000-2008

• Who taught the hitting fundamentals to the ARG WNT?

• Why was Soledad Garcia such a lethal forward?

• Why were Magdalena’s hits so accurate?

• Who taught Aymar the biomechanics?

• It is obvious that these players were coached to hit the ball correctly. Their hitting skills were not developed accidentally


The course

• This presentation attempts to cover the fundamentals of the field hockey hit, hitting faults and the drills that can be practiced to learn the hit


Ball position relative to the feet

• The ball must be between the feet

• Players who rotate their hands to the right hit the ball outside of their left foot or if the ball is between the feet hit the top of the ball and raise the ball


Alignment to the target

• The heels of the feet should be parallel to the target or the right foot should be pulled back. The back is flat, the hips, knees, and ankles are bent substantially.


Ball position

• The ball should be positioned a few inches inside of the left foot.


The grip• The hands face one another. The top of the

grip is covered by the right hand and is not visible.

• The bottom pad next to the wrist of the right hand is on top of the stick.

• This can be checked by holding the stick with one hand and ensuring that there is an angle formed between the stick and the right arm.

• That angle must be maintained during the swing.


The grip (cont.)

• The two v’s formed by the thumb and forefinger are aligned with one another

• The bottom of the left hand is touching the top of the right hand

• The back of the left hand faces the target


Bad habits• Bending the left arm during the back swing

• Pushing the right elbow away from the body

• Not maintaining the front view shoulder/hands triangle

• Not maintaining the back view shoulder/hands/end of stick triangle

• Arching the back

• Swinging the right foot behind the left foot on the follow through

• Collapsing the arms/wrists during the follow through

• Straightening the left leg during the follow through

• Lifting the head up on the downswing/follow through

• collapsing/twisting/raising/lowering/rotating the wrists/stick at any point in the swing


Hitting alignment

• During practice place a stick behind the shoes and another stick on the outside of the ball

• Align the sticks parallel to the path of the ball


The palm of the right hand

• The muscular part of the bottom part of the right hand next to the wrist is placed on top of the stick first

• Then the hand and fingers wrap around the stick


Right hand

• The right hand during the backswing. Make sure that the right hand does not rotate around the stick into a :"baseball grip" or that the right palm does not come off of the grip during the backswing. The right hand should be relaxed during the backswing.


Palms facing each other

• Definition: vertical hands mean that the palms are facing each other, palm to pam (touching), and that the palms are 90 degrees to the ground. The forearm and the palms are in a line.

• Why do the palms face each other at 90 degrees to the ground?

• so the hands work together during the swing

• So that when the big forearm muscles tighten during the downswing the hands and forearms for a line


No head movements

• The head should not move right or left or up during the swing. The head should be moving down at impact.

• The eyes should be focused on the ball until impact and then at the spot where the ball is located after impact until the stick is horizontal.


The active position

• The player should be up on the front of the right foot with the right heel a quarter inch off of the ground in an active position. It is very difficult to initiate a hockey swing with the correct weight transfer and foot work standing flat footed.


Arm position

• First of all the arms and hand must be in a neutral position. When the palms of the hands are facing up and touching a triangle is formed between the shoulders, arms and hands.


The address

• The player should place the stick on the ball prior to hitting it.

• The left foot is turned out 20 degrees. The right foot 10 degrees. Do not stand with the feet 90 degrees to the target line or turned in.


Left arm

• The left arm should remain straight during the backswing.


Take away

• Maintain the two triangles

• The triangle formed by the arms and grip when viewed from the front of the player

• The triangle formed by the arms and stick and imaginary line from the end of the stick to the shoulders when viewed from the rear of the player


Take away (cont.)

• The hands and arms

• Sweep the stick back

• Do not rotate the hands

• Pivot off of the end of the stick

• don’t push the hands down, up or away from the body

• Do not twist the hands


The weight shift

• 80 percent of the player's weight starts onthe player's right foot. The weight distribution is retained during the backswing. During the downswing the weight shifts to the left foot.


Pivot point

• The pivot point is the left little finger.

• -watch that the right little finger or the right forefinger do not become the pivot piont


The toe of the stick

• The toe of the stick is 90 degrees to the ground @

• setup

• When the stick is horizontal in the backswing

• When the stick is horizontal in the follow through


The backswing

• The player should sweep the stick back along the ground.

• The face of the stick should be in the same relative position as at address at all positions during the back swing.


The backswing (cont.)

• Grip Hands vertical/together

• Take away straight back

• Right elbow relaxed

• Triangle (maintain the relationships between the shoulders, arms and hands


Turn the shoulders around the spine on the

backswing

• The body is a barrel

• Turn the barrel


Downswing• The downswing is initiated by stepping

down the line past the ball. The hips turn and the body uncoils into the ball. Power is generated with the torso and not with the upper body. The mistake the players make is that the left foot ends up right of the ball and not left of the ball. Set up a T on the ground. Place the ball on the line which meets the other line. The left heel should be on the line and left of the line pointing at the ball. The right foot should be on the line or behind it.


The right elbow on the backswing and

downswing• The right elbow Must touch the right side

when the stick is around horizontal on the backswing

• The right elbow Must touch the right side when the right arm is around horizontal on the downswing

• The right elbow should be 45 degrees to the line of the ball path and not 90 when the stick is waist high on the downswing


The right elbow.• The shoulders/arms/hands swing back in a

triangle.

• The right elbow then moved into the right side which creates the angle between the stick and the arm.

• Note: a big mistake is to put the elbow on the side and then to cock the wrists.

• This results in pushing the left hand down and alters the backswing


Weight distribution

• At address the weight is evenly distributed

• The weight on the back swing is on the right foot

• The weight shifts to the left at the top of the downswing

• 90% of the weight is evenly distributed on the left foot at impact


Keep the head down

• The eyes are focused on the ball and the spot the ball occupies

• Looking up causes the ball to go right. Why? As the player looks up the hands are pulled away from the ball and the player adjusts by pushing the hands out to block the hit.


The lunge position• Unlike the golf swing which uses an upright

position the hockey hit is best executed using a lunge position. The lunge position is used during Olympic weight lifting exercises. Top cricketers also use the lunge position when hitting the ball. Top golfers use a more upright lunge position. The lunge position at impact involves putting 90% of the weight ont he left foot and 10% on the right foot. The right knee is driven into the ground to a point 4"'s above the ground and the left knee is bent to the middle of the right foot (drop an imaginary 90 degree line down from the front of the left knee to the player's foot).


prior to impact• The eyes are focused on back of the ball

• The right knee is flexed

• The right knee is driving into the ground

• Hit the ball with the right quad and hip rotation

• Just before impact the left foot is planted and the left knee is flexed

• The player is in a powerful lunge position

• The left arm is straight and the right arm is straightening (releasing through the ball)


The bottom of the swing

Sweep the stick through the ball at the

bottom of the swing


Releasing the right arm through the ball

• Releasing means that the right hand remains vertical and moves through the ball so that the angle formed between the right hand and arm at the wrist straightens out.


The stick release


Impact and the next 3 feet beyond impact

• The player should be in a balanced lunge position at impact. The left arm is staright. The upper part of the left arm is braced against the upper left side of the body. The right arm is releasing through the ball. The palms are veritical. The left wrist is firm. The left wrist does not collapse.


Impact and the next 3 feet beyond impact

(cont.)

• The stick should be pointing at the target.


After impact• The right knee is still flexed

• The shoulders do NOT rotate

• The arms point to the ground

• The arms are straight and pointing at the ground

• The hands do not rotate unless the player is disguising the hit (advanced skill)

• The eyes remain on the spot where the ball was


Follow throughThe players should follow through the ball and hold the lunge position with the stick pointing at the target. Any

number of things may happen during the follow through. Remember the

follow through is a result of everything that happened during the swing. The follow through shows the

symptom(s) and not the cause.


Arm/wrist/stick angles

• When viewed from behind the angle between the arm and the stick should be maintained. When the player returns the stick to the ball on the downswing the same relative angle should be present.

• When viewed from the front the angle between the right arm and the stick should be maintained. If the angle is lost and the left wrist cups the player will lose a lot of power.


Deception• Using the wrist roll to control the direction

of the ball (the stick still hits the back of the ball), at waist high on the follow through

• Hit right the toe is slightly facing up• Hit straight the toe is 90 degrees to the

ground• Hit left the toe is slightly facing down

• Using the feet to position the ball forwards to hit the ball left

• Using the feet to position the ball backwards to hit the ball right


Compensation

• Compensation is a result of adjustments or changes to the relative position of the stick, hands, arms, body, legs and feet during the backswing.

• Compensation during the downswing means making adjustments to the hands, arms, body, legs and feet in an attempt to get the triangale back to the neutral position.


Blocking out

• Blocking means that the hands are not released through the ball.


Arm position• The arms are hanging down naturally. The right

elbow is relaxed and the left arm is straight. The players arms are not rotated in either direction from the natural position.

• The right elbow in the relaxed position is below the left elbow when viewed form the back. This position is neither natural or comfortable for the player when they first try it.

• Ensure that the right hand is vertical and still on the stick after relaxing the right elbow.


Awareness

• Repetition trains the body's nervous system to know where the ball is in relationship to the feet and stick.


Rythm

• The player should have a fluid swing. There should be no pauses , interruptions or unnatural movements during the swing.


Doing “nothing”

• The objective of the following exercises is to "do nothing".

• Doing nothing means no changes to the triangle throughout the swing. the objective of the swing is hit the back of the ball with the stick traveling in a straight line through the ball.


Spins

• The best spin is over spin

• Side spin and under spin makes the receiver’s job more difficult

• Try not to put spin on the ball


The different releases through the ball

• The following figure shows the stick in three different follow through positions

• Unless the player is using a wrist roll to disguise their hit’s direction (an advanced skill) then any follow through resulting in the stick not being vertical at horizontal is a fault


Hitting biomechanics


Problems with the hit• Players make adjustments on their backswing

• using the wrong pivot point in the hands

• rotating the hands clockwise/counter clockwise during the swing

• lifting the arms up during the back swing instead of sweeping the arms back

• moving the arms away from the body during the backswing

• failing to get the right elbow into the right side during the backswing

• reverse weight shift from left foot to right foot during the downswing

• standing up during the downswing

• collapsing the wrists through the ball

• swinging the right leg behind the left during the follow through,


Baseball grip fault• Rotating the hands to the right is a huge hitting fault?

• Why?

• To compensate the ball must be placed outside the left foot.

• No wrist rolling is allowed with this grip, so no deceptive hitting

• The forearms tighten during the downswing and want to eliminate the cupped wrists and create a straight line with the arm and hand. This can cause the stick to hit the top fo the ball.


Stick ball impact View from the front


Stick path when viewed from the front of the

player

Ball impact point

Correct: sweeping motion

Incorrect: chopping down (except when executing a

chop hit on goal)

Incorrect: not driving down through the ball.

Usually due collapsing thewrists


Stick path at the bottom of the hit when viewed from behind the

player

Ball impact point

Correct: straight line

Incorrect: inside out

Incorrect: inside then straight

Incorrect: outside in

Incorrect: outside then straight


When to hit the ball


how hard to hit the ball to a receiver

• The ball should be hit at a speed that delivers the ball to the receiver at the right time and in the right place.

• Learning how to hit the ball at the right pace requires practice.


Exercises• Hit with one arm: right only and left only• Hit with the left foot or right foot forwards• Sweep back and forth and hit spot• 10 Shots from the baseline at an acute

angle• 30 meter drive down a white line on the

field• Drive into the corners of the goal from

the top of the circle, hit the sidebars, use an obstacle to block the center

• Drive from the right and left wing positions


hitting a bouncing ball

• -cricket style


the different hits off of different feet


Craig Davies curl hit• Put both hands on the stick in the hitting grip

• Both arms straight

• Wrist bent 45 degrees

• Ball behind the feet

• Facing 90 degrees to the left of the target

• Run/curl right towards the target in this position

• Stay low

• Sweep the stick back

• Hit the ball at the target.


Practice positioning the ball

• Train your nervous system so it knows where the ball is in relationship to your feet.

• Stand with both feet together and in the above position. Feet aligned to the target. Roll the ball with the face of the stick 90 degrees to ground to the right of the target, Stop rolling the ball when it is in the position you want at impact relative to the right foot.


Understanding the triangle by moving the arms without

a stick.• The player should maintain the triangle throught the swing.

• 1. At address the arms hang down and the palms are vertical and touching.

• 2. The player should turn the arms to the right the hands should be parallel to the target line and the palms should be vertical.

• 3. At this point the right elbow bends into the side until the upper right arm is 90 degrees to the grand and touching the right side. The hands are still vertical


Understanding the triangle by moving the arms without a stick.

(cont.)

• 4. The right arm straightens and the arms move back towards the ball. The hands are still vertical.

• 5. The hands are returned to the ball in a vertical position.

• 6. The arms swing along the body (down the line)


Hitting at goal.• 1. The ball must be positioned correctly at impact

relative to the line that the player will hit it along. Note that the player can hit the ball in an arc that spans left and right from the ball position if the ball is positioned right of the left foot. The player should hit the ball as the ball rolls over the D line. The ball should be between the players two feet.

• 2. Run straight at the goal from the 25 yard line

• 3. As the player approaches the top of the D the player should run in an arc to the right so that they end up facing right at the top of the circle.


the different follow throughs


Different drills for shooting


Understanding the triangle by moving the arms without a stick.

(cont.)

• 7. The arms are straight and point down at the ground 3-4 feet from where the ball was positioned at address

• 8. The arms are straight and end up pointing to the target and the hands are still vertical.


Understanding the release of the right hand/keeping the right hand vertical during the release through

the ball.• Choke up on the stick.

• Place the hands just above the right knee.

• Point the stick at the target parallel to the heels.

• Move the hands/stick towards the ball while keeping the hands vertical.

• This should be rythmic.


Checking the movement of the head

• Have the player address the ball.

• Tell them to watch the spot where the ball is after the stick impacts the ball

• Tell them not to move their head right or up or back

• stand in front of the player

• hold the hook part of the stick and extend the stick so that the handle is near the left side of the player's head.

• have the hit the ball

• make sure that they understand that there head should not move left into the stick handle.


Cross over step

• Use a cross over step prior to hitting the ball from right to left


the different drills for defenders

• hitting under pressure as a defender

• first hit out of defense

• counter attack hits


the different drills for attacking


Drills

• Drills must be used to relate the fundamentals to performing the skill. Drills must be used to reinforce the skill.


Lunge position

• Assume a lunge position. The right knee should be 6 inches off of the ground and the right upper leg should be vertical, and the left knee is bent. Hit the ball without moving the lower body.


Sweeping the same spot

• The player swings the stick back and forth sweeping the stick across the same spot in each direction (from Bulbir Singh multiple Olympic gold medalist). The player should not collapse the wrists on the follow through.


Top of swing check

• The player swings the stick back and freezes their position, the coach then checks their alignment, grabs the end of the stick and tells the player to pull the stick down like they would in their normal backswing so they can feel what the swing should be like instead of the fishing/casting motion that most use which releases the angle between the arm/wrist prematurely.


Moving the toe at 90 degrees through the

range of motion• The player holds the stick out in front of

them at waist high with the toe pointing up. The coach then grabs the end of the stick and moves the stick around the player’s waist through the back swing and follow through keeping the toe up. The player then understands that they should not rotate the stick


One “armed” hitting

• Hit the ball with the right arm only. Swing the stick back so it is pointing at the sky and the right elbow is touching the right hipbone. Stop the swing at the top of the swing to control the stick. Focus on releasing the right wrist and arm through the ball.

• Hit the ball with the left arm only. Keep the left arm straight.


Hitting from the "zero" degree line

• Players shoot on goal stationary/moving 7 yards from the goal/1 foot from the goal line (this also tests the player psychologically because the goal mouth is only 1 foot wide at that angle)

• Variation: Hit with the right foot in front of the left (stationary)


Hitting off of one foot

• Hit the ball of the right and left feet while stationary and on the run. Keep the head down and watch the ball. Point the stick at the target on the follow through and keep both arms straight. Stop the follow through when the stick is waist high (horizontal).


Mini hit from knees• Two players stand 7 yards

apart.

• Choke up on the stick.

• Rest the stick on the right knee.

• Point the stick down the line at the target

• Hit the ball to the other player’s stick with a short swing.


Head down drill


Motion tests• Players are passed the ball from either side/the

back/the front and then must change the position of the ball and hit it at a target (this

• Tests their ability to position the ball and adjust their body when rotating with the ball to hit it)

• The player hits off of the right foot on the run at a target

• Hit with the right foot in front of the left (running) at a target

• There are about 50+ tests which is the subject of another paper


Physical breakdown

• 10 balls are placed on the ground in a line 1 foot apart, the player hits one ball after another, the player tires and the faults under pressure become evident.


Repetitive hittingHit one ball per second


Hit to the opposite side of the goal


Wall hitting

• The player hits the ball against the wall (the ball should return the their stick if the ball is hit correctly-self reinforcement)


Hit at a spot from different angles


Wall hitting


Wall hitting error zones


End line and goal hitting accuracy test


Hitting footwork rotataions


Hitting footwork Rotation left


Hitting footwork rotations (cont.)


Hitting footwork


Hitting footwork Rotation around the ball


Hitting footwork 6


The bouncing ball in the circle

• When the ball is bouncing in the circle the player’s tendency will be to take a full wind up and a big follow through.

• The bouncing ball must be hit with a shorted backswing and with no follow through much like a half volley in tennis

• The player must swing straight through the ball and not swing outside in and slice the ball

• The player needs to lock their wrists at impact to control the follow through

Hitting fundamentals

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