Speed training in field hockey can often prove to be the difference between winning and losing. If two teams are competing and are relatively equal in passing, dribbling, defending and shooting, the team that has the faster players is going to win most of the time. Speed drills can help players compete at a faster pace.
Interval Sprints
To develop the speed and endurance needed to play the game, have your players run interval sprints. Line all your players up on the endline. On your whistle players will sprint to the 25-yard line and back and then to the midfield mark -- which is 50 yards away -- and back to the endline. Take a two minute break and then run this interval sprint again.
Pass And Go
This is a two-player drill that should help overall explosiveness on the field. Players start out at the 25-yard mark. Player A carries the ball into the striking circle and passes to Player B. After making the pass, she sprints straight ahead to the endline where she attempts to chase down the return pass before it goes out of bounds. Player A knocks the ball back to Player B, who takes a quick shot. Have players run this drill again with the two players changing positions.
Cone Drill
This drill works on ballhandling and quickness, and is essential when it comes to making plays in the offensive zone. Set up a series of five cones. The player carries the ball to the right of the first cone, goes to the left of the second, the right of the third and continues on in that manner. She must maneuver as quickly as possible. After getting through the cones, she reverses field and completes the drill in the opposite direction before passing the ball to the next teammate in line.
Receive, Sprint, Shoot
In this drill, the coach stands at the 25-yard line. His player line up in two lines to his right and left. The coach passes to the player on his right as she enters the striking circle. That player accepts the pass, sprints to the goal and fires a shot. This gets the player used to accelerating in game conditions. The coach will make this pass to all players in both lines.
Movement And Return Drill
In this drill, four players on the outside of a 30-foot by 30-foot area have the ball. Four players are on the inside of that area, circling quickly. Every time a player on the inside moves past one of the outside players, they receive a pass. They stickhandle with the ball until they are parallel with the next player on the outside and they make a pass back. Keep running in circles and keep receiving passes. This allows players to work on quickness, and the ability to pass and receive the ball.
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