Strong conditioning is paramount in field hockey. Players should expect to do plenty of running. Although every tryout is different, players should be prepared to scrimmage and run skills drills at full speed. School teams have limited preparation time for the season, so coaches often favor players who report to the tryout in excellent field hockey shape.
Endurance Training
Field hockey players have to run a considerable amount. Strength and conditioning coach Adam Kessler warns players that "if your endurance stinks, then your running mechanics will break down. When that happens, you are working that much harder to get from point A to point B, thus wearing you out even more." Kessler, who served as strength coach for high school teams at Columbus Academy in Ohio, recommends starting off-season training with timed two-minute runs before transitioning to sport-specific running.
Speed Training
Running mechanics are critical in field hockey. Players must maximize their sprint speed to reach their full potential. Speed training programs can improve mechanics and help athletes become quicker and faster. That training can help players make the most of their interval training, a mix of sprinting and distance running perfectly suited for this sport. Champion's Edge Field Hockey recommends two interval running sets totaling slightly more than 2 miles each. One set features two runs of 800, 400 and 200 m and four sprints of 100 and 50 m. The other set features six runs of 200 meters and six of 400 m.
Pattern Training
Field hockey players run forward, backward and at every angle possible as well as at various speeds. Pattern training allows players to replicate game movements while improving their overall conditional level. Kessler recommends a drill that starts a player at a cone. The player sprints for 10 yards and jogs back to the cone, then backpedals for 10 yards and jogs back to the cone. The player runs five yards out, cuts left for five yards and jogs back to the cone. The player runs five yards out, cuts right and jobs back to the cone. Multiple sets of 10 will get players into field hockey shape. You can add even more value to this training by carrying your stick through the sets.
Core Training
By building better core muscle strength, athletes build a foundation for greater speed and agility. Champion's Edge Field Hockey recommended weight training plus a circuit training program that includes tuck jumps, jumping rope, 30-yard shuttles, 15-yard slide shuttles, body squats and one-legged hops.
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