Before beginning the session, safety must be covered regarding proper use of hockey stick

RULES OF THE DAY:

1) hockey stick is not allowed to pass hip height - if a student raises hockey stick past this reference point, their hockey stick will be suspended for 2mins

2) "stick on the ground" = the hook end of the hockey stick must remain in contact with the ground (e.g. when transitioning from activities)

3) "hockey stick to sleep" = students must lay their hockey stick on the ground whilst coach is giving instructions/explanation. Students will not touch their hockey stick during this point. 

Each student from the class will have a hockey stick to themselves. Before commencing the game, talk to students about how to grip the hockey stick with correct technique to ensure they will have the most control possible whilst moving. Students will create the letter "V" with their hands (index + thumb) and position them on the back of the hockey stick, running down toward the bottom of the hook. The left hand will pick up the stick at the top of the grip, whilst the right hand will be positioned slightly lower down the grip (ensure there is space between hands). When moving around with the hoecky stick, students will adopt the haka position which involves; bent knees, feet at shoulder width and hockey sticks positioned beside the body. 

Mark out a defined area with cones (or use lines on a court - half the court) to act as the playing boundary for students to move around in. Each student will move around with their hockey stick in the area (using the explained technique), when the whistle sounds students must place their stick on the ground and run to find a new stick and continue moving. 

PROGRESSION: 
Introduce an elimnation round where students move with the stick for a certain amount of steps (5, 10 etc) and place their stick on the ground then pick up a new one. While this is happening, the coach will remove one stick and blow the whistle. Students must then race to grab a stick. The student without a hockey stick will be eliminated and move outside the boundary where they can continue practising moving with the hockey stick. Repeat this numerous times until there is a winner (last student with a hockey stick). To avoid having lots of rounds, remove multiple hockey sticks at a time during a round. 

One student is selected to be the “granny” or “grandpa”. They will stand at the end of the court / field. The rest of the students line up at the other end with a hockey stick each, using the correct grip and body position as follows: Stick grip – students grab the top of the stick using their left hand, their right hand is placed near the bottom of the grip. There are no left handed hockey sticks, so all students use this grip no matter if they are left or right handed. Stance – It is important that students have their legs shoulder width apart and knees bent, maintaining a low centre of gravity. We call this the “haka” position. If students are getting sore backs during this activity it means they are not bending their legs and are bending their back. Walk around the students during this activity to remind them to keep their backs straight. The students start moving towards “granny” but when the “granny” turns around everyone must freeze. If the “granny” sees anyone moving, then that person has to go back to the start. The game finishes when the first person tags the “granny”. To avoid players touching granny with their stick you can place 5 spots in a semi circlse shape around granny that players can touch if they are close enough. 

NO hockey balls will be used for this activity - the focus is on moving with correct technique whilst holding a hockey stick. 

Modifications

Students add in a ball and dribble it towards “granny”. When the “granny” turns around the student must trap the ball and remain still. This can be completed at the END of this lesson if time permits.

CORRECT GRIP AND BODY POSITION: Stick grip – students grab the top of the stick using their left hand, their right hand is placed near the bottom of the grip. There are no left handed hockey sticks, so all students use this grip no matter if they are left or right handed. Stance – It is important that students have their legs shoulder width apart and knees bent, maintaining a low centre of gravity. We call this the “haka” position. If students are getting sore backs during this activity it means they are not bending their legs and are bending their back. Walk around the students during this activity to remind them to keep their backs straight. Outline a playing area defined by cones; ensure the area is big enough for students to safely move around with hockey sticks. Start the students on ORANGE light, which means they are slowly pushing the ball around with the flat side of their stick. RED light means they trap the ball by rotating the stick in front of the ball to stop it. For younger students this will need to be demonstrated. Once the students are competent at moving around on ORANGE light, you can call out GREEN light, which means that the students can move as quickly as they can but must maintain control of the ball. This speed will vary depending on the ability of the student. Change between GREEN, ORANGE and RED light.

NOTE: if there is enough time coaches can add in a competition between boys vs girls. If boys stop quicker than the girls without using their feet and trapping the ball correctly then they will be awarded the point and vice versa.

Select an area of play and place a numnber of cones in this area that will act as the bombs. Each student will start the game with 10 points. Students will be instructed to dribble the ball around in this area while trying to avoid touching the bombs with their hockey ball, their hockey stick or their feet. If a student does touch a bomb they lose a point. 

If students are finding this activity too easy get them to dribble the ball faster and as close to a bomb as possible. If they are finding it too hard get them to slow down and not go as close to the bombs. 

Once the students have had a practice at this, add in two defenders. These defenders will use their hockey stick to try and hit another students ball away. If they do that then that student will lose one point. 

To make the game more competitive you could make it an elimination round. Where each student only has one point, meaning that they will be eliminated if their ball, stick or foot touches a bomb, or if the defender hits their ball. Continue until you have one remaining player and they will be the winner.