18U field hockey practice plans (ages 17 and 18)

Field Hockey Warm-Up, Ages 14 and Up 5 min

1. Jog easy for 1 minute, then skip, side shuffle and backpedal for 1 minute.
2. Moving warm-up over 15 to 20 yards: high knees, heel flicks, carioca each way, walking knee hugs and walking quad pulls (one step in each, no long holds).
3. Leg swings, 10 each way each leg; walking lunges with a twist, 6 each leg; then 5 inchworms (walk your hands out to a plank and back).
4. Strength: plank 30 seconds, side plank 20 seconds each side, 8 slow squats, and 6 single-leg reaches each side (hinge forward on one leg with a flat back).
5. Single-leg hops: 3 small hops forward on one leg, holding the last landing for 2 seconds; each leg twice.
6. Cuts: run 5 yards, plant and cut at about 45 degrees off the outside foot, 4 each way at three-quarter speed, knee over the toes.
7. Build-up runs: three runs of about 20 yards at 60, 80 and 90 percent; walk back each time.
8. Sport moves: dribble a ball with the stick at walking pace, then jogging pace, keeping the stick low; finish with 10 easy push passes.

Coaching point: Quality over speed: quiet feet, knees over toes, hips level.

Safety: A flat, clear space with room to run. Stop if anything hurts: a warm-up should leave you ready, not tired. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Give and Go 12 min

1. A partner stands as a still defender at a cone.
2. Dribble at them, pass to a second partner at the side.
3. Run past the defender into space.
4. Receive the return pass. Do 12 each side.

Coaching point: Pass, then sprint into space.

Safety: Warm up first on flat, dry ground. Stop if a muscle feels tight. Wear protective eyewear (ASTM F2713) where your league requires it.

Receiving Across Your Body 12 min

1. Your partner passes from your left.
2. Open your body and let the ball run past your feet.
3. Take it on your open side and dribble to a cone.
4. Do 20 receives, then pass from the right.

Coaching point: Open up, let it run.

Safety: Keep your stick low and check that the space around you is clear before you swing. Wear protective eyewear (ASTM F2713) where your league requires it.

Dribbling Past a Walking Defender 12 min

1. Mark a 10 by 15 yard channel.
2. Your partner walks in to defend; no tackling, just positioning.
3. Fake one way, then dribble past on the other side.
4. Count how many of 15 tries reach the end line.

Coaching point: Sell the fake.

Safety: Wear your mouthguard and shin guards. Wear protective eyewear (ASTM F2713) where your league requires it. Keep your stick below your waist if you are young, never above your shoulder, or follow your league's rule.

Five-Ten-Five Technique Rehearsal 15 min

1. Set three cones in a line, 5 yards apart; start at the middle one.
2. Run 5 yards right, touch the line with your outside hand, turn low.
3. Run 10 yards to the far cone, touch, turn, run 5 back through the middle.
4. Do 3 walk-throughs, 3 at three-quarter speed, then 2 timed with full rest.

Coaching point: Low turn, push off the outside foot.

Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.

Field Hockey Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and Up 4 min

1. Walk easy for 1 minute and let your breathing slow down.
2. Front of the thigh: hold a fence, wall or partner and bring one heel toward your bottom, knees side by side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
3. Back of the leg: sit with one leg straight and the other bent, and reach toward the straight leg’s ankle until you feel a gentle pull. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
4. Calf: hands on a wall, one foot back with the heel down and the back knee straight; then bend the back knee a little to move the stretch toward the heel. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
5. Front of the hip: kneel on one knee, tuck your hips under and shift forward gently until the front of the hip feels a stretch. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
6. Seat: lie on your back, cross one ankle over the other knee and pull the bottom leg gently toward you. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
7. Side lunge: feet wide, bend one knee and sit toward it, the other leg straight and toes pointing forward. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
8. Upper back: clasp your hands in front, push them away and round your upper back like a turtle shell. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
9. Lie on your back with one hand on your belly: 5 slow breaths, breathing out longer than in.

Coaching point: A gentle pull, never pain, and no bouncing.

Safety: Stretch only to a gentle pull and stop if anything hurts. An injured muscle or joint is not stretched until a doctor or athletic trainer says it is OK. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Field Hockey Warm-Up, Ages 14 and Up 7 min

1. Jog easy for 1 minute, then skip, side shuffle and backpedal for 1 minute.
2. Moving warm-up over 15 to 20 yards: high knees, heel flicks, carioca each way, walking knee hugs and walking quad pulls (one step in each, no long holds).
3. Leg swings, 10 each way each leg; walking lunges with a twist, 6 each leg; then 5 inchworms (walk your hands out to a plank and back).
4. Strength: plank 30 seconds, side plank 20 seconds each side, 8 slow squats, and 6 single-leg reaches each side (hinge forward on one leg with a flat back).
5. Single-leg hops: 3 small hops forward on one leg, holding the last landing for 2 seconds; each leg twice.
6. Cuts: run 5 yards, plant and cut at about 45 degrees off the outside foot, 4 each way at three-quarter speed, knee over the toes.
7. Build-up runs: three runs of about 20 yards at 60, 80 and 90 percent; walk back each time.
8. Sport moves: dribble a ball with the stick at walking pace, then jogging pace, keeping the stick low; finish with 10 easy push passes.

Coaching point: Quality over speed: quiet feet, knees over toes, hips level.

Safety: A flat, clear space with room to run. Stop if anything hurts: a warm-up should leave you ready, not tired. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Jab Then Block 16 min

1. Your partner dribbles at jogging pace with a coach watching.
2. Jab to unsettle the ball.
3. As they push it away, drop into a block tackle.
4. Do 12 reps each.

Coaching point: Jab to unsettle, block to win.

Safety: Live tackling only with a coach watching. Mouthguard and shin guards on, ball on the ground, stick below the shoulder. Wear protective eyewear (ASTM F2713) where your league requires it.

Flick Into an Empty Goal 16 min

1. Ball in front of your front foot, body low.
2. Push under the ball and follow up with your stick, still below your shoulder.
3. Aim for the backboard of an empty goal from 5 yards.
4. Do 20 flicks.

Coaching point: Get low, push under, follow up.

Safety: Only raise the ball into an empty goal or net with nobody in front, and only with a coach watching. Shoot only at an empty goal, or at a goalkeeper in full kit with a coach running it. Nobody downfield or behind the goal.

Press and Cover Runs 16 min

1. Set three ball cones in a line 10 yards apart.
2. Your partner calls a cone; you run to press it while they cover behind you.
3. Swap jobs on the next call.
4. Do 12 calls with a walk between.

Coaching point: Press fast, cover close.

Safety: Warm up first on flat, dry ground. Stop if a muscle feels tight.

Field Hockey Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and Up 5 min

1. Walk easy for 1 minute and let your breathing slow down.
2. Front of the thigh: hold a fence, wall or partner and bring one heel toward your bottom, knees side by side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
3. Back of the leg: sit with one leg straight and the other bent, and reach toward the straight leg’s ankle until you feel a gentle pull. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
4. Calf: hands on a wall, one foot back with the heel down and the back knee straight; then bend the back knee a little to move the stretch toward the heel. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
5. Front of the hip: kneel on one knee, tuck your hips under and shift forward gently until the front of the hip feels a stretch. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
6. Seat: lie on your back, cross one ankle over the other knee and pull the bottom leg gently toward you. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
7. Side lunge: feet wide, bend one knee and sit toward it, the other leg straight and toes pointing forward. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
8. Upper back: clasp your hands in front, push them away and round your upper back like a turtle shell. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
9. Lie on your back with one hand on your belly: 5 slow breaths, breathing out longer than in.

Coaching point: A gentle pull, never pain, and no bouncing.

Safety: Stretch only to a gentle pull and stop if anything hurts. An injured muscle or joint is not stretched until a doctor or athletic trainer says it is OK. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.