# The Hockey Site
 
> Field hockey coaching knowledge from international and club coaches, shared as written articles, masterclasses in video and answers to the questions coaches actually ask.
 
The Hockey Site records masterclasses, workshops and panel talks with coaches from across the world, then turns them into video on demand, written articles and answers. The written articles are partially free to read. The full video masterclasses are included with a Coach subscription.
 
Every claim is attributed to the named coach who made it. The aim is to help coaches think a problem through rather than copy a session plan.
 
## Coaching questions
 
Short, direct answers to common field hockey coaching questions, each drawing on named coaches and their masterclasses. Free to read in full. Links to the on demand videos for subscribers.
 
- [Field Hockey Coaching Questions](https://thehockeysite.com/coaching-questions/): Index of all coaching answers, grouped into technical, tactical, mental and physical.
 - [How do I coach a soft first touch in field hockey?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-coach-a-soft-first-touch-in-field-hockey/): Why a receive fails before the ball arrives. Scanning, body shape, grip and touch with intent.
- [How do I coach the hit so players get power without lifting or fouling?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-coach-the-hit-so-players-get-power-without-lifting-or-fouling/): Power comes from repeatable technique rather than strength. Grip, loading and weight transfer.
- [How do I teach the Indian dribble properly in field hockey?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-teach-the-indian-dribble-properly-in-field-hockey/): Building it from the grip up, and why the left hand does the steering.
- [How do I stop my defenders diving in and giving away free hits?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-stop-my-defenders-diving-in-and-giving-away-free-hits/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on field hockey tackling without diving in: the head-drop trigger, who tackles in a double up, channelling, and keeping it clean for the umpire.
- [Why do my passes keep getting intercepted under pressure?](https://thehockeysite.com/why-do-my-passes-keep-getting-intercepted-under-pressure/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on field hockey passing under pressure: the one-second window, first touch speed, when to scan, and reading what the receiver offers you.
- [How do I coach players who can’t beat a defender one on one?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-coach-players-who-cant-beat-a-defender-one-on-one/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on field hockey 1v1 elimination: the advantage line, slow to attract and fast to eliminate, ball position before technique, and when not to.
- [We’ve got no drag flicker. How do I develop one safely?](https://thehockeysite.com/weve-got-no-drag-flicker-how-do-i-develop-one-safely/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on the field hockey drag flick: the faults that load a young back, when to specialise, why fatigue is the real risk, and where the archive stops.
- [I’ve never played in goal. What should I actually coach my goalkeeper?](https://thehockeysite.com/ive-never-played-in-goal-what-should-i-actually-coach-my-goalkeeper/): Goalkeeper coaches on The Hockey Site on what to coach if you never played in goal: base position, angles, a voice in defence, and no more target practice.
- [How do I get my team building out from the back without turning it over?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-get-my-team-building-out-from-the-back-without-turning-it-over/): The four triggers a press hunts for, keeping a spare player, and winning the second pass.
- [How do we beat a press in field hockey, especially off free hits and 16s?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-we-beat-a-press-in-field-hockey-especially-off-free-hits-and-16s/): Telling a trap apart from a trigger, and refusing the sideline the press wants you to use.
- [What formation should I play in field hockey, and how do I pick the right system?](https://thehockeysite.com/what-formation-should-i-play-in-field-hockey-and-how-do-i-pick-the-right-system/): Why there is no best formation, and how to choose a system your squad can sustain.
- [Zonal or man-to-man: which do I pick when my team keeps getting pulled apart?](https://thehockeysite.com/zonal-or-man-to-man-which-do-i-pick-when-my-team-keeps-getting-pulled-apart/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on choosing zonal or man to man in field hockey: four things to check first, how many systems a squad can hold, and when to switch.
- [How do I defend a long corner without conceding a penalty corner?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-defend-a-long-corner-without-conceding-a-penalty-corner/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on defending a long corner: fast set-up, a shape your team can run, and not buying the attack a penalty corner in the circle.
- [My players throw too many aerials. How do I teach them when it’s the right ball?](https://thehockeysite.com/my-players-throw-too-many-aerials-how-do-i-teach-when-its-the-right-ball/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on the aerial: when it is the right ball, what a bad one costs, how to stop players over-using it, and how to build it in training.
- [We get into the circle plenty but hardly score. What should I be coaching?](https://thehockeysite.com/we-get-into-the-circle-plenty-but-hardly-score-what-should-i-be-coaching/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on why teams enter the circle and don't score: positions, shot choice, rebounds, composure and finishing drills that transfer.
- [How do I build confidence in field hockey players that survives mistakes?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-build-confidence-in-field-hockey-players-that-survives-mistakes/): Anchoring belief to preparation, effort and response rather than to the scoreline.
- [How do I help a field hockey player let go of a mistake and reset?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-help-a-field-hockey-player-let-go-of-a-mistake-and-reset/): A two part reset a player can run on the pitch, and why it works.
- [How do I motivate field hockey players who have checked out?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-motivate-field-hockey-players-who-have-checked-out/): Usually not laziness. What the environment has stopped giving them, and how to give it back.
- [How do I keep juniors coming back without letting the standards slide?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-keep-juniors-coming-back-without-letting-the-standards-slide/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on junior field hockey retention: equal care and different demands, deselection versus exclusion, and the moment clubs lose children.
- [How do I get field hockey players fit for the real demands of a game?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-get-field-hockey-players-fit-for-the-real-demands-of-a-game/): Short, repeated, high intensity efforts. Training the pattern rather than the distance.
- [How do I build field hockey fitness without taking players off the ball?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-build-field-hockey-fitness-without-taking-players-off-the-ball/): Building conditioning inside stick and ball work, and what has to sit outside it.
- [What is the best field hockey warm-up to get game-ready and cut injuries?](https://thehockeysite.com/what-is-the-best-field-hockey-warm-up-to-get-game-ready-and-cut-injuries/): Building a warm-up in stages, and priming the tissues that get injured most.
- [How do I know if my players are actually fit, and what’s a good score?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-know-if-my-players-are-actually-fit-and-whats-a-good-score/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on field hockey fitness testing: which test fits the sport, testing with no equipment, why a good score is one you set, and the real signal.
- [How often should my players train before I’m overcooking them?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-often-should-my-players-train-before-im-overcooking-them/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on field hockey training load: the weekly floor, the load you cannot see, why deloading to zero backfires, and spotting overtraining early.
- [My players are fit but slow to turn. How do I train change of direction?](https://thehockeysite.com/my-players-are-fit-but-slow-to-turn-how-do-i-train-change-of-direction/): Coaches on The Hockey Site on field hockey change of direction: why conditioning does not transfer to turning, deceleration as a skill, and reactive progressions.
- [How do I make my players stronger when we don’t have a gym?](https://thehockeysite.com/how-do-i-make-my-players-stronger-when-we-dont-have-a-gym/): Strength coaches on The Hockey Site on building strength without a gym: holds on the pitch, ten minutes of bodyweight work, one leg and rotation, juniors.
 
## Articles and masterclasses
 
- [The Hockey Site - Watch On Demand](https://subscriber.thehockeysite.com/): The main content home. Written articles on coaching technique, tactics, physical preparation and the mental side of the game.
- [What the field hockey coaching archive covers](https://thehockeysite.com/field-hockey-coaching-archive/): Index of the subjects the written archive and masterclass library cover, grouped by topic, with a link into each.
- [Masterclasses](https://thehockeysite.com/masterclass/): Overview per date of our recorded sessions with international and club coaches, covering a single topic in depth.
- [Hockey calendar](https://thehockeysite.com/hockey-calendar/): Upcoming and past live masterclasses, workshops and panel talks + international games.
 
## Coaches
 
- [Coach author pages](https://subscriber.thehockeysite.com/authors/): Each coach's articles and masterclasses collected in one place.
 
## Tools
 
- [Assistant.Hockey](https://assistant.hockey): An AI assistant for field hockey coaches, built on The Hockey Site's coaching material.
- [AI for field hockey](https://thehockeysite.com/ai-for-field-hockey/): How The Hockey Site uses AI to make coaching knowledge easier to find and apply.
 
## About and access
 
- [About The Hockey Site](https://thehockeysite.com/): What the platform is, who it is for, and what is on it.
- [Free newsletter](https://subscriber.thehockeysite.com/subscribe): Coaching articles by email, no cost.
- [Coach subscription](https://subscriber.thehockeysite.com/coach): Full access to the on demand masterclass library.
- [Membership options](https://thehockeysite.com/membership-options/): The tiers and what each one includes.
- [CPD for field hockey coaches](https://thehockeysite.com/cpd-for-field-hockey-coaches/): How coaches use The Hockey Site for continuing professional development.
- [Contact](https://thehockeysite.com/contact/): How to get in touch.