Hockey
Invasion Games | Years 5–6 | 6 Lessons
Hockey Sessions
These hockey sessions progress from the previous unit of year 3/4, looking to keep improving our sending, receiving, dribbling and shooting, whilst introducing tactical and positional knowledge, as well as improving our decision making skills through playing small sided games. Lessons are progressive and suitable for indoor or outdoor delivery.
Lessons
Lesson 1: Advanced Dribbling
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To be able to dribble effectively with good technique and control
Success Criteria:
- I can keep the ball close to my stick when dribbling.
- I can move with the ball while keeping my head up.
- I can change direction to keep possession.
Key Words:
- Agility
- Control
- Space
Equipment:
- Hockey sticks
- Small/tennis/hockey balls
- Cones
- Bibs
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Dribble Exploration
Each child to be given a ball along with their hockey stick. We are going to learn how to dribble using the two different techniques.
Allow a few minutes for the children to explore this technique keeping the ball close. To stop, the children need use the flat side of the stick either flat on top of the ball or on the opposite side the ball. It is important that the children can do both.
Progression:
>STOP ! The children must be able to stop and trap the ball.
>Round About! Do a full circle with the ball.
>Inside, Outside! Chopping and changing sides with the ball.
>PASS! Pass the ball and swap balls with someone else.
Skill Development
Gate Game
Place a range of different gates around the room. Change the sizes of the different gates around the room so they are various sizes. This will encourage the children to keep their head up while they are dribbling. Every time the children dribble through a gate without touching the cones, they get a point. Add up the points over the course of allowed time and the most points win.
Progression:
>Add in rules when you are dribbling through the gates. For example when you go through a gate you must do 5 inside, outsides.
>Add defenders who can move around and intercept and tackle. If you get dispossessed, your score returns to 0
Game – King/Queen of the ring
Everyone will start in the middle of the area now, with a hockey stick and ball. Everyone can tackle everyone, aim of the game is to keep your ball inside of the ring, if your ball is tackled from you or if you lose control and it leaves the area you must run around the outside of the area before you can join back in.
Progression:
>You can also make this game competitive by saying that if your ball leaves the area, you are out. Last person in is the winner. (You may want to create 2-3 areas and split the class into ability groups for this. It will allow for those who are lower ability a greater chance of staying in the game longer)
Teaching Points:
- The technique for dribbling includes only using the flat side of the stick. This differs depending on what type of hockey sticks are used. If you have a stick with 2 flat sides, the children can use both sides. If you have the wooden sticks with a flat and round side, they have to rotate the stick when dribbling from left to right to ensure they only use the flat side. If they were to use the round side, this is a foul in field hockey and possession is given to the opposition
- We want to encourage the children to keep close control of the ball throughout. The ball should almost appear to be glued to the stick. Almost as if the children are constantly pushing or sweeping the ball along, rather than striking the ball, which would see it move out of close proximity of the stick.
- Encourage the children to switch their view from the ball to looking where they are going. If they keep their head looking forward, they should be able to see the ball in their periphery vision. If not, encourage them to switch between the two as they dribble as we want to be looking for spaces to move into. If they see free spaces, they should be moving quickly into that space
- When playing king of the ring, you want to encourage the children to have good spacial awareness to see not only where the space is, but also where others are so they are not sneaking up and taking their ball away from them
Key Questions:
- What do we mean by the term spacial awareness and how can we show good spacial awareness in the session?
- What do we mean by the term control and how can we show good control of the ball in today’s session?
- When dribbling, why is it important to keep dribbling using the flat side of the hockey stick?
National Curriculum Links:
- Using running in isolation and combination
- Playing competitive games against others, applying basic principles for attacking and defending
- Developing control, balance and technique through playing hockey
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing resilience in looking to improve throughout the session
- Improving our listening skills in being able to take on information
Lesson 2: Sending & Receiving From Distance
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To accurately pass the ball over distance and receive it under control.
Success Criteria:
- I can use the correct technique to send a push pass over distance.
- I can use the correct power and aim when passing
- I can receive the ball using a controlled trap.
Key Words:
- Pass
- Receive
- Accuracy
Equipment:
- Hockey sticks
- Small/tennis/hockey balls
- Bibs
- Cones
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Messy Bedrooms
Split the hall into 2 halves and create a zone in the middle which will be the halfway line. This zone should be no bigger than a meter. Give each team a couple of balls which they must pass to the oppositions side of the room! If the ball hits the back wall or line then that team gets a point (goal). The object of the game is to intercept the ball before it reaches the back line by using the stopping techniques learnt through the gates game
Skill Development
Through the gates
Children to get into pairs. They are given a hockey stick each, one ball and two cones. Ask them to place the cones approx. 2m apart to create a gate and then take 3 steps back either side of the gate. We are going to learn the push pass technique to pass the ball through the gate to our partner on the other side who is going to use the trap technique to stop the ball.
Allow the children to pass the ball through the gates continuously. Give them a target number of passes to reach in a row. If they reach that target, tell them to take another step backwards each to make the passing more difficult. What two things to we need to focus on to ensure our passes are accurate
Game – Hockey Kabaddi
Children need to be in groups of 8 but split the group in half. An area is created with a halfway line. Everyone needs to have a stick with one ball for the group. 4 begin on one side of the area and another group on the other side. They will be against each other.
The aim of the game is to complete as many passes as possible without the ball being intercepted. The group with the ball begins the game. As soon as the ball is passed once, the team without the ball will send one player into the area of the team with the ball to intercept a pass. If they intercept a pass the game stops and the ball is transferred into the other area. The team to complete the greatest number of passes wins the game
Progression:
>Allow teams to send more than one player into the other area
>Decrease the size of each area.
Teaching Points:
- Ensure that the children are using the correct techniques for the push pass and trap technique. If you need to, see the teaching points for each in the Y3/4 sessions
- We want to see accuracy in their passes. Ensure they are using the correct power and aim when passing and explain to them how the power in their passes may need to increase when passing at a longer distance and how they need to be more accurate with their aim at a longer distance as the ball is needing to travel further
- When trapping the ball, we want to see the ball staying close to the children. We don’t want to see the ball bouncing far in front as in a game situation, this may result in the opposition winning the ball back
Key Questions:
- How can we ensure that our passes are accurate in today’s session?
- How does the accuracy of our passes change, depending on the distance of our target?
- Why is it important to ensure that when we trap the ball, we maintain our control?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, throwing and catching in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for both attacking and defending
- Develop control and technique through playing hockey
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Showing resilience in their work
- Improving problem solving skills in passing/receiving from different distances
Lesson 3: Attacking Tactics & Strategies
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To understand and apply attacking strategies to create scoring opportunities.
Success Criteria:
- I know what the terms tactics and strategies mean
- I can implement some tactics when attacking in a game
- I understand how tactics and strategies can change and affect games
Key Words:
- Tactics
- Creativity
- Teamwork
Equipment:
- Hockey Sticks
- Small/tennis/hockey balls
- Bibs
- Cones
- Goals if available or benches that can be used as goals
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – With or without
Large area set up. Each child has a stick. Choose 4-5 children to be without a ball, the rest will have one. The idea of the game is to make sure you have a ball when the signal is called for the game to end. Children with the ball need to try and keep their ball for as long as possible, if you get dispossessed, you must try and find another ball. Can we use the tackle technique to steal the ball away?
Progression:
>Change the size of the area
>Increase the amount of people without a ball.
Skill Development
3v1
Split class into groups of 4. Each team will have their own playing area with a goal at one end and an end zone line at the other. Working together as the 3 attackers, they are trying to score a try against the defender. If the defender wins back the ball, or if the ball goes out of play, the round ends.
Swap over the defender after each attempt so that the children can have a go at both role
Game – 3v2
This time there are 2 defenders instead of one. This will make it more difficult for the attackers
The game works exactly the same way as the previous game, with the attacking team looking to attack and score into the goal and the defending team looking to defend the goal and prevent a goal being scored. If the defenders win the ball back, we want them to now dribble over the end zone line with the ball to gain a point.
Swap over the roles of the attackers and defenders so that the children can experience both roles
Teaching Points:
- Explain both tactics and strategies to the children. Can the children give examples of a couple of different tactics and strategies they may use in today’s session when attacking
- As the attacking team, we want to spread out in the space in order to receive the ball. Ideally, we want one attacker to the left, one to the right and one attacking the centre
- The attackers without the ball need to spread out and look for free spaces in order to receive the ball. We do not want them to be close together in the same space or close to a defender as they won’t be able to receive the ball from the attacker with the ball
- The attacker on the ball has a decision to make. Do they need to pass the ball to those in a space, is there enough space to dribble and move into or do they have a clear shot at goal.
Key Questions:
- What do we mean by the terms tactics and strategies?
- What tactics and strategies have we used as the attacking team today?
- How can we help our team mate who is in possession of the ball?
- What decisions do we have to make when we have possession of the ball?
- How can these decisions affect the game?
National curriculum links:
- Using running, throwing and catching in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for attacking and defending
- Developing control and technique through playing hockey
- Compare our/our team’s performance against a previous attempt, and look for improvements to our work
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Show good decision making through the session
Lesson 4: Defending As A Team
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To understand the importance of defending in hockey
- To understand how we can defend in different ways in hockey
Success Criteria:
- I can mark an opponent effectively.
- I can defend space as well as a player.
- I can communicate with teammates when defending.
Key Words:
- Defending
- Specific Marking
- Zonal marking
Equipment:
- Cones
- Hockey sticks
- Hockey/small/tennis balls
- Bibs
- Hoops
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Defend the fort
In this activity, try to use soft balls/soft tennis balls for the attackers to prevent any injuries
Set up an area with a split line in the middle (like a dodgeball court). Have one team set up as the defending team and one team set up as the attacking team. Set up obstacles on the defending team’s side. This may be balls on a cone, hula hoops set up as castles, anything that the defending team need to protect.
The job of the attacking team is to strike the balls and try to destroy the ‘obstacles. The job of the defending team is to block and protect those obstacles. Can the defending team come up with simple tactics on how they are going to protect the obstacles from being hit and destroyed.
Teams to swap roles and time how long they can protect their side
Skill Development
Defending as a team
Split the class into two even teams and within those teams we want the children in groups of 3. We are going to have a hoop set up at one end with an end zone set up at the other.
The attacking team begin at the end zone, with the defending team having to protect the basket. The game will be a 3v3 game.
The job of the attacking team is simple, to score a goal.
The job of the defending team is to firstly defend the goal, and second to try and intercept and counter attack, dribbling the ball through the end zone.
If the ball goes out of play or the attacking team miss their shot, the defending team are awarded 1 point. If the defending team intercept a pass and dribble over the end zone, they are awarded 2 points. Normal hockey rules apply
Game – Hockey Game
Split the space in half and create two equal court areas for the children to work in. Split the class into 4 even teams. We would like it to be a maximum of 5 players per team.
At either end of each court, add in a small goal or bench to use as a target
Normal hockey rules apply in the game.
Teaching Points:
- We want the children to understand the two different ways that we can defend in hockey. We can use specific marking or we can use zonal marking. Specific marking is where each defender individually marks one attacker and stays with that attacker. Zonal marking is where we defend a zone/area, which is usually close to their own goal and don’t allow spaces closes to their goal
- Let the children come up with their own tactics and which type of defending they want to use as a team. Specific marking is normally more aggressive when you want to win the ball back quickly but can leave you more open as a team. Zonal marking will leave less space close to your goal, but can mean the attacking team are always close to your goal, and will give you less chance of intercepting a pass and counter attacking
- As the attacking team, if a team is specific marking, can we constantly move and look for spaces to keep the defenders moving around. If they are zonal marking, we need to be able to bring them out of their zone to create more spaces to move into close to their goal.
Key Questions:
- What do we mean by specific and zonal marking?
- What are the positives and negatives of both types of marking?
- When defending as a team, how can communication be important?
- As the attacking team, how can you exploit and take advantage of each type of marking?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, throwing and catching in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for both attacking and defending
- Develop control and technique through playing hockey
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Being creative in coming up with tactics to use in their games
- Showing and developing leadership skills
Lesson 5: Shooting With Accuracy
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To develop shooting technique and accuracy when aiming for a goal.
Success Criteria:
- I can strike the ball with control towards a target.
- I can position my body correctly when shooting.
- I can aim for space in the goal rather than just hitting the ball hard.
Key Words:
- Striking
- Accuracy
- Consistency
Equipment:
- Hockey/tennis/small balls
- Cones
- Bibs
- Goals if available or benches
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Target Practice
Target game looking to improve striking and accuracy. Children in pairs with a stick each, one ball and a skittle or cone (depending on equipment).
Similar to the through the gates game from week 2, the target is in the middle, both partners stand equal distance away looking to hit the target, however this time we are looking for the shooting technique. Aim of the game is to hit the target in the middle. Person with the most points win the game.
Skill Development
Dribble and shoot
Have a goal set up at one end of the area for the group (either using a goal or two cones depending on the equipment available).
Place 4 cones in a line around 1m apart from each other that the children must dribble in and out of. Once they reach the end of the dribbling lane, they must use the shooting technique to strike the ball into the goal. Allow the children to set a target for them to reach (it may be first to 5 points)
Progression:
>Create a harder dribbling lane by introducing more cones to dribble through,
>Move the goal further away to make the shot harder,
>Make the goal smaller or change the target to a skittle or pin as appose to a goal or cone
>Set a target for teams to meet (could be first to 11 points) and allow teams to compete
Game – Hockey Squash (SPOT)
Set the space up so there is one side with a line of cones to be used as a starting point. On the other side lay benches on its side to create a wall (any object can be used for this including outside walls). Get the children into pairs with a ball and a hockey stick each.
Children will take it in turns to hit the ball towards the wall without the ball stopping. If the ball misses the wall or you miss the ball you get a letter from a chosen word (the word can be anything relating to the lesson. E.G. Hockey). Every time you make a mistake, such as missing the ball or you miss the wall with the ball, you gain a letter towards that word. One the word has been spelt out, your opponent wins!
Teaching Points:
- Ensure the children are using the correct technique for shooting (this can be found in the Y3/4 shooting session). We do not want to see too much of a backswing when attempting to shoot as this could be seen as dangerous play when playing a game
- We want to see good accuracy when shooting. Get the children to think about their power and aim when shooting and how it differs to when we pass. As we are increasing the power in our strike, and swinging back slightly to strike rather than pushing the hockey stick, we need to concentrate even more on our aim and where the stick is pointing when we strike
Key Questions:
- What do we mean by the term accuracy?
- What two things do we need to think about to ensure that we are accurate with our shooting?
- Why is it important to only have a small backswing when using our shooting technique?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, throwing and catching in isolation and combination
- Develop control and technique through playing hockey
Social/environmental skills:
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Showing compassion and encouragement when playing with others
- Showing resilience in trying to improve our skills throughout the session
Lesson 6: Hockey Games
Warm-up • Skill Development • Game
View Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives:
- To apply skills, rules, and tactics in competitive hockey games.
Success Criteria:
- I can use skills taught in previous weeks within games.
- I can follow rules independently.
- I can work positively with my team.
Key Words:
- Compete
- Respect
Equipment:
- Hockey sticks
- Hockey/tennis/small balls
- Cones
- Bibs
- Goals if available or benches
Preparation Ideas (warm up) – Rule Recap
Sit the class down before the lesson begins and go through some of the simple rules in hockey:
- 1 point awarded per goal scored.
- If the ball goes out of play either behind the goal or the side-line, the team who’s ball it is, is allowed a free pass into the game. If the defending team knock the ball out behind the goal, the attacking team plays a free pass from the corner (as you would a corner in football)
- Ball cannot touch your feet or any body part – free pass awarded to the opposition.
- Sticks needs to be always below waist height – free pass awarded to opposition.
- Only one person at a time is allowed to tackle the player in possession – free pass awarded to opposition.
- The ball must remain below knee height – free pass awarded to opposition.
Game – Hockey games
Now go through the way the game is set up:
Split the group into teams of 5 – one person from each group will not play each game– this will rotate per game – this person will have one half of being the match referee.
Area set up– try to have multiple pitches to allow all teams to participate at the same time (if you have an outdoor basketball/netball pitch set up, split into 3 pitches using the thirds of the pitch, if not around the same size will be sufficient)
Games will be 8 mins long – 4 mins per half allowing the referee to swap at half time.
There are no goalkeepers in the game, instead the goals will only be allowed to be 2m apart (2 large steps for an adult). However, you can add goalkeepers later in the games once a few goals have been scored to reiterate earlier learning.
Playing with 6 teams:
| Pitch 1 | Pitch 2 | Pitch 3 |
| 2v3 | 4v1 | 5v6 |
| 1v2 | 3v6 | 4v5 |
| 2v6 | 1v5 | 3v4 |
| 5v2 | 4v6 | 1v3 |
| 2v4 | 5v3 | 6v1 |
Teaching Points:
- After each game, reiterate one rule that you feel teams are struggling to stick to.
- Also reiterate a point that you feel the children are struggling with – Is it the block tackle, is it finding space, is it passing using the push pass technique, is it the sweeping shooting technique. Take 60 seconds to go through one of these between games.
- Ensure the children are shaking hands after the completion of each game to show respect to the other team. Explain the importance of sportsmanship.
- Can we encourage the children to come up with tactics for both defending and attacking, that we have been learning about in the previous couple of weeks. If we see good examples of tactics being used, celebrate it with the rest of the teams
Key Questions:
- What do we mean by the term respect?
- How can we show respect to others in the session?
- Can anyone tell me a rule in hockey?
- Can anyone give me an example of a tactics, in attack or defence, that we used today and how it helped our team?
National curriculum links:
- Use running, sending & receiving in isolation and combination
- Play competitive games against others, applying basic principles for attacking and defending
- Developing control and technique through playing hockey
- Comparing their own and their team’s performance against a previous attempt and looking for improvements
Social/environmental skills:
- Showing good sportsmanship to others
- Developing team work and collaboration skills
- Developing good communication skills
- Showing creativity in their work by coming up with tactics
- Showing and developing leadership skills
- Showing resilience in their work by looking for improvements
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