Val Sabin Hockey Pathway. Phase 1 FUNdamentals (4 – 7):

• Teaching and coaching guide included.
• 30 lesson plans.
• Complete comprehensive guide on how to coach hockey.
• Guidelines on safety and the National Curriculum.

Hockey Phase 1 FUNdamentals Sample Pages

View Hockey Phase 1 FUNdamentals Sample Pages

Hockey Phase 2 Learning to Train Sample Pages

View Hockey Phase 2 Learning to Train Sample Pages

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Introduction to Hockey Pathway. Phase 1 FUNdamentals

The Val Sabin Hockey Manuals are designed to equip a teacher or coach with a complete and comprehensive guide on how to coach hockey with a progressive and developmental sequence of lesson plans which can be used in schools and clubs.

The manuals are comprised of a teaching/coaching guide detailing how to structure sessions with important guidelines on safety and the National Curriculum.

There are 30 lesson plans and games activities to fill any season. In addition there are 32 extra games to plan festivals or fun days.

Single System Syllabus

To assist your players to progress through the Single System Syllabus set out by England Hockey there are certain identified Core Skills which they will need to achieve. It is important that even at the very lowest level on the pathway – “Fundamentals Phase 1” – the appropriate activities and the appropriate staged practices leading to them should be an essential part of each session.

Staged development and repetition are essential parts of a players learning and progress and the success it generates increases the players confidence and self esteem and their physical competence.

At this early stage children need to participate in a variety of well structured activities and challenges that encourage both exploration and the development of basic core skills. The activities should maintain a focus on fun, exploration, creativity and “beat your own record situations”.

Children should learn to engage and interact fairly and understand the necessity for certain rules-indeed they should have the opportunity to create their own rules for games they have made up or for making a game or challenge harder.

Skill Development

Basic skill development, falling into the categories of sending, receiving, travelling with…and making decisions is best achieved through a combination of unstructured and structured play in safe and challenging environments and quality instruction from knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and well organised coaches.

It is during this stage that the foundations for many advanced skills are laid down. However, understanding the similarities between teaching/coaching points of the basic skills of all games will give them the desired all round flexibility to take part in different sports rather then specialise too early in one.

The introduction and development of agility, Balance, Co-ordination, Speed and Rhythm, through well structured positive and fun activities is essential at this stage if we are to develop well-rounded and effective games players.

Developing physically confident boys and girls with all round sporting ability who are enjoying a programme which is focused on learning and having fun rather than on winning is what we are aiming to achieve in this manual for the age range 4-7 years.

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Val Sabin Hockey Pathway. Phase 2 Learning to Train (8 – 11):

• Teaching and coaching guide included.
• 30 lesson plans.
• 32 extra games.
• Complete comprehensive guide on how to coach hockey.
• Guidelines on safety and the National Curriculum.

Introduction to Hockey Pathway. Phase 2 Learning To Train

The Val Sabin Hockey Manuals are designed to equip a teacher or coach with a complete and comprehensive guide on how to coach hockey with a progressive and developmental sequence of lesson plans which can be used in schools and clubs.

The manuals are comprised of a teaching/coaching guide detailing how to structure sessions with important guidelines on safety and the National Curriculum.

There are 30 lesson plans and games activities to fill any season. In addition there are 32 extra games to plan festivals or fun days.

Single System Syllabus

To assist your players to progress through the Single System Syllabus set out by England Hockey there are certain identified Core Skills which they will need to achieve. It is important that even at the very lowest level on the pathway – “Fundamentals Phase 1” – the appropriate activities and the appropriate staged practices leading to them should be an essential part of each session.

Staged development and repetition are essential parts of a players learning and progress and the success it generates increases the players confidence and self esteem and their physical competence.

This level of development is appropriate for children of approximately 8-11 years.

The main objective for this phase should be to learn fundamental sports skills whilst still being challenged and motivated in an enjoyable way.

Skill Development

The core skills of sending, receiving, travelling with… and making decisions are reinforced and gradually developed into more sport specific skills through practice and repetitions of focused exercises.

Beat your own record activities and conditioned mini games will actively develop these skills, together with self confidence and self esteem.

Children continue to develop agility, balance, co-ordination, strength, stamina and speed, and they learn to engage and interact fairly within rules and understand the necessity for them.

The sessions contain aerobic activity, stretching and mobility exercises and anaerobic work comprising, agility, quickness, change of direction and dynamic balance.

Learning to Train

At this “Learning to Train” stage, children deepen their knowledge and understanding of warm-up, cool down, recovery, relaxation and focus. Competition takes up a larger proportion of their activity time.

To make playing more effective and satisfying, they build up their skill, confidence and ability to read the movements going on around them so they can make sound decisions and use the appropriate skills to achieve success.

Developing physically confident boys and girls with all-round sporting ability and an emerging competence in the specific game of hockey who enjoy learning as well as being moulded in competitions is what we are aiming to achieve at this age.