Hockey: Interception - Open Stick

Focus on defence: Intercepting, Channelling, Zoning and Back-Tracking - All in one defending skills session!

Read the signs, time your run and cut out their pass teach your players to watch their eyes, drive and steal the ball

in this video the defender times their run to intercept the pass to the right winger.

To practice this skill set up players in groups of three, with one feeder, one attacker and one defender.

The defender should be standing in line with their opposite number, on the inside of the attacker running from right to left.

When the feeder plays the ball up towards the two players they should both set off to try and win the ball.

Two lines of players with 1 ball per grid.

Player 1 passes the ball to player 2 who runs to the opposite cone. Player 3 makes their intercepting run as the player makes their pass, trying to intercept the ball before it reaches player its intended recipient. If they successfully intercept the ball they make a pass to player 4.

Exercise start again.

Player 1 runs straight to receive the ball from player 4 and player 2 has to try and intercept the ball and pass the ball to player 5.

Split your group into two teams - defenders and attackers.

Players with the ball have to run around the cone and try and score. Players without ball also have to run around the cone, and then try and stop the other player scoring.