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So my team (all 12/13 year olds) are in the unfortunate situation of having to train on grass, but will be playing all of their games on turf. I was wondering what are some good drills to be able to do in training (it's only a short training session, between 30 - 50 minutes). Any help would be great!
Cheers!
Hi Jack,
I coach a men's team & most sportplan drills work well. One touch hockey is out due to bounce, and some other drills you can modify if they are not working. Running with the ball on the stick is also a bit dodgey. Most passing type drills work well, but in saying that, you should teach your team to receive the ball with their sticks VERTICAL. This then compensates for any bounce. Have them get in position early (see speed below)
(We train & play on grass - some of it very rough).
Another thing to watch for which you more than likely have, is the ball speed which can cause real grief when going from grass to turf. What i suggest is to have your players run an extra few yards to receive which may compensate.
Try and lengthen the distance the team runs when doing drills. Grass is slower and also heavier to run on than turf, so this may be a way to build fitness and may have the added benefit of teaching them to move around on the field during a game. Also they may realize that there is no such thing as a ball out of reach!
Hope that helps a bit,
Regards,
Peter Bradford.
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