Observe & Analyse Performance & Evaluation

Observe & Analyse Performance & Evaluation

As I observed players during a hockey match, an aspect they all lacked in some way was dribbling. Dribbling is an essential skill in hockey as it allows players to open up opportunities for their team in a match – being able to manoeuvre away from the opposition can be very advantageous. From what I could see, most panicked when they got the ball, and instead of playing it themselves, they would hit it anywhere straight away, or just lose control when trying to dribble. A total of 13 out of 22 attempts at dribbling were unsuccessful. In order to dribble successfully, keeping the ball on the stick and under control is essential, and this is what happened with the other 9 attempts. These successful ones allowed the players to get past the defenders and create a breakaway. The consequences of the unsuccessful passes meant that they’d lose possession and therefore the opposition would gain the advantage.

The perfect model of dribbling the ball would be to have your hands in a normal position (left hand at the top of the stick and right hand three-quarters down the stick), legs apart, knees bent and most importantly, trying to keep the stick in contact with the ball at all times. This makes it easier to change direction, to speed up and to just have overall control. Furthermore, it is important that the ball is in front and to the right of you (in a clock that would be 2 o’clock) and that you are looking up, and not just down at the ball.

The strengths of the players’ dribbling were that they had their hands in the correct position for dribbling and they managed to keep the stick in contact with the ball most times, exactly how they were meant to in a perfect model. This allowed them to have some control; however due to the fact that they had the ball directly in front of them (12 o’clock), meant that when they tried to change directions, they instantly lost possession of the ball.

During the gameplay, I noticed that a few attempts at an aerial broke down. 2 out of a possible 7 were successful aerials, and what made them successful was the fact that there was a good lift to it and it reached to the intended players with a good degree of accuracy and control. Whereas in the unsuccessful ones, the ball did not lift up much at all from the ground. The outcome of these low aerials meant that the ball was intercepted and the opposition team gained possession. If the aerials are performed sufficiently, it will enable the team to create a breakaway and get a chance at goal.

The perfect model of an aerial would be to have your right hand at the bottom of the grip and your left hand at the top (a normal position), knees bent so you are quite low and the ball in front of you at a 45 degree angle. Step past the ball with your left foot and make sure your stick is underneath the ball, then lift. As you lift, it is best to not force