Tip Of The Week: Be Balanced and Stay Low To Score

Hockey is of course about trying to score goals and preventing our opponents from scoring. Statistics show that most goals are scored within 7 yards and these will come from pushes, flicks, scoops and slapshots on both the forestick and the reverse.

Every once in a while though, we’ll get a great chance to score from nearer to the top of the circle and this is where all sorts of bad habits can creep in. Even when we practice doing the right thing at training, the excitement that comes with having a great chance in a game still often takes over and we find ourselves frothing at the mouth and trying to smash the ball into next week.

Now, there’s certainly nothing wrong with hitting the ball really hard and you’ll see from the picture attached that England and GB International Rob Moore is certainly about to do that. What you should also notice though is just how well Rob has put himself in an excellent, balanced position to hit the ball, which of course maximises the chances of hitting the ball exactly where you want it to go i.e. past the goalkeeper and inside the post. Rob’s position also includes staying low and he has resisted the urge many players get which is to go from being nice and low when trapping the ball to wanting to hit it like you are standing up like you are on the first tee at the British Open.