Leading and receiving

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Field hockey drill · Age 8 and up

A junior hockey player who wants the ball usually stands still and waves their stick at it, with a defender right beside them. Leading is how a player gets free: a sharp run one way to take the marker with them, then a check back into the space they have just left, arriving as the pass is made. This drill teaches the lead, the timing, and the first touch on the move.

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Time
15 minutes
Players
Groups of 5: a passer, two players leading and two markers
Equipment
  • 2 or 3 balls per group
  • Bibs in two colours
  • 4 cones to mark a channel about 25 metres long and 20 metres wide

Setup

  1. The centre back (CB) starts at the back of the channel with the ball. The centre midfielder (CM) is in the middle of the channel with an opposing CM marking them.
  2. The centre forward (CF) is at the far end with an opposing CB marking them.
  3. Our CM leads away from the ball, towards the far end, and their marker goes with them. Then the CM checks back sharply into the space they left, on a different line.
  4. The CB passes as the CM checks back, not before. The CM receives, and the CF makes their own lead for the next pass.
  5. Rotate after every three goes: passer to leader, leader to marker, marker to passer.

Coaching points

  • Leader: the first run is a decoy, so make it look real. Then change pace and direction at the same moment.
  • Leader: show a target with the stick down on the side the ball should come to, and be side-on so you can see the ball and the pitch.
  • Passer: pass when the lead comes back to you, into the space in front of the leader, not at their feet.
  • Receiver: if the marker is right behind you, you may receive standing still facing any way, but you may not back into them or shield the ball from their stick with your body.

On the run sheet: Lead away to take your marker, then check back sharply into the space you left. Arrive as the pass is made, stick down, body side-on so you can see the pitch

Progressions

  1. Let the markers defend at full pace, so a lead that is not sharp does not get the ball.
  2. The receiver must play their next pass in one touch, to the CF on their lead.
  3. Add a second marker who can switch onto whichever player leads first.

How it runs

Our centre back (CB) has the ball deep in midfield. Our centre midfielder (CM) leads away towards the opposition's goal, and their CM, marking, goes with them. Our CM then checks back sharply towards the ball on a new line, and their CM is a stride late. Our CB passes into the space, and our CM receives about four metres clear. While they do, our centre forward (CF) leads out towards the right and then comes back short, away from their CB, and our CM passes to them. The animation ends on that second pass.

The pass and the lead have to agree. A pass made before the check back goes to the marker; a pass made late lets the marker recover. The receiver is the one who decides when, by checking back, and the passer is the one who has to watch for it.

The rule it is practising

Obstruction. A player must not obstruct an opponent who is trying to play the ball: by backing into them, by moving their body or stick between the opponent and the ball, or by running between an opponent and the ball so a team-mate can keep it (third-party obstruction). A player standing still to receive may face any direction, but once an opponent is trying to play the ball, the receiver has to move away with it or pass it, not stand with their back to them shielding it. Leading is the legal way to get the space a shielding player is looking for.

A pass in this drill should travel along the ground. If you progress to aerial passes, a player must not approach within 5 m of an opponent receiving a falling raised ball until it is under control, which keeps the receiver safe. Junior formats such as England Hockey's Rush Hockey, Hockey Australia's Hookin2Hockey and 7-a-side limit raised balls further, so check your association's rules before you teach the aerial.

The mistakes to watch for

A lead that is all one speed, which the marker simply follows. Checking back on the same line, straight into the marker. Receiving square-on with the back to the pitch, so the first touch can only go backwards. And a passer who passes because the leader shouts, not because the leader is free.

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