Shooting from the top of the circle

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Field hockey drill · Age 9 and up

Most goals in junior hockey are not clean strikes from the top of the circle. They are rebounds off the goalkeeper, tapped in by somebody who was already at the far post. This drill puts a shot and a rebound together: one player takes a feed at the top of the circle and shoots, and another is already running to the far post before the shot is struck.

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Time
15 minutes
Players
Groups of 6: a feeder, a shooter and a rebounder, two defenders and a goalkeeper
Equipment
  • 6 to 8 balls
  • A goal and a goalkeeper in full kit
  • Bibs in two colours

Setup

  1. The right midfielder (RM) has the ball on the right of the 23 m area, outside the circle.
  2. The centre forward (CF) starts about 5 metres outside the top of the circle with their centre back (CB) marking. The left wing (LW) is just outside the left edge of the circle with their right back (RB) marking.
  3. The CF leads into the top of the circle and the RM feeds them. At the same time the LW runs to the far post, and the RB goes with them.
  4. The CF shoots on their first or second touch. If the goalkeeper (GK) saves it, the LW and the CF follow it in for the rebound, and the defenders try to clear.
  5. Rotate after every three shots so everybody shoots, feeds and follows in.

Coaching points

  • Shooter: receive on the open side with the body facing the goal, and shoot before the defender can close you down.
  • Aim low and at the corners. A low shot is harder to save cleanly, and it makes the rebounds.
  • Rebounder: be at the far post with the stick on the ground before the shot, not after it.
  • Follow every shot in. The shooter is the second rebounder.

On the run sheet: Shooter: lead to the top of the circle, receive on the open side, shoot early and low. Rebounder: be on the far post before the shot, stick on the ground

Progressions

  1. Count goals from rebounds only, so the first shot is only a means to an end.
  2. Let the defenders play the rebound at full pace.
  3. Feed from the left as well, so the far post changes and so does the rebounder.

How it runs

Our right midfielder (RM) has the ball on the right of the 23 m area. Our centre forward (CF) leads into the top of the circle, away from their centre back (CB), and our left wing (LW) runs to the far post, with their right back (RB) chasing. The RM feeds the CF, and the animation ends as the CF shoots, with the LW already at the far post for a rebound off the goalkeeper (GK).

The shot is only half the drill. Keep it going until the ball is in the goal, cleared out of the circle, or held by the goalkeeper, and coach the follow-up as hard as the shot.

The rule it is practising

The shooting circle. A goal only counts if an attacker plays the ball inside the circle and it does not leave the circle before crossing the goal line, so the CF has to receive inside the line at the top of the circle, not on the edge of it. A rebound tapped in from the far post counts in the same way: the LW is playing it inside the circle.

It also practises dangerous play and the raised ball. A shot at goal is the one time a player may raise the ball from a hit, but never dangerously: a ball raised into a defender within about 5 m, or at the goalkeeper's head, is dangerous play and is a foul however it ends. The rebounder must not raise the ball dangerously either. Junior formats such as England Hockey's Rush Hockey, Hockey Australia's Hookin2Hockey and 7-a-side often stop the youngest players lifting the ball at all, so check your association's rules for your age group.

The mistakes to watch for

Receiving the feed outside the circle and shooting anyway. Shooting high, which is easy to save and dangerous. A rebounder who waits to see whether the shot goes in before moving. And a shooter who stops and watches their shot.

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