2v1 to the circle

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Field hockey drill · Age 8 and up

Two against one is the overload every attack is trying to make, and junior teams waste it all the time: the player on the ball passes too early, so the defender covers both, or too late, after they have been tackled. This drill teaches the decision. Carry the ball at the defender, make them choose, and pass to whoever they did not choose. Then the shot has to come from inside the circle, or it does not count.

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Time
15 minutes
Players
Groups of 4: two attackers, a defender and a goalkeeper
Equipment
  • 4 or 5 balls per group
  • A goal and a goalkeeper in full kit
  • Cones on the 23 m line to start each go from

Setup

  1. Start the centre forward (CF) with the ball about 6 metres outside the 23 m line, with the right wing (RW) about 12 metres to their right.
  2. One defender, the centre back (CB), starts inside the 23 m area, between the 23 m line and the circle. The goalkeeper (GK) is in goal.
  3. On the whistle the CF carries the ball straight at the CB while the RW runs into the circle, staying wide.
  4. When the CB commits to the CF, the CF passes to the RW, who shoots. If the CB covers the RW, the CF goes on and shoots.
  5. Swap sides after every go, so both players carry the ball and both play the support role.

Coaching points

  • Carry the ball at the defender, not across them. A ball carrier who drifts sideways pulls the 2v1 into a 1v1.
  • Pass when the defender commits to you, with their weight going your way, and not before.
  • Support: stay wide enough that one defender cannot cover both of you, and be inside the circle when the ball comes.
  • Shooter: shoot early, on your first or second touch, before the defender can recover.

On the run sheet: Ball carrier: run straight at the defender, not across them. Pass when they commit to you. Support: stay wide and level, and get into the circle before the pass

Progressions

  1. Add a recovering defender who starts 5 metres behind the attackers.
  2. Make it 3v2, with the extra attacker trailing as a late runner.
  3. Count a goal only if it comes from a first-time shot.

How it runs

Our centre forward (CF) carries the ball from outside the 23 m area straight at their centre back (CB), while our right wing (RW) runs into the circle on the right, wide enough that the CB cannot cover both. The CB steps across to tackle the CF, and the CF slips the ball to the RW, who takes it inside the circle and shoots. The animation ends on the shot, with the goalkeeper (GK) moving across to the near post.

The pass is made from outside the circle and that is fine: what matters is where the shot comes from. The RW's run is timed to arrive inside the circle as the pass is made, not to wait there.

The rule it is practising

The shooting circle. A goal only counts if the ball is played by an attacker inside the circle and does not leave the circle before it crosses the goal line. A shot from outside the circle that goes in is no goal, and a defender's deflection does not change that. Hockey's circle is not a semicircle: it is two arcs 14.63 m from each goalpost, joined by a straight line in front of the goal, so it reaches furthest straight in front of the goal and is shallower towards the sides. The lines are part of the circle.

It also practises obstruction: the ball carrier may not shield the ball from the defender with their body. Junior formats such as England Hockey's Rush Hockey, Hockey Australia's Hookin2Hockey and 7-a-side often use a smaller circle or a scoring zone, so check your association's rules for your age group.

The mistakes to watch for

Passing before the defender commits. A support player who runs level with the ball carrier and then stops outside the circle. A shooter who takes three touches to set the ball, so the defender recovers. And a ball carrier who keeps going into the tackle because they had already decided not to pass.

More field hockey drills

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