sports footwork

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PAN AM Field Hockey Footwork

pan am field hockey       Field Hockey has similar strategies and positioning to soccer. Unlike soccer, field hockey players cannot use their bodies to protect or project the ball. They control the ball with their sticks alone. Feet must not touch the ball whether deliberately or unintentionally. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to use (either of) her feet to stop or kick the ball.

Nevertheless, good footwork is foundational to field hockey. Players must stop, start, and change direction with quickness and balance. When they are chasing, receiving or passing the ball, it is ‘stick work on the run’. Indeed, the running may seem endless. During 70 minutes of play, players run nearly 10 K – more than athletes in almost any other sport.

Freeze Frame on Three Footwork Skills

Foot positions change quickly as field hockey players perform skills while running. A player gets the ball for just a split second. So this is a snapshot description of a three-way connection: her feet, her stick and the ball.

  1. Passing

From a wide base of support with feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, the player stands sideways to the ball. The ball is midway between and in front of feet; the ball is on her stick, her eyes on the ball.  She transfers weight from her right foot in back to her left foot in front as the ball is pushed forward.  During the weight transfer, her left knee is almost touching the ground.

  1. Receiving

In the path of the ball, the player moves her feet constantly to ensure she is in the best position before ball arrives. She stays low with knees bent. She reaches out in front with her stick at a 45 degree angle to the ground ahead of her left foot.

  1. Hitting the Ball

As she brings her stick through, she steps forward on her left foot to the ball, transferring weight forward to that foot. Her left shoulder points in the direction the ball is to be hit. She hits the ball with her stick off her left foot. Her next step is a cross-step behind the left foot.

Go to – http://www.toronto2015.org/schedule

Resources:

http://www.toronto2015.org/field-hockey

http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/field-hockey-2nd-edition

http://www.runnersworld.com/fun/distance-run-per-game-in-various-sports

http://www.fieldhockey.ca/en/howtoplayfieldhockey

http://thompsonbooks.com/halteacher9/halteacher9/Unit8LessonPlans/PDFLessonPlans/Unit8_Lesson_Plans_FieldHockey.pdf

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.   1 Corinthians 9:25 (NIV)

TRAINING – COMPETITION – PODIUM

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PAN AM Cycling Track Footwork

cycling track        Much as we admire road racing, the cycle sport of track racing is at another level.  Track racers don’t just put on short bursts of speed; they sustain speed throughout the race, accelerating as they go. The tracks have no corners, no hills and no head winds, so no natural ‘slowing’ features.  Raw sprinting power seeks to outpace its opponents.  Even the steep wooden banks built onto the tracks aid racers with their acceleration. The steeper, the better.  Lead riders push air around them as they race ahead. Those in the rest of the pack jostle for advantageous positions in and out of the draft or drag of that air.

But here’s the rub.  Track bikes are minimalist – no gears, no brakes and no ability to coast. When the back wheel is moving, the pedals are moving. It is 360 degrees of continuous movement; no “breaks” for feet.

Pedaling and Braking

When hopping onto their ‘fixed gear’ bikes, track racers clip into the top pedal first, and then push off with the second foot.  It takes some coordination to slip the second foot into its clip with the pedals already moving. Toe-clips play a key role in pedaling efficiently and smoothly.  They keep feet where they are supposed to be, getting more out of every revolution.

Like in the other cycling sports, the speed of a track bike increases by pedaling forward. Unlike the others, slowing or braking is controlled by reversing pressure on the moving pedals. Some say that ‘fixed gear’ bikes actually have two brakes: the rider’s right and left feet.  Since no one else on the track has brakes, riders don’t suddenly slow down and disrupt the flow. In spite of its high speeds, the contained tracks and uniform flow of racers make it a surprisingly safe sport.

Go to – http://www.toronto2015.org/schedule

Resources: 

http://www.toronto2015.org/cycling-track

http://www.wenzelcoaching.com/blog/understanding-velodrome-racing/

http://www.ridethetrack.com/pdf/trackracing_intro.pdf

http://www.startbikeracing.com/index.php/track/track-strategy

http://www.complex.com/sports/2014/03/learn-to-ride-a-fixed-gear-bicycle-without-dying/toeclips

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.   1 Corinthians 9:25 (NIV)

   TRAINING – COMPETITION – PODIUM