INTRODUCTION Hello Players! Here is a conditioning packet that is a compilation of possible workouts and
information you can use to get ready for the upcoming field hockey season. It is not mandatory that you follow the
workouts in this packet however it is strongly recommended that you be in top physical form and this will help you.
Coming into preseason out of shape is ill-advised; it is dangerous because of increased risk of injury. In addition, it’s
almost impossible to show off your skills when you are out of breath.
Your spring/summer program is divided into the 4 components listed below. Each component is addressed in further
detail later in the packet.
1. Core strength: Abdominal strength work should be done at least twice a week. Core strength is important to
any athlete as it improves overall strength and prevents injury.
2. Endurance training/Cross-training: 2xs per week, not on speed days.
3. Speed training: 2-3xs per week, not on endurance days. Speed workouts include sprints and plyometrics.
Focus on quick starts and make sure you are pushing yourself to about 80% of your maximum speed.
4. Agility/Skill training: 2xs per week, usually on sprint days. Agilities are sometimes done without a ball and
stick and sometimes with a ball and stick. Agilities are important for stick skills but also very important for foot work.
Testing: At the beginning of preseason you will be timed on the mile, 300 yard shuttle and push-ups.
1. 1 Mile run. Varsity goal – under 7:00; Junior Varsity goal – under 8:00
2. A 300 yard shuttle: up and back to the 25 yard line from then end line 6 times, for a total of 300 yards. Pivot hard
on the turns. Varsity goal – under 1:05; Junior Varsity goal – under 1:20
3. Number of push-ups to failure without any rests in between. Count the number of pushups you can do until you
cannot do anymore. Varsity goal – over 35; Junior Varsity goal – over 25
HEALTHY FITNESS: Here are just a few notes on health and fitness.
Nutrition: Try to keep a balanced diet throughout your training. The USDA recommends that a 17 year-old female
who is working out 60 minutes or more a day should eat the following:
Grains - 8oz – at least half being whole grains (1 ounce equivalent is about 1 slice bread, 1cup dry cereal, or ½ cup
cooked rice, pasta, or cereal)
Vegetables – at least 3 cups per day
Fruits – 2 cups per day – try and skip the juices and go with a fresh piece
Milk – 3 cups per day!!! Make sure you are getting your calcium it is soooooo important for teenage girls!
Protein – 6 ½ oz., try to stick with leaner meats, vary your protein intake: fish, red meat, chicken, beans, nuts and
seeds. (1 ounce equivalent is 1 ounce meat, poultry, or fish, 1 egg, 1 T. peanut butter, ½ ounce nuts, or ¼ cup dry
beans)
Hydration: Summers can be hot and that means you will be sweating quite a bit. Please be sure to drink plenty of
liquids. Drink water as much as possible. Gatorade is good in moderation. You can drink Gatorade while working out; it
provides an energy boost and helps to balance electrolyte loss, but not when you are sitting around because all that
sugar will go to your hockey butt if you aren’t burning it off right away.
Be smart about heat: Use common sense about the heat. Try to do workouts in the morning when it is cooler.
Wear lightweight clothing and light colored clothing. Be sure to wear sunscreen. The treadmill is a great place to work
out when the heat is unbearable and you can’t get the workout done in the morning, however, do not make it your
routine; it is important that you do get outside for most of your workouts because it will help your body get used to
being outside in the heat. Believe it or not I do not plan on holding preseason in an air-conditioned facility.
Warming-up and cooling-down: Please make sure that you do a ½ mile jog before every workout and stretch
for 5-10 minutes before every workout and a ½ mile jog and 5-10 min stretch following every workout. This practice
will also help to prevent injury and increase flexibility.
Push-ups – keep your body as straight as possible placing your hands a little more than shoulder-width apart with
your fingers pointing forward and elbows close to your body at all times. You should keep your body straight from
head to feet and the balls of your feet as well as your toes firmly on the floor. In order to keep your back, and with it
your spine, in a safe position, inhale a little more deeply than ordinarily as you go down. Descend until your chest is
about 6 inches from the ground. Then go back up by pushing your body off the ground while exhaling.
Weight crunch – use a 10-25 lb. weight to hold on chest for crunches
2. ENDURANCE TRAINING
On endurance training days, you should run in the range between 2 and 5 miles. Don’t worry about your time. If you
need to break the run into run/walk that’s okay but by August you should be able to comfortably run 4 miles without
a break. Endurance runs should be done at a pace that you can carry on a conversation but you are still working up a
sweat. If you are not somewhere you can run, you may pick from the following list of activities on endurance days.
You should be doing at LEAST 40 minutes:
Bike, Swim, Hike, Stair-step, Elliptical, Nordic track, Aerobics, Stadium steps
3. SPEED TRAINING
4. AGILITY TRAINING
Individual Skills- Spend about 10 minutes several times a week working on these skills. You can fit them in
whenever you can during that week.
Pulls – time yourself, how many yard stick pulls can you do in a minute? Also work on feints/fakes. Find a partner
and practice timing your pulls for dodges or you can set up an obstacle to pull around.
Hits – schedule time during the week to go somewhere either by yourself or with a partner and practice drives and
chokes. Focus on either accuracy or power. When working with a partner also work on receiving, don’t stand up until
you have passed the ball away.
Footwork – use the following agilities without a stick and a ball:
AG1, AG2, AG3, AG9. Also try very short sprints (10 yds.) break down your steps, turn and drop step.
Pushes – same as hits, except working on pushes focus on either accuracy or power.
Lifts/Flicks/aerial dribbling – work on lifting and flicking the ball, it is best if you can practice these into a
goal cage.
Plyometrics (Plyos) - Do any of the exercises listed in the following pages. Choose 3 exercises and do 3 sets of
each exercise. A set for each exercise is 10 jumps/lunges. These exercises work on your power and explosiveness
so it is important to give yourself enough time to rest between each set. Like me you will probably love to hate plyos,
however they do make you faster if done correctly and with regularity.
Squat Jumps
-Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
-Lower body where thighs are parallel to ground and immediately explode upwards vertically and drive arms up.
Do not hold a squat position before jumping up – keep the time between dipping down and jumping up to a minimum.
-Land on both feet. Rest for 1-2 seconds and repeat.
Split Squat Jumps
-Stand with feet hip width apart.
-Take left leg and step back approximately 2 feet standing on the ball of back foot.
-Feet should be positioned at a staggered stance with head and back erect and straight in a neutral position.
-Lower body by bending at right hip and knee until thigh is parallel to floor then immediately explode vertically.
-Switch feet in the air so that the back foot lands forward and vice versa. Prior to takeoff extend the ankles to their
maximum range (full plantar flexion) ensure proper mechanics.
Tuck Jumps
-- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, with arms at side.
--Jump up bringing knees up to chest. Try to grab knees with hands.
-Land on balls of feet and repeat immediately.
-Remember to reduce ground contact time by landing softly on feet and springing into air.
Burpee
-Start by standing tall and then drop to your hands and end up in push-up form.
-This may take some practice before you try this at 100% intensity.
-Stand up as quickly as you can and repeat
Zigzag Hops
-Stand to the left of a line on a field or a hockey stick 1-2 feet away.
-Forcefully push off both feet and land the on the other side of the line.
-Repeat and land feet back on the other side, continue repeating and so on down the line.
-Do not "double hop" upon each landing and keep ground contact time to a minimum.
Single Leg Lateral Hops
-Start by standing on one leg with your hands on your waist or at your sides.
-Proceed to hop to the side while maintaining your balance and hop back to the starting position.
-You can place a rope on the ground or any object on the ground. The object can be small in size and height or large
to increase difficulty.
-Repeat continuously
Bleacher jumps
-Jump up 15 steps, legs should be shoulder width apart, jump with both feet.
-As you get better try not to double hop between steps.
-Walk back down after each step.
Single leg hop
-Stand on one leg. Jump up & out, try to reach maximal distance and some height. Flex knee and bring slightly under
buttock, land and immediately repeat.
-Switch and repeat on the other leg.
Double leg speed hop
-From athletic position, jump up & out; try to reach maximal distance and some height.
-Flex knees and bring slightly under buttock
-Land and immediately repeat.
-Foot contact time should be minimal.
Double leg jump-sprint
-From athletic position, jump up & out, try to reach maximal distance and some height.
-Once you have landed sprint straight approximately 20 yards.
Bounding
-Jog into the start of the drill for forward momentum.
-After a few feet, forcefully push off with the left foot and bring the leg forward. At same time drive your right arm
forward.
-Repeat with other leg and arm
-This exercise is an exaggerated running motion focusing on foot push-off and air time