5 Tips to be Successful in Scoring Goals in a Field Hockey Game

You cannot win games without scoring goals. That is pretty obvious. What might be less obvious, though, is how to score those goals.

Everyone want to be the best. They want to be the hero. They want to be the one who scores the most goals at the most important times. But how do you accomplish this?

If scoring were easy, field hockey scores would be a lot higher. However, if you want to be a high scorer, then you have to develop your skills and play the game the right way. If you can learn the tricks of the trade, you are much more likely to be productive.

The 5 Secrets of Goal Scoring

When you take lessons or go to field hockey camp, you are going to learn a lot about scoring. But for starters, here are five secrets that every successful field hockey scorer follows in order to score goals.

1. Be in the right place.

If you want to be a good player, you have to be in the right spot. This may mean knowing where your best chance of scoring is and being there. Field Hockey Canada has a chart that shows the area they call the goalscoring box. This is the area of the field where the most goals are scored from. Knowing where this is can help you immensely.

However, there is more to it than that. Not only do you need to know the most likely spots on a field to score, you have to know where you should be at that specific moment.

· Where is an opening?
· Are there too many defenders over there?
· Is the goalie weak on a particular side?

These are all questions you should be able to answer. And then, you should position yourself based off of those answers.

2. Learn to be stealth.

If you go to the net and take a simple shoot, the goalie is probably going to stop it. You have to make the goalie doubt.

Something similar to this should be going on in the goalie’s head as you prepare to make your shot.

“Is she going left? No. I think she’s shooting right. Wait. She’s about to pass it.” Keep the goalie on her toes. If she is not sure exactly what you are going to do or where you are going to place your shot, then it is much harder for her to defend against it.

You want to do your best to make the goalie think you are shooting to the top left corner so that you can sneak it in bottom right (or whatever the shot may be.) That way, they are leaning the wrong way and you have a much better shot.

3. See the ball, be the ball.

You have to watch everything. You should know all of the following at all times during the game.

· Where is the ball?
· How far are you from the goal?
· Where are your teammates?
· Where are the other team’s players?
· Which parts of the field are covered?
· Which parts of the field are open?
· Are there any weak or blind spots for the goalie?

If you want to increase your odds of scoring, you have to be vigilant and observant. If you are hyperaware of everything going on around you, then you are much more likely to receive the ball and find a way to get it in to the opponent’s net. You cannot shoot blind and expect consistent success. Instead, you have to see what is happening and use that to your advantage.

4. Pre-think, think, then play.

You cannot just see what is going on around you, you have to be able to envision what will happen next. Do not wait until you have the ball to make a play. See where people are, but also figure out where they are going. Notice what the goalie is doing, and decide what she will do next.

You have to pre-think about possible scenarios and then think about which scenario is best when you actually get the ball. Maybe the best play is for you to pass to an open teammate. Or maybe you have an opening and should take the shot.

Whatever the best play is, you should already know it and know how to execute it before you even get the ball.

5. Have the right attitude.

Confidence is key to almost all athletic success, and this is no exception. One of the best ways to ensure scoring success is to believe that you can do it.

Timid players or players who doubt in their own ability do not have the mental strength to take shots. They don’t want to mess up or they believe their teammate is a better player. If you never shoot, though, you will certainly not score.

If you want to have a lot of goals notched on your belt, then you have to go out there and take shots. Believe in yourself.

Still, Remember to Be a Team Player

Scoring is great. Just remember, the game is not all about you. Take shots and score goals, but remember that if the best thing you can do to help your team is pass to a teammate, then make sure you pass. Not only does that make you a better player, but it also makes people want to pass to you. Which means you are going to have a lot more chances to score in the future.