Registration is open until April 3, 2013! Please find information on how to register under the Program Info box on the right.

Learn to Train (L2T) Program Summary

Schedule Overview:
• Assessment - April 2013
• Training – May/June/July 2013 - 1 practice/week. Typcially Friday or Sunday evenings.
• Festival – July 20-21, 2013 at Tamanawis Park in Surrey.

Training Overview:
• 15 hours technical skill development with a slight shift into tactical strategy for team preparation
• Injury Prevention and Fitness Program 

Program Highlights:
• Developmentally appropriate coaching
• Participation in an educational, supportive and fun environment
• Provincial Festival event

Program Fee - $299 per athlete 

The fee includes the following:
• Training
• Festival cost
• Uniform and Training Shirt
• Facility costs
• Coaches honouraria
• Umpiring costs (Festival)
• Medical and Equipment (balls/pylons,etc) costs
• Travel subsidy to Festival for traveling teams
• Sport Science session
• Festival social
• Hotel room subsidy for traveling teams at Festival

High Performance Program Structure Overview
Field Hockey BC (FHBC) is committed to providing comprehensive direct programming at three stages of an athlete’s development; ‘Learn to Train’ (L2T); ‘Train to Train’ (T2T); and ‘Train to Compete’ (T2C). These stages are aligned with the Canadian Long-Term Field Hockey Development Model, a model based on the federally and provincially mandated Long-Term Athlete Development Model (LTAD). FHBC’s strategic delivery plan for athlete programming is to offer both Regional and Provincial opportunities in direct alignment with the Canadian National Team Program. These programs are highlighted below, the ‘Learn to Train’ Development Program being a Regional Program for both Boys and Girls:

• FHBC ‘Learn to Train’ Development Program (targeting ages 10-13)
• FHBC ‘Train to Train’ Performance Program (targeting ages 13-15)
• FHBC ‘Train to Compete’ Performance Program (targeting ages 16-18)

Learn to Train Program Overview
The ‘Learn to Train’ program is designed as a developmental program that provides a complimentary programming opportunity to participation within the BC community club system. This program will be offered during the Spring and Summer of 2013 and is designed to run in conjunction with the BC Junior Leagues and associated FHBC Events during the months of May and June in particular. In order to allow athletes to train in the regions they live in and represent their clubs during the Junior League Season, FHBC will make every effort to avoid conflicts with league and club championship participation.

Regional Designation
Regional designation will follow the current FHBC Regional structure (Northwest, Southeast, Vancouver Island/Mid-Island, and the Interior), but FHBC will also offer opportunities to participate within identified developing regions - Comox Valley, Fraser Valley (Chilliwack/Abbotsford), and the Kootenays.

Assessment
There will be rudimentary assessment for athletes ahead of acceptance into this program. Players will be expected to be able to demonstrate fundamental field hockey skills as this program is as yet not designed to cater for athletes who have not played the sport of field hockey before.  The intent of this program is to provide an opportunity to further develop an athlete’s skill base and better equip athletes to have the potential to access future performance programming.

The assessment will take place in April 2013 and training will run through May, June and the first half of July. The program will culminate with a fantastic 8-a-side festival style tournament in July, 2013.  The festival will allow athletes to showcase their new skills in a fun environment where they will get to play with athletes from across BC.

Guiding philosophy and principles
• Develop style of play which is fluid, graceful and effective, both individually and as a team
• Develop correct technique to execute the basic skills
• Develop a rock solid foundation, which facilitates to introduce and develop the next level of basic and advanced skills gradually, as the athlete graduates from one stage of the LTAD model to the next one

L2T stage; overall technical skills to be developed:
• Introduce and develop basic technical skills
• Introduce and cover the 9 steps of the Player Development Model (PDM)
• Ball control and ball distribution
• Running with the ball
• Passing and receiving
• Familiarity with the ball and stick
• Tackling stance and footwork for channeling

L2T stage; overall tactical skills to be developed:
• Introduce the basic tactical concepts of the game, through modified mini games
• Develop awareness in regards to which zone of the field the player is in, and what type of skills are needing to be employed in each case
• Very basic offensive concepts
• Very Basic defensive concepts

Focus upon specific technical skills:
• Stance, footwork, how to hold the stick and first touch
• First touch while receiving a pass coming from various angles
    o From the front, while being face to face
    o Center, Right and Left, with a open stick and reverse stick
    o Mini aerial passes; playing mini tennis in pairs with 1 or 2 touches
    o First touch while receiving a pass coming from back
    o CH’s pass to RI or RI’s pass to RW / CF
• Ball control
    o Develop hand eye coordination
    o Stick feints

Player Development Model (PDM):

Keeping in mind the objectives of this stage, cover the 9 steps of the PDM, while making them more challenging, as the athlete improves. L2T stage is the foundation on which the next stages of the LTAD model depend tremendously.
 
Step # 1 … Stance
What to cover in this stage?
• Offensive stance to receive the ball coming from different angles
• Defensive stance, to tackle a opponent approaching from different angles

Step # 2 … Footwork
What to cover in this stage?
• How to change the pace and direction quickly, to eliminate the opponent
• Footwork to develop body feints

Step # 3 … How to hold the stick?
What to cover in this stage?
• How to shift grips, while executing various skills. E.G. Tackling
• Shifting stick from one hand to the other, when, where and why. Receiving the ball, while it is slightly out of range

Step # 4 … First touch
What to cover in this stage?
• One hand mini hits, to develop the strength and touch of the left hand
• Mini hits with both hands
• Reverse stick passes
• Aerial hockey. Playing tennis with a partner
• Bringing the ball from the left to the right and vice versa with one touch

Step # 5 … Running with the ball
What to cover in this stage?
• Running with the ball with one hand only, left hand and right hand
• Back pedaling
• Side pedaling
• Fullback pedaling
• Bringing the ball from the left to the right, as a defender
• How to quickly stop and go
• How to quickly change the speed and direction
   
Step # 6 … Dribbling the ball and dodging
What to cover in this stage?
• Dodges on the right and left side, as a forward and inner
• Dodges and possession skills as half back and full back
• Developing stick and body feints
• Developing footwork and vision
• Develop awareness of how the dodge is different in each position and zone of the field – depending upon the given situation – and how to recognize and exploit it.

Step # 7 … Passing and Receiving on the run
What to cover in this stage?
• Passing and receiving and leading from different angles
• How to receive a pass as a C.H., L.I. and R.I., while it is coming from different angles … left, right, back and front.
• Receiving the ball on the stick and in the space as a forward. E.G. R.W., CF. and L.W.
 
Step # 8 … Tackling
What to cover in this stage?
• Introduction the basic type of Poke tackle
• Safety first, how to tackle from the left
• How the first three steps Stance, footwork and holding the stick, come into play and how closely they are interrelated, to execute effective tackles

Step # 9 … Mini hockey
What to cover in this stage?
Focus upon specific tactical and technical skills
• Offensive play concepts
• Defensive play concepts
• How the mini hockey moves on the right side, are different from those on the left side
• Triangle play
• Introduce the 7 laws which govern the game
• Mini hockey games; 3on1, 3on2, 3on3, 4on2, 4on3, 4on4

Frequently Asked Questions?

Where was the ‘Learn to Train’ program adapted from?

The Learn to Train stage of the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model. This stage focuses on ‘developing and refining fundamental movement skills and overall sport skills.’ In essence, Field Hockey BC champions the Learn to Train stage of LTAD and Field Hockey competition in a “training and festival” non-outcome orientated format that fosters a developmental environment where all athletes are able to further refine their individual and collective skills without the fear of failure.

Who will make up the ‘Learn to Train’ program?

The ‘Learn to Train’ program is expected to offer the opportunity for 200+ regional boys and girls (gender neutral) to participate in a three month training program that will culminate in an 8-a-side festival that is open to all athletes. This program is intended to be offered on an annual basis and is consistent with FHBC’s strategic priority to place a significant emphasis on the development of athletes at the ‘Learn to Train’ stage of development. This training is expected to compliment an athlete’s development within the BC Club system.

Future Updates

A further program outline will be forthcoming in February that will also include details pertaining to:

• Registration
• Program Cost
• Participant Expectations
• Travel and Accommodation (Festival)

Please mark February 20th, 2013 in your calendars as this will be the launch date for Registration to the ‘Learn to Train’ program!

Details will be updated periodically on the FHBC website www.fieldhockeybc.com. Please also feel free to contact FHBC High Performance Program Manager, Colleen Reay colleen@fieldhockeybc.com, if you have any questions about the program, or athlete pathway in field hockey.