with Jenelle Downs,
Centre College Head Coach;
5x SAA Coach of the Year;
NFHCA Region Coach of the Year (2017);
2017 NCAA Elite Eight appearance
Field hockey is a complex game and rote learning strategies will only take your team so far. What you need are tactically flexible players. In this video, Centre College head coach Jenelle Downs shows her blueprint to make athletes more versatile.
Coach Downs explains how to progressively place your defenders under increasing stress using flexible open-ended, multi-phase exercises that promote problem-solving and creativity.
Defense Drill Progressions
In a series of open-ended repeat drills, Downs shows how to teach players to become better defenders by:
- Outletting effectively under pressure from active opposition
- Running correct recovery lines after a turnover
- Communicating clearly to organize quickly
In a half-field transition drill that trains all aspects of the game, Downs trains her defenders to work together in numbers-down situations to nullify opposition attacks and then launch counter-attacks of their own. This is full-on, game-sense training designed to produce cognitive players.
Downs uses a whiteboard to introduce each drill with diagrams and detailed discussions that provide not only the "what" of each drill, but more importantly the "why."
This video from Coach Downs will give you ready-made drills you can use to get your players thinking more creatively on the field. More importantly, you'll observe an approach you can use to build your own drills and practices to ensure that your players continue to grow throughout the course of a season.
51 minutes. 2019.
FHD-05472B:
with Jenelle Downs,
Centre College Head Coach;
5x SAA Coach of the Year;
NFHCA Region Coach of the Year (2017);
2017 NCAA Elite Eight appearance
Field hockey is a technical game, and while technical ability is important, coaching proper technique is the easier part. Coaching 'tactically flexibility', on the other hand, leaves many coaches stumped and frustrated.
In this video, Centre College head coach Jenelle Downs shows you how to move past merely coaching the "what" of hockey - to also teach the "why" and "how" - in order to build more complete players, bit by bit.
Building Attack
Using a progression of attacking practice drills, Coach Downs demonstrates how to train your attack systematically, including how to build in 1-2 passes and baseline attacks. You'll learn how to add-in more dynamic off-ball movement to create attacking opportunities ahead of the ball, as well as how to get your players to cue-in with each other to improve success. Coach Downs gives her team detailed on-field feedback demonstrating a positive framework for working with your players.
Through a favorite angled attack drill, which progresses through 3v0, 3v1, 3v2, or 3v3 versions, Downs stresses the importance of communication, off-ball movement, and the attacking space to create more goal scoring opportunities. In this live-play drill, the defense also has a chance to attack if they win possession. This emphasises the importance of transition and the ability to swap roles quickly.
With her detailed whiteboard diagrams and explanations, Coach Downs ensures you will be able to implement these ideas in your next practice.
Coaching Philosophies
In a frank and open discussion of her coaching philosophies, Coach Downs gives you an insight into how to run an effective hockey program. In this discussion, Downs unpacks the roles and responsibilities of players and management and the importance of basing your tactics on the strengths and weaknesses of the players you have. She also covers the importance of breaking down a season into smaller chunks, how to involve injured players, and a variety of other ways to make your program stronger.
Nothing is more frustrating for a coach than a team that struggles to turn possession into goals. This video from Coach Downs offers a method of training that will improve your players' level of thinking, and ultimately lead to fewer wasted possessions.
82 minutes. 2019.