Hockey Ireland run a variety of coaching courses which cater to all levels, from participation to high performance.
We start with our Fundamentals Course which is designed to provide an understanding of the key aspects of hockey coaching. Participants will learn how to prepare sessions, how to break down and coach basic hockey techniques and how to develop those techniques into skills through conditioned games. The 6-hour course is ideal for beginner coaches or younger players looking to start coaching.
The next stage is our Level 1 course, which is aimed at developing coaches to lead training sessions and teams. The course focuses on the development of key hockey techniques across areas such as ball carrying; passing and receiving; defensive techniques; and goalscoring, with an emphasis on game play. The course also explores the introduction of tactics through small-sided games and runs for approximately 20 hours across 2.5 contact days.
Our Level 2 course is aimed at performance coaches (senior club; interprovincial; junior age group international) working with players in a competitive team environment. This course is aimed at developing an in-depth tactical understanding of the sport, as well as looking at advanced technical coaching in areas such as drag flicking. Coaches will learn how to develop tactical understanding in players based on coaching through principles. The course runs over 4 contact days.
The Level 3 course is designed to work with high performance coaches working with international standard players. The course reinforces the principles established in previous Hockey Ireland courses and develops a wider understanding of both the sport specific and non-hockey aspects of high performance coaching. These aspects include:
- Teaching and presentation styles
- Psychology
- Match Analysis
- Video Analysis
- Conditioning and periodisation
- Planning
- Reflective practice
Outside of our pathway courses, Hockey Ireland also runs a number of continuous professional development courses called Stepping Stones. These courses are both classroom and field-based, that all coaches can attend regardless of level of qualification. Stepping Stones courses are run throughout the year and cover a wide range of topics.
These include:
- Hooked on Fun: Coaching 6-9 year olds (2 hours) – Phase 1
- Exploring Play: Coaching 10-12 year olds (2 – 2.5 hours) – Phase 2
- Empowering Play: Coaching and Training for U14s (2.5 hours) – Phase 3
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