Find hockey coaches near me in Johannesburg

Learn to Play Hockey with Your Own Private Hockey Tutor

Hockey is a game of fitness, focus and teamwork. It changes quickly and it is imperative for players to have the necessary skills before they can advance to build a reputation and bond with their fellow hockey players.

Do you want a place on the regional or national hockey team? Maybe you just want to play for the university you are going to or play socially at hockey club in Johannesburg?

With private hockey lessons you can get the individualised attention you need to become a better player. You can improve your skills and if you are new at hockey your hockey tutor will guide you through appropriate exercises with a customed training plan to ensure you are ready to finally run out onto the field for a trial game.

Understanding Hockey Terminology

Like any sport, hockey comes with its own terms and definitions. Grasping the glossary will not only help you have conversations with fellow hockey players, but you’ll also be able to better understand game play and be more at ease when you join other players for a training session on the field. 

Here are some of the most common terms in hockey:

- Dangerous Play: Hockey can get quite aggressive, and players need to be protected. Dangerous play is when a player plays in a way that could cause injury. A player can be pulled from the field with a yellow or a red card and lifting your stick above the waist or up to the shoulder to hit is an example of dangerous play.

- Bully: After a natural stop of the ball the opposing players will take part in a bully to get the ball back into play. This is when you tap your sticks together three times and then go for the ball to try and get possession of it.

- Obstruction: Obstruction is an offense in playing and generally this is when you shield the opposition from the ball by using your body or stick.

- Time Wasting: Anything a player does to intentionally waste time and prevent playing from resuming.

- Scooping: When you use the head of your stick under the ball to lift the ball into the air. This is usually done to avoid the opposition getting the ball but be careful as you are only allowed to lift the ball to a specific height before it gets classified as dangerous play.

- Flick: Flick is like scooping, but you use the stick differently and it is used commonly for long passes - into the air and scoring goals where the ball is flicked into the air.

- Push: A way of passing the ball where the stick is running across the grass or turf to push the ball in the pass.

- Shooting Zone: You are only allowed to score goals in normal play from the shooting zone, the semi-circle that runs around the goal box. Ensure you always use the flat side of the stick as using the rounded side would constitute as a foul.

Different Player Positions

Every team consists of 11 players and they have their own offensive and defensive players. The forward players are generally the runners, attackers and ones scoring all the goals, while the mid fielders are good at attacking and stopping opposition players from breaking through to get closer to their goalposts.

Defenders are at the back and they assist the goalkeeper in avoiding goals to be scored by the opposition, but they also tend to run up and down the field quite a bit.

Your speed, accuracy, handling skills and the type of player you are will ultimately determine the playing position that suits you best. As a beginner you can focus on getting the basic skills right and once you start playing with others you can figure out the playing positions you like best.

Ways to Learn Hockey

The best field hockey tutorial you can get, except for your own private coach, is through watching international hockey games. You’ll learn about the rules, see the speed at which decisions are made, understand game play and how important teamwork is in setting up a winning game.

You can also have a look online and on platforms like YouTube where you’ll find a field hockey tutorial on almost any trick or skill. You’ll find reviews on hockey sticks, explainer videos on strategic sequenced moves, can learn about short and long corners and explore almost any hockey topic imaginable.

Joining a local club, university team, school team or social hockey team is one of the best ways to learn. By physically getting onto the field, you’ll finally be in the position to understand the intricacies of the game. You will see how all those simple drills to develop ball skills come into play and finally you can be part of a team with the same objective - winning!

Your Own Private Hockey Lessons With Superprof

A hockey tutor is ideal for those who are brand new at playing hockey, scared to join a team or are preparing to participate in trials. Every player is at a different level of experience and sometimes it is tricky for beginners to stay ahead of more advanced players. A hockey tutor can help you catch-up and gain the skills required that you feel more confident to join training sessions with other players.  

You can also get a friend or 5 and put together your own little team for training. This way you can split the costs and also play mini hockey games under your new hockey tutor’s guidance. If this is you plan, we would recommend chatting to your tutor first as this will influence the way they prepare and set-up the structure of your training session. 

You can choose from our list of experienced tutors and our listings will show you the tutors in your area, their background and experience, their rate and even have some of the reviews from previous students. Most of our tutors also give a free trial class so you can see whether they are suited to your personal hockey ambitions.

Click to find your hockey tutor on Superprof today and become the best hockey player you can be.