Welcome back to Koa’s Field Hockey blog and congratulations to the U12/U14/U16 club teams for a great weekend at the Get Good tournament! Attendance was strong and we played top-notch field hockey!
In today’s blog, we will discuss the aerial/overhead field hockey pass.
Aerial passes are becoming popular at the college and club field hockey level. This pass is often used to: begin the match, lob the ball over the heads of the defenders to create space, or generate an opportunity for a break away. And while you generally don’t see an aerial pass during youth or high school games, it’s important to know how to safely defend against this technique. Additionally, it is beneficial to execute an aerial pass as it can space out the field of play when a ground pass or dribbling isn’t possible. Plus, it looks ridiculously cool—and who doesn’t like adding cool new moves to their field hockey repertoire?
How to Perform an Aerial Pass
When performing an aerial pass you will need to get your entire body behind the ball and use all of your weight to get under the ball. While it may be easy for you to lift the ball, it is going to take lots practice in order to achieve accurate passes.
- Place your hands in the typical field hockey grip with your left hand at the top of the stick and your right hand in the middle.
- Keep your feet in an athletic position facing the ball. Get low by bending your knees.
- Place your stick in contact with the ball, which should be off of your back foot.
- As you step forward, make sure your stick is at an angle where you can get under the ball.
- Transfer your weight from your back foot to your front foot while lifting the ball into the air.
How to Receive an Aerial Pass
- With your hands in basic field hockey grip, place your arms away from your body with your stick horizontal to your chest (you cannot swing at the ball like a piñata).
- Angle your stick down toward the ground to make sure the ball does not bounce back into the air.
- Receive the ball on the bottom half of your stick and use soft hands while giving with the ball.
- Once you have received the ball and it is on the ground, you can continue on to dribble or pass.
