Executing The One-Touch Shot

Expanding your hockey skills? Have you mastered the Sweep shot aka one-touch passes as yet?

One-touch shots can be an effective way to keep the opponent team on their heels. When executed perfectly, these are the fastest and most perfect manoeuvres in the game because neither has the stick to go back in a backswing nor follow-through. You can score a goal, deflect the ball in a favourable position or defend your goalpost, all at the drop of a hat (or even quicker) without allowing the opposition to build pressure over the ball carrier.

Here are a few tips from world’s best hockey team.

•    Be well aware of where your teammates are positioned and the possible direction you can shoot the ball to at all times. This way you have chalked out a trajectory even before you receive the ball.

•    A word of caution here is this shot is too similar in technique to a deflecting shot, so make up your mind firmly what you want to do with the ball before you receive it. A classic examples where one-touch shot can be helpful is for a quick-pass to a teammate open for goal (think of the surprise element) or even when the team’s defence chucks the ball in the neutral zone quickly transitioning the game from defence to attack, explains a shooter of hockey team of India.

•    Not only should you know where your teammates are positioned but whether they are left-handed or right-handed. To take maximum benefit of the surprise element you must manoeuvre the ball to your teammate’s wheelhouse- the area where he can catch and release the shot in one clean swipe.

•    In the split second when you realize you are being passed the ball and you decide to take a 1-touch, don’t forget to adjust your hand lower on the stick to give proper strength to the shot. From high up, the shot may lack the strength you intended to put in it.

•    Last, remember that the shot is all about anticipation. How you work it out in your head is more difficult than actual execution so try to keep mentally ahead by one or two plays.

For Aspiring Hockey Players-Part (2)

In-lined with the last blog post, titled as for aspiring hockey players, I’ll talk about many things two other imperatives that you need to be assure to play like professionals of best hockey team in India. Look, make it very clear to yourself that merely thinking that one fine day you’ll begin playing like professionals, sharing the spot light amid thousands and lakhs then, hang on…be practical! Things do not really happen this way. There’s no short cut to hard work and if you intend  be one like that of Indian players or be a part of  hockey franchise in Delhi, you have to step ahead and got to go that way that leads to hard work and demands a lot of practice but the ultimate resultant is definitely worth it.

Similar to fueling your body in just the right way, you should be smart enough to follow the other two imperatives which are hydrating and recovering.

Hydrating self is something that speaks out aloud than anything else. Once you put a halt to consuming junk food and go the healthy way, its water and consumption of more of liquids that have to be prioritized. Drink as much water as you can and alongside, there are many energy giving drinks that you can rely on too. Schedule your fluid intake as it will fulfill the body’s requirement and will also help in keeping you enthusiastic while playing.

Recover: when I say recover, I do not imply in any way that you were not fit enough to be on-field but I simply mean that you should exercise vigorously so that in case there’s any stiff muscle, it will help you recover from that strain.

For Aspiring Hockey Players-Part (1)

If you are a hockey lover and aspire to take your hobby at a new level altogether and play this sport on a national level, there are whole lots of things that you’ll have to consider. There has to be a proper diet plan and you need to adhere to it as a slight negligence in it in any way will not just affect your health, but eventually you’ll turn out weaker and this is not going to help you in any way. Hence, if you aspire to be bang-on similar to the Hockey team of India, you’ll have to make sure that you adhere to a full-fledged eating regimen.

The celebrities that you prefer cheering up in those packed auditoriums is not because they are playing, but because they play it really well, iterates a professional from India's Best Hockey league. Now the choice is all yours against whether you are interested in playing and do some more of it or play your heart out and be applauded by the fans. The most important thing that you need to consider is in order to foster your strengths while playing you will have to hydrate, recover and fuel.

As aforementioned, give the body apt and optimal fuel. No matter how much you get tempted towards the junk food, simply cut down the crap as even if didn’t make you realize the effects immediately, it simply will in long term prospects. Stock-on some healthy foods like berries, almonds, cashews, raw carrots, and bananas. Avoid sugar made products as it deters body performance which will just be the last thing in the wish list.

There are two other imperatives that a hockey player should be serious about and I would be taking it up on my following blog. Till then stay tuned to this space.