As we dive into the refinement of our preseason routines, there’s one standout principle that field hockey coaches everywhere should take from this masterclass: prioritizing hockey-specific training over generic physical conditioning in preseason.
It’s tempting—and often routine—to think of preseason as a time reserved for endless fitness drills, beep tests, and sprints. Yet, as Russell Coates emphasized throughout this workshop, the focus should shift towards hockey, skill development and game-relevant preparation rather than treating the restart as a bootcamp. The aim is clear: create an environment that values technical and tactical growth, while managing physical load within the actual context of hockey.
“For me, pre season is about getting better without draining the players physically. And it’s not necessarily about getting fitter. …preseason is all about hockey and that within a certain hockey context we’re trying to improve fitness. But merely improving fitness is not actually a focus point...”
— Russell Coates
The Hockey Site is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
With this in mind, the critical task for coaches is to design preseason sessions that enable players to rediscover rhythm, ball feeling, and coordination, especially after a significant break. Instead of burning your squad out through punishment runs and circuits, use hockey-specific drills that inherently build fitness, decision-making, and confidence. For instance, start off with technical exercises like dynamic passing and receiving—tailored to the present state of your squad (as Russell Coates suggests, longer and gentler for those who’ve spent months away from their sticks, and shorter if your group has a fresher base).
The implications for your week-to-week coaching are direct. Don’t revert to old habits under the pressure of calendars and expectations. Instead, design sessions where every activity has a match-related context. Regularly tweak exercise rules, group sizes, rest ratios, and pitch setups to ensure you’re targeting core skills and tactical priorities, instead of defaulting to fitness for fitness’ sake.
In your day-to-day, approach each session with the question: “How does this drill help my players improve within a hockey context?” Where possible, integrate fitness into actual hockey actions—ball-carrying, defending, pressing, passing, and shooting—rather than isolating running or gym-based work. Not only will your athletes be more engaged, but the gains will translate straight to game day.
Field hockey’s modern tempo doesn’t allow for wasted time. Your players get match-fit in context, not in isolation. The principles and sample session structures discussed in this workshop demonstrate how the modern approach to preseason can make every minute on the pitch count.
As promised, let’s dig into the three core takeaways that should shape every field hockey coach’s implementation of preseason training, with practical application details, and direct insights from Russell Coates throughout.
1. Design Preseason for Hockey Progression, Not Punishment
The first and most significant shift is mental: stop treating preseason as solely a fitness-fest and start seeing it as a critical technical and tactical reboot. As Russell Coates reinforced, the time spent away from sticks and pitches makes the first weeks back uniquely valuable for laying technical foundations.
How to Apply:
Start with ball feeling and rhythm:
Prioritize technical drills in the opening sessions. Use dynamic (rather than static) passing and receiving drills to reawaken touch, coordination, and game-feeling. Russell Coates noted, “I like to start off with a technical drill, a passing and receiving drill because I feel like ball feeling and rhythm and coordination is something that’s really important when players are coming back from not playing hockey for two months…”Contextual conditioning:
Instead of isolated running, choose exercises where fitness is a byproduct of real hockey actions. Setup drills in small groups, focus on game-like intensity, and keep the pitch spaces tight to raise heart rates while honing skills.Protect against overload:
Players return at varied fitness levels; respect this. “It’s about getting better without draining the players physically” means watching for niggles, fatigue, and adjusting drill time, rest, and repetition.
Additional practical actions:
In your planning sheet, schedule technical sequences before tactical ones.
Create “checks” for each session: Is this hockey? Does this directly translate? Where does the fitness come in—and does it have added technical/tactical benefit?
2. Build Preseason Progression with Thematic Focus and Reflective Design
Instead of blindly following off-the-shelf curriculum, construct your preseason plan around two or three clear development themes tailored to your team’s needs. Reflection is at the core—on past performance and concrete opportunities for improvement.
In Practice:
Pick your theme:
Review the first half (or previous season) for weaknesses or opportunities—finishing, defensive structure, counterattacking, etc. This keeps training relevant.Example from workshop:
Russell Coates underscored how he used “rendement” (finishing efficiency). His session moved from passing, to small possession games with specific progressions, to goal-focused scenarios. “One of the most important aspects of our team is rendement… can we convert our chances… So one of the things we’re working on is trying to score and score from open play…”Modulate complexity:
Early in preseason, use small grids, low cognitive load, and simple overloads. As weeks progress, raise the tactical chaos and game resemblance, but only as your team consolidates technical reliability.Ensure progression:
Move from isolated skill > small-sided possession/overload > phase-based attacking/defending > conditioned match play > end-game. Each phase must connect back to your key theme(s).
Practical tip:
Build a session template you can adapt (ex: 10-15 min technical, 15 min small-possession, 15-20 min themed overload, 10 min small-sided, short sharp matches/end-games).
Include 2-3 feedback “check-ins” with players during and after, to see what’s stuck and what needs reinforcing.
3. Rethink Load, Rest, and Player Management for Maximum Engagement and Learning
One pitfall for diligent coaches is cramming training, maximizing “active time”, and fearing stillness. Preseason should upend those habits—embracing smart rotations and designed rest to ensure real intensity and higher quality execution.
Key Principles:
Don’t be afraid of rest:
“...they have a sort of rule of one on, two off. So basically that means you do, you do a rep… and then you have two reps off. The reason they do that is because they want to train at match intensity…”
(Russell Coates)
Rotations allow you to demand maximum intensity, but only in manageable bursts.Train intensity, not fatigue:
By giving substantial rest between reps, players can replicate full-speed match actions, reflections, and recovery—mirroring actual competition demands. This avoids the trap of “training tired,” which drains quality and increases injury risk.Customize group sizes and pitch layouts:
For squads of 15-20+, use parallel grids or simultaneous small group drills to keep touches high, but never sacrifice drill quality for activity’s sake. For smaller groups, you can rotate positions more often.Balance equal numbers with overloads:
Early in preseason, use more overloads to foster confidence and technical execution. As weeks progress, introduce more even numbers, match-like chaos, and occasional underload situations.
“You might even want to start with a free versus zero and… after five minutes… add in one defender…” (Russell Coates, in reference to U12s but applies more broadly for lower skill squads).Be deliberate with end-games:
Use 4v4, 5v5, 6v6 not only for more touches but to see which session focuses survive the chaos. Periodically freeze, ask reflective questions, and debrief. If you’re coaching young athletes, don’t fear splitting into smaller games for maximum engagement and ball contact.Integrate feedback and player ownership:
As Russell Coates notes, “Also talk to your players and ask them, how does this feel for you? What do you prefer? Do you want to be a bit more active? …Incorporate your players in your training session.”
Special Considerations for Youth and Mixed Ability Squads
When you’re managing junior players or large, mixed-ability squads, scaling is essential. Early practices should favour technical overloads (3v0, 3v1), gradually moving to more resistance as competence emerges.
If you’ve got 20+ U14s on half a pitch, split drills across grids, mix intensity, and be tactical with your groupings—maximize engagement but prioritize drill clarity.
Key: Success fosters development. Don’t push for “game-like” before the foundation is laid.
As Russell Coates shared, “If you do 3 versus ones, 3 versus twos for a certain time, eventually they’ll be able to play a 3 versus 3 successfully. But if you start with a 3 versus 3 and just magically hope that someday it will twig, I often find that players don’t really develop that way.”
Practical Checklist for Field Hockey Coaches
Each session – is the main theme explicit for players?
Are your drills building from confidence/technical focus to chaos/tactical challenge?
Is every fitness demand built into hockey actions?
Are you managing load/rest for quality, or defaulting to non-stop activity?
Are you adjusting for squad size/ability, not just running the session as originally planned?
Are your goalkeepers meaningfully involved?
Are you checking for understanding and receiving real-time feedback from your team?
In summary: The transition out of the off-season is a pivotal time for instilling your playing philosophy, building the skills and mental sharpness your team needs, and ensuring everyone is progressing safely but quickly toward match readiness. Get away from the “old school” fitness grind, and use preseason to bring out your team’s best hockey—with every drill, every session, and every adjustment built for the game, not just tradition.
