Whether you are an international superstar or a weekend club player, a solid mountain of evidence says what you do during training will impact your performance on the pitch.
Regular training for fitness and skills is essential but another important, sometimes overlooked, part of training is the use of feedback and statistical data during training and its influence upon competitive performances.
Head of Performance at Hockey Wales, Dan Clements is a big fan of statistics. He said: “Performance analysis is a huge part of the game at present and technology that assists with this is developing on a daily basis,” he says. “Utilising a platform that enhances a squad’s ability to analyse and reflect on performances or training will undoubtedly improve performance and continues to drive a culture of self-improvement.”
With both Wales men and Wales women qualifying for Hockey World League Round 2, this is a nation that is setting its sights high. To aid in its bid to reach the Hockey World League Semi-Finals, a Hockey World Cup 2018 qualifying event, Hockey Wales has enlisted the support of FIH Hockey Academy partner Coach Logic.
Clements explains how his staff and players use the technology platform to improve performance: “Coach Logic technology will enhance our senior programmes through the dissemination of video but it will also create learning communities. Being able to log in and communicate with peers and coaching staff on specific aspects of a performance will prove invaluable as a means of sharing knowledge.”
Increasingly accessible technology means platforms such as Coach Logic can be used at all levels of the game. The biggest question for both elite and club coaches is how to make the statistics and information stick from one performance to the next. Whether the players are involved in a tournament; a league where the matches are seven days apart; or whether it is from one season to the next; the dilemma is how to ensure that what is learned from one performance is used to drive training and become a positive factor in the next match.
In an ideal scenario, a well-organised coaching team will have a continuum in place that runs along these lines:
Match > video analysis and feedback > practice > feedback and communication > practice > feedback and communication > match.
Andy Halliday is Assistant Coach to the Great Britain men’s hockey team and a coach and player at St Albans Hockey Club in England. He says: “The feedback and information you give during a training session is absolutely vital to the players’ performance in the next match.
“I think it can be very easy to lose focus on the next challenge by dwelling too much on the last performance. There needs to be a balance between learning lessons from the past and planning for the next opponent. This is particularly relevant when the next opponent is likely to play with a different style or tactical approach.”
The sight of German players pouring over tablets off the pitch indicates the importance that German women's Head Coach Jamilon Muelders attaches to feedback. “I want my players to take responsibility,” says the Olympic bronze medal-winning Coach. “I want an overview, but I want the players to interpret the feedback and identify errors.”
Mulders counterpart, the German men’s head coach Valentin Altenburg sums up the influence that technology is having upon the game. “Making the best use of all the information we have has become a skill in itself.”
Coach Logic is an FIH Academy partner. National Associations, leagues and hockey team’s registering through FIH will be given exclusive membership benefits, including a 10% subscription discount. Visit their website to find out more: coach-logic.com
Watch the video about Welsh Hockey and their use of Coach Logic:
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