What a Hoot We Had in Hockey

It probably won’t surprise anyone that my absolute favourite time of the week is PE. This week I was buzzing with excitement to get the children outside and introduce them to the fast-paced invasion game of hockey.

We kicked things off by learning how to grip the stick properly and how our legs and gluteus maximus (yes, the bum!) help us stay strong and in control. The children began by dribbling around the playground, carefully using only the flat side of the stick to guide the ball. They picked this up so quickly that we even moved on to reverse stick dribbling, which meant rotating the wrists to flick the ball the other way.

Next came the push pass. We practised receiving the ball by squatting low so we could use more of the stick for control. Before long the children were combining dribbling and passing, moving fluently across the playground like they’d been playing for weeks.

I couldn’t believe the progress. Just a short time ago many didn’t know how to hold the stick, and now they’re gliding around like graceful gazelles with the ball glued to the flat side of their stick.

Next week we’ll take on tackling (the squeeze), shooting, and learning how to keep possession when under pressure from an opponent. If the children’s progress so far is anything to go by, it’s going to be another brilliant session.