Background

With the advancements in the playing surface and rulings in field hockey it has meant that the game has become increasingly popular due to its high speed and intensity (Sunderland et al, 2006), therefore the step between regional club playing standard to national league standard has grown. To attempt to bridge this gap the following coaching resource will be aimed at improving lower body power through resistance training, for individuals that have little or no experience with resistance training.

Resistance training, or strength training, is an effective and established way of improving muscular performance (Bird et al, 2005). Kraemer (2002) described the main goals of resistance training as improving muscular strength, power and endurance, with other health benefits such as increase bone mass, lower blood pressure and increase muscle and connective tissue cross sectional area (CSA). 

Power can be measured as:

 (Williams & James, 2001) 

Cormie (2011) stated that maximal muscular power is defined and limited by the force-velocity relationship, and an athlete with high power can create great forces in small periods of time.

Figure 1. Force vs Velocity curve with Power Maximum plot. (Cormie et al, 2011)

As this resource is focused on individuals with limited resistance training backgrounds, basic techniques need to mastered before increasing the load on any exercise, however once techniques are in place, the athlete will be focusing on working in the bottom right region of the force/velocity curve (shown below), improving strength to have a positive impact on power.

Figure 2. Force vs Velocity curve with Power Maximum plot (Cormie et al, 2011), showing strength increase.

Field hockey is a physically demanding sport and in the modern game, for outfield players, the majority of the playing time is spent at above 75% of heart rate maximum (Sunderland et al, 2006). A study from Lythe and Kilding (2011) discovered that on average elite hockey players changed speed, between 6 different speed zones, every 3.65 seconds in a competitive game, which is similar to that of a professional football player. Newton and Kraemer (1994) commented that power is essential in changing direction and acceleration in a variety of sports, therefore if power is improved, the athlete will be able to accelerate faster and turn sharper, giving them an advantage over opponents.

Requina et al (2011) found a strong positive correlation between high one repetition maximum (RM) squats, high counter movement jump scores (CMJ) and low 30 meter sprint times in male sprinters, showing strength as well as power training can benefit sprint speed (Spinks, 2007).