Year 6 Hockey Lesson 1

Objective: The aim of the game is to score by passing the ball over the opposition’s back line. Focus on shooting, aiming, passing and making decisions under pressure.

Set up: Divide the class into teams of 5 and play 5 v 5 games. Use the same pitch that you will use for the main game later.

Rules:

• Teams must stay in their own half at all times.
• Players may dribble or pass the ball within their half.
• A player may only control the ball for up to 10 seconds before passing or shooting.
• Teams can only shoot from their own half.
• Players must use hockey sticks only — no feet or hands.

Extensions

• Two-ball game: Add a second ball to add challenge.
• Bonus points: Place cones behind the back line; hitting a cone earns an extra point.

Easier: Make the pitch wider and shallower to create more space and scoring opportunities. Remove the 10-second rule.

Harder: Pupils must hit a target (cone or gate) behind the line to score. Reduce space or lower the time limit on possession.

Discussion: How did moving into space help create chances to score? What decisions did you have to make when choosing to pass, dribble or shoot? What did you look for when attempting a shot?

Objective: The aim of the game is to beat the opposition by scoring more goals. Encourage children to get close to the goal before shooting.

Discussion: What made scoring difficult in the starter activity? (Guide pupils to recognise that they were far from the goal and had defenders in front of them blocking the ball).

Set up: Play the game 4 V 4. On a pitch, approximately 10m by 20m, divided into three areas with a no-tackling zone in the centre of the pitch – as per the diagram. Position three goals on each backline.

Rules

• No tackling in the centre zone.
• Sticks only – no feet (free pass to the opposition).
• Sideline restart if the ball goes out (non-offending team passes in).
• Play restarts from the centre after a goal (conceding team starts).
• Hitting with back of stick results in a free pass to the opposition

Scoring: Middle goal = 5 points. Outer goals = 1 point.

Easier: Use larger goals or score by passing to a teammate over the backline. Restrict which zones some players can enter.

Harder: Limit the number of players allowed to score. Play with uneven sides, e.g. 5 V 3.

Discussion: What helped you get closer to the goal before shooting? How did the centre no-tackling zone change the way you passed or moved? Which goal was the best option to aim for, and why? How did defenders try to stop shots without tackling? Did you score more goals if you were nearer to the goal or further away? Why is it harder to score from further away?

Shooting from close range – It is important to be able to shoot effectively from close range, especially when under pressure from defenders. Attackers often have very little space to manoeuvre when shooting at close range.

Set-up:

• Keep pupils working on the same pitch used in the game.
• Each team works in their own half, facing the centre goal.
• Place three cones in each half to create a short dribbling route towards the goal.
• Use the centre goal only; no additional areas are needed.

How to play:

• Player 1 dribbles the ball around the cones and takes a close-range shot at the centre goal.
• After shooting, they collect the ball and return to the back of the line.
• Player 2 then begins, continuing until all players have had a turn.
• Keep the activity unopposed to allow pupils to focus on technique and experience success.

Extension: Change the cone layout so that pupils approach the goal from different angles.

Teaching focus: Controlled dribbling. Quick set-up before shooting. Accuracy from close range. Encourage pupils to observe and give simple feedback to their teammates on shooting technique.

After some time on this activity, return to the assessment for the learning task.