NEW COACH TOOLKIT
A Guide to the Game
You're In the Right Place
Whether you’re stepping onto the field for the first time as a coach, transitioning from another sport, or a volunteer eager to help your team succeed, welcome. The NFHCA New Coach Toolkit was created to help you build confidence, develop your knowledge, and enjoy the coaching journey.
For more than a century, field hockey has been a sport built on leadership, teamwork, resilience, and community. Today, it continues to thrive with more than 1,800 high school programs, 300+ clubs, and 283 collegiate teams across the United States. As the leading organization supporting field hockey coaches, the NFHCA is here to support your journey.
Explore the sections below to learn the fundamentals of the game, understand key rules and skills, discover practice and game management resources, and connect with coach education opportunities. Wherever you’re starting, we’re here to help you grow, learn, and lead with confidence.
Rules of Field Hockey
Don’t worry—you don’t need to know every rule before stepping onto the field. Like any sport, field hockey becomes much easier to understand once you learn the basics. The videos and resources below will help you build confidence by explaining how the game is played, common fouls, and what happens in different areas of the field.
Most of the resources in this section focus on the international rules of field hockey (FIH), which provide the foundation for the game worldwide. Depending on where you coach, there may be additional modifications at the collegiate, high school, or youth level. Once you’ve mastered the basics, be sure to review the rules specific to your governing body or state.
Watch
- 5 Things About Hockey — a simple introduction to the rules
- Hockey Rules — rules you need to know
- How to Hockey, Hockey Basics — overview of hockey rules (FIH)
- How to Hockey, Umpire Signals — umpire hand signals (FIH)
- How to Hockey, Self Pass — the self pass on free hits (FIH)
Read
- Field Hockey Rules, A Guide to Understanding the Sport [olympics.com]
- College Rules Explained – NCAA
- High School Rules – National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
- USA Field Hockey Umpire Signals
- FIH Rules – International Hockey Federation
Technical Skills
Every great player starts with the fundamentals. Technical skills are the foundation of field hockey, helping athletes build confidence, make better decisions, and enjoy the game more. A strong understanding of technical skills helps coaches teach with confidence, develop athletes more effectively, and create a positive learning environment. Explore the resources below to learn or refresh the essential skills of field hockey, including passing, receiving, dribbling, tackling, shooting, and goalkeeping, through trusted videos and educational content.
Field Hockey 101
Field Hockey 101
Fundamental basics from USA Field Hockey
Core Skills & Concepts
Core Skills & Concepts
Core skills & concepts from USA Field Hockey
Basic Skills Part 1
Basic Skills Part 1
Vital Hockey covers basic skills Part 1
Basic Skills Part 2
Basic Skills Part 2
Vital Hockey covers basic skills Part 2
Basic Skills Part 3
Basic Skills Part 3
Vital Hockey covers basic skills Part 3
Attack Pulls
Attack Pulls
V-Pulls & Elimination Pulls with Olympian Tiffany Snow Huisman
Goalkeeping Basics
Goalkeeping Basics
Short video series from Hockey New Zealand
Goalkeeper Reaction & Footwork
Goalkeeper Reaction & Footwork
Drills from hockey2go
Passing & Receiving
Passing & Receiving
Drill with West Chester coach Amy Cohen
Passing & Receiving on Move
Passing & Receiving On Move
Drills with hockey2go
Practice & Game Management
The first step in becoming a field hockey coach is understanding the basics of the game, but the equally important second step is being organized for games and practices. It’s easy to have a plan with our practice and game management guides.
New Coach Toolkit Playlist
Click here for the curated YouTube videos compiled in this toolkit.
Watch
- Substituting Field Players [1:55] — Skip the first 25 seconds of this video to get to a clear description of how to substitute field players during the game
- Keep in mind…this video from Brisbane refers to “short corners” which is another name for what we call “penalty corners” or just “corners”
- Substituting Goalkeepers [2:36] — Skip the first 25 seconds of this video to get to a clear description of how to substitute goalkeepers during the game
- How to Hockey, Penalty Corners [1:36] — a quick summary of what penalty corners are
- Penalty Stroke [3:28] — watch Jeroen Hertzberger break down the basics of a penalty stroke
- Shoot Out Thrill — FIH Pro League Spain vs India (Men)
Download
- Sample Practice Plans [PDF] — this resource from the NFHCA give you a basic framework for three types of practices
- Sample Substitution Sheet [PDF] — this template will help keep you and your subs organized on the sideline
- Penalty Corner Positions and Basic Tactics [PDF] — our guide helps explain attack and defensive penalty corner positions
- 6 Basic Attack Penalty Corners [PDF] — use these six basic PC plays as a foundation for your team’s corner variations
Level Up
- Purchase sideline aids for your practice and game management — a whiteboard, clipboard, and whistle should be in your coaching toolkit
- Print out a few of our blank field templates to fill up your clipboard!
- Check out these college recruiting resources.
Coach Resources
Coach Education & Resources
Coach Education & Resources
Year-round professional development and access to exclusive tools, including drills, mentorship, and much more.
Drills
Drills
Access more than 100 drills.
Field Templates
Field Templates
Download a variety of field templates for practice planning
Video Library
Video Library 🔒
Video Library on demand with 40+ videos. Members only access.
