Welcome, to edition one of Leap Hockey’s new weekly newsletter The Playbook.

I took a break from writing for a while, things here have been maniacally busy in a good way with many new events and projects.  But now I want to get back to writing and i’m exciting to share all the knowledge i’ve built up working with so many incredible coaches from all over the world these past few years.

Each week i’ll be digging into plays and clips from the best players and teams in the world and seeing what we can learn, technically, tactically or mentally from what they are doing.

As always i’ll be digging into the small the details, the inches here and there that make the difference between good and great!

I’m excited - hope ya’ll enjoy (yes..i’ve been living in Texas too long!)

Today I want to dive into some Penalty Corner technique.  If you want to get more playing time, make that last spot in the squad or just more goal mouth action in general.  Then improving your Corner Skills is a great way to push yourself up the pecking order.  Today we’re looking at the Injection.

Straight Line Speed

To deliver consistent speed and accuracy on your injection (both are essential) we want everything to work towards the ball moving in a ‘ruler’ straight line, from start to finish.

Any deviation from this within your technique is going to lead to more variation and inconsistency, and therefore fewer goal scoring opportunities.

Watch Ross’s reel on this and then i’ll walk you through the important details step-by-step.

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The Set Up: Body Position

• You will be sideways on with your left shoulder pointing at the target.
• Your back foot (right) should be snug against, but outside the baseline.
• Sit your hips down into a mid squat and then step & turn your left foot towards the target.
• Your left foot should be well into the field but not so far that you lose your balance.
• Weight should be evenly balanced between both feet.
• As you hold the stick, your left hand should be at knee height - lower than this and the stick angle is too flat and the ball might get left behind!

Static Set Up vs Run Up?

I know what a bunch of you are thinking.  What about all the players we see with a 3 step run-up?They seem to be crushing the ball, why not that way?

My answer would be that you should master the Static Set Up first.  You can probably generate more momentum & speed with a short run up, but firstly you are 100% sacrificing some accuracy.

Secondly in order to be able to execute the sequence at a higher speed, learn it first at a slower speed i.e. static.  Once your muscles have been trained with the right technique from a static start you can experiment with a 2 or 3 step run up to potentially improve - but I don’t recommend it before then.

The Set Up: Grip

• You want the stick face pointing squarely into the tuft, place your hands so that the V's between your thumb and forefinger on each point down the back of the stick.

This is super important, as with most hockey skills, without the correct grip consistency will be fleeting.

The Set Up: Ball Position

• The ball will be on the baseline and therefore should be just inside your right heel.
• Adjust your hands and stick position so that the ball sits in the hook of the stick.
• With your hands at the correct height (knee height) the stick angle should trap the ball nicely in the hook.

Pull The Trigger

Once you are in the correct set up position, body, grip & ball - get your head up and look at target.

Then…really important, don't take your eyes off it!

Watching the target as you inject the ball will tell all your muscles where they want to fire towards.  It massively improves accuracy and consistently, so make sure you don’t look down at the ball during the action.

• Pull the ball along the line of your feet to the target with your left elbow leading the way - always trying to move towards target
• Whip through as fast as you can using the stored up power from your legs that the squat gives you.
• Lastly, follow through with your right foot towards the target if you need (not essential).

And that is it.

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As always, perfect practice makes perfect - so get a lot of reps in, BUT pay attention to the small details i’ve talked about here so that you are ingraining the right movements.

If you want more playing time, become the best injector on your team and it will be hard for the coach to leave you out, or even have you on the bench!