Youth Pathway @ TFHC

Every sport expresses a Long-Term Athlete Development Model for the development of their athletes. However, the misplaced belief that “competition” must occur as soon as possible destroys every well defined LTAD model and prevents almost every athlete from developing fundamental skills and game play knowledge that leads to their enjoyment in playing their sport over the long-term.

The Learning Method at the TFHC guides the growth of the player through each phase of acquiring fundamental skills, becoming a field hockey athlete, and applying their skills in game play.

Each player learns to perform their skills at the highest level that they are currently playing. They learn to make the best decision on what skills to use solely in the context of team play. Not individual play, but team play. Individual play never develops good players.

The TFHC uses The Field Hockey Curriculum for Players & Coaches(opens in new tab) to guide our player development. Each player starts and progresses from Level One. No one gets left behind but no one skips a step in our learning process. Each player has online access to all the video lessons in the curriculum.

The goal for each player is they will become a coach. When you coach, you improve as a player. When you coach, you learn to make everyone better.

You are what you cultivate when no one is watching. When you learn to do anything unsupervised, you understand the lesson better. Fundamental to our learning process is developing good training habits.

Two courses in the curriculum, the Maeve Homework Method and the Field Hockey Athlete, guide players on how to and what to practice unsupervised. When you train unsupervised, you become self-reliant. Each player gets on the path of being strong, fit and healthy throughout their life which should be the purpose of all youth sports programs.

The trees remind us that growth takes time. Players learn, “Nothing is hard, it is just new.” When players say or think they can’t do a skill, they are reminded that before they could ride a bike, they couldn’t ride a bike. Players understand that what they know in Grade Nine is much more than what they knew in Grade Five. It just took time.

Our learning process ensures that each player’s skills automatically get better as they improve their field hockey posture, footwork, grip, and overall strength. Everyone will become a field hockey player. It just takes time.

To enjoy becoming a field hockey player, please write to development@torontofield.com.

Learn what coach educators, coaches & players say about The Field Hockey Curriculum for Players & Coaches(opens in new tab).

“You can’t have pleasure when doing something without skill. But it isn’t an unpleasant task to learn a skill if the teacher in the first place gets you fascinated with it. There is immense pleasure in learning how to do anything skillfully. You have inspiration and then you must have technique to express your inspiration.” (Philosopher Alan Watts)