This section covers Under 8s, Under 10s and Under 12s and includes:
- How we communicate with players and parents
- Important information about coaching, matches & tournaments
Please help us – your assistance and co-operation is critical.
Aims and Objectives
Membership Matters
News!
Coaching
Fixture List
Matches & Tournaments
Team Selection
Contacts
Kit & Equipment
Our Aims and Objectives
- Help children to discover an exciting team sport
- And develop a lifelong love of sport
- Develop core individual and tem skills
- Teach players how to train
- Prepare players for the next stage of 11 a side competitive hockey
- Above all – have fun
Membership Matters
- All players must complete membership form
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Subscriptions:
- U6 £40
- U8-U12 £80
2007-08 season
Some brief details to help you prepare for the new season. The main change is the introduction of SAQ coaching – players will need to sign up for this (see below).
Start of Season - Sunday 9 September
Coaching will start again on Sunday 9 September.
Registration will commence at 9.00am. Forms will need to be completed by parents for each player and subscriptions will be collected.
There will be a BBQ after coaching at 11.00am.
Please bring along any friends who would like to join.
Coaching/Tournaments
Arrangements will be the same as last year.
U8, U10 and U12 will play one tournament or match a month. Training at the club will be from 9.30am - 11.00am on other Sundays.
U6 will train each week from 9.30am - 11.00am – there are no matches for U6’s
SAQ (Speed, Agility, Quickness)
We are organising a new programme to develop junior players’ movement skills which will be run by Chris Ellison, a SAQ Instructor and Exercise and Sports Scientist. These sessions will be separate to normal Sunday morning hockey coaching and they will be complimentary to the hockey skills we are coaching.
For U8, U10 and U12 a programme of 10 sessions will be run from late September up until Christmas. Subject to demand, we will run two courses, one on Saturday mornings from 9.00am - 10.00am and the second on Sunday mornings from 11.00am - 12.00pm (i.e. after hockey training).
The programme will cost £20 per player for the 10 sessions which will be collected with subscriptions at the beginning of the season.
Places will be available on a first come first served basis. Please e mail me back to reserve a place stating your preference for Saturday or Sunday.
Age Qualification
England Hockey is changing the age qualification date to 1 January, however the National Minis qualification will continue to be 1 September (i.e. the school year) for the time being.
Our qualification date for all age groups under 12 will therefore continue to be 1 September.
Coaches
Head coaches for each age group will be:
U6 Chris Miller
U8 Charlie Lowe
U10 Nick Hooper
U12 Beverley Thompson
Coaching is undertaken on a volunteer basis and all parents are encouraged to become actively involved, either on the pitch in a coaching/assistant capacity, or helping with administration.
We have reached the size where we need an administrator for each age group to enable the coaches to focus properly on coaching. We would welcome volunteers to take on these roles. Please contact me or one of the head coaches if you can help.
Regards
Charlie Lowe
Manager, U12 Minis Section
E mail: charlesrlowe@btinternet.com
Mobile: 07881 765347
More Information on SAQ (Speed, Agility, Quickness)
We are always striving to raise our performance levels throughout the club and we believe that a SAQ programme tailored for children that develops movement skills will be worthwhile.
Chris Ellison, a SAQ Instructor and Exercise and Sports Scientist, will run the programme. Chris has worked extensively with young players in a variety of sports on fitness and movement related areas. His clients include the University of Reading Sports Team (squash, cricket and hockey), Henley Cricket Club, Berkshire Cricket, and John Madjeski Academy School Sport Partnership where he is a Multi Skill Community Coach.
A number of the coaches recently went through a trial SAQ session with Chris to experience the programme first hand. We were convinced that SAQ has the potential to make a real difference, not only in hockey, but in the many other sports the children are playing (football, tennis, rugby, netball, cricket etc etc).
The purpose of the programme is to develop our junior hockey players’ movement. Learning the correct techniques for running, turning, moving forwards, sideways, backwards, stopping, balance, etc are in our view just as important as (and complimentary to) the hockey techniques we are seeking to instil at the formative age.
We are proposing a planned programme taking place over the course of ten weeks beginning at the end of September. The junior age groups invited to take part would be the under 12s, under 10s and under 8s. Key themes Chris will be working on are agility, balance, co-ordination and speed. Players will need to choose between Saturday (9.00-10.00) or Sunday (11.00-12.00).
Movement patterns and skills gained at a younger age lead to increased performance levels through the teenage years. Investment cannot take place retrospectively. Technical skill acquisition will develop more easily and movement appear more natural as a result.
All sessions will be fun, challenging and enjoyable. Fostering a love and joy for exercise has many benefits for all concerned. This will be another factor with the programme - developing a positive attitude and enthusiasm for movement and activity.
News
