Pre-scanning

Understanding of Game Basics:

Before diving into pre-scanning, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of hockey’s fundamental rules, player positions, and the game’s structure. As a striker, pre-scanning is a skill that can help you anticipate the game’s flow, allowing you to make informed decisions even before you receive the ball.

Spatial Awareness and Positioning (Pre-Scanning):

Pre-scanning refers to the act of quickly scanning the field before receiving the ball to gather information about your surroundings. It involves noting your teammates’ and opponents’ positions, identifying potential passing channels, and gauging space available for your subsequent actions.

In terms of positioning, pre-scanning can guide your movements, helping you to position yourself in areas where you can receive the ball in relative safety and have options for your next move.

Offensive Strategies (Pre-Scanning):

When in an offensive phase, pre-scanning plays a crucial role in your decision-making process. It can dictate whether you choose to dribble, pass, or shoot. As a striker, this skill helps you identify where the goal is relative to your position, spot gaps in the opponents’ defence, and locate teammates in advantageous positions.

Training drills should include pre-scanning components, where players are encouraged to scan the field before receiving the ball and deciding their subsequent action.

Defensive Strategies (Pre-Scanning):

Pre-scanning is equally important during defensive phases. As a striker, you can use pre-scanning to identify the positions of opponents, anticipate potential threats, and position yourself to intercept passes or apply pressure on the ball carrier.

Defensive drills should encourage pre-scanning, guiding you to anticipate the opponents’ next move, and react effectively to regain possession.

Transitional Play (Pre-Scanning):

During transitional phases of play, pre-scanning can significantly impact your effectiveness. As a striker, you should be able to quickly scan the field and position yourself optimally as your team transitions from defence to attack, or vice versa.

Training drills should simulate transitional situations, encouraging you to pre-scan the field and make decisions quickly and effectively.

Set-Piece Strategies (Pre-Scanning):

During set-pieces such as penalty corners or free hits, pre-scanning the field can provide valuable information. It allows you to see where your teammates and opponents are positioned, understand the space available, and make an informed decision on how best to execute the set-piece.

Training should involve rehearsing various set-piece scenarios with a focus on pre-scanning, improving your understanding of how to maximise these situations effectively.

Communication and Teamwork:

Communication and teamwork are key components in effective pre-scanning. By communicating your intentions and findings with your team, you can collectively make more informed decisions on the pitch. This could involve calling out for the ball, directing a teammate’s attention to an unmarked player, or discussing potential spaces to exploit.

Building good relationships with your teammates can also enhance your pre-scanning effectiveness, as understanding each other’s playing styles can make the information gained from pre-scanning more actionable and effective.

Game Analysis and Decision-Making:

Studying matches can significantly improve your pre-scanning skills. By analysing your own performance and those of top-level players, you can learn to identify what key information to look for during a pre-scan, understand how this information influences decision-making, and improve your pre-scanning speed and effectiveness.

Using video analysis tools can be particularly beneficial for this purpose, as you can pause, rewind, and study different situations in detail.

Mental Toughness and Resilience:

Maintaining effective pre-scanning throughout a game requires mental toughness and resilience. It involves staying focused, mentally alert, and constantly engaged, even when you’re not in direct control of the ball.

Techniques like mindfulness exercises and psychological training can help build your mental resilience, ensuring that your pre-scanning skills remain consistently effective throughout the game.

In-game Adaptability:

Being able to quickly adapt your pre-scanning and subsequent decision-making based on the changing dynamics of the game is crucial. Developing mental flexibility and game intelligence will help you adjust your pre-scanning focus based on the ongoing game scenarios.

Pre-scanning is a vital skill that can greatly enhance your performance in hockey. By focusing on the areas outlined in this guide, you can significantly improve this aspect of your game, positioning yourself for Premier League success.