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Of the many coaching philosophies I have encountered, the best was from Jim O'Leary, the very successful football coach at St. John's Prep. It was a simple statement, "If they don't score, we cannot lose". Very simple, very true. This is true of any and all sports. In field hockey it is critical due to the low scoring nature of the game. One goal can wreck your whole day!
It never ceases to amaze me when I see the drastic measures field hockey coaches take to keep the other team from scoring. I have seen coaches put another player, sometimes even two, in the goal behind the goalkeeper to completely block off the area to opposing shots. It is a practice that is very dangerous to the unlucky girls who have to position themselves in the line of fire without the proper equipment. What is even more strange is that the coaches who face this situation make no adjustments to it. Think about it, if there are three girls in goal that leaves eight usually four forwards four others. The adjustment would be to play the forwards person to person. If there are four forwards, assign one defender to each, The other seven can be assigned to the offense and attack with what could be overwhelming results. The philosophy should be "If they lay back...attack!". The other puzzling thing I see is that a team will bring the entire eleven players into the defensive zone, sometimes all within the "D". This is totally useless, the more players you have in the "D", the more chances you have for penalty corner infractions. It also robs you of any offensive capability. The key ingredient to field hockey is speed in wide open spaces. Twenty players running, scrambling, for a small ball up and down the field all amassed together is not only sleep inducing but a very ineffective way to play the game.
My philosophy for defense is based upon discipline and simplicity. A small disciplined group can hold off anything. If things get tricky the two links can add to the mix. The zone system only requires three defenders. A coach can divide the field any way they please. A 4-2-4 formation will require a change in the numbers but the theory remains the same. For this example we are using an offensive minded formation, 3-2-2-3 ( any formation can be used). The defensive zone is divided into equal parts the number of which depends upon the formation you use (See Illustration Below). It extends from the end line to the top of the "D". Each defender is responsible for their zone and the opposing players who may be lurking there. It's like zone defense in basketball. Each girl covers the ball when it is in her area and passes off this coverage when the ball handler enters another. Each girl marks the passing zone in front of the opposing team's other players. The goal keeper is always on the ball. One defender is on the ball , the others are defending their zones and the back door (See Goalkeeping Page) where other potential shooters are lurking. With the goalkeeper focusing on the ball and a defender on the ball handler there is actually two people on the ball at all times. This arrangement works very well in 6v6 formats and even better at the 11v11 level.
 Ball to the left of the goal |
 Ball in front of the goal |
 Ball to the right of the goal |
The key to good defense is position. Defenders must never face the goal. They must always have their backs to the goal and be between the ball and the goal or the ball and the shooter. Facing upfield enables them to clear the ball upfield when they gain possession of it. Otherwise they have to clear it through the positions the opposing wings have established. The ball is cleared immediately to the Links who pass it to the forwards.
Defenders must never try to dribble the ball through opponents within the "D".
This almost always leads to penalty corners through foot contact. If there is an opening then dribble out, otherwise they must execute a push pass to where the links are positioned and waiting. This position can vary according to the coaches preferred alignment. The key is that the links are in the same relative position and expecting this pass everytime the ball is within the "D". The defenders only need to get a hold of it and pass it to where they are.
In the offense section I mentioned that the forwards never cross the center line. Many coaches may have a problem with that statement. Let me explain the theory. In a 5-2-3 formation five players are designated to carry the offensive load. What happens when they lose possession? They immediately become defenders. The opposing player with the ball is immediately challenged, almost like full zone press coverage in basketball, by the player in whose zone ball is in. This is called "fore-checking" in ice hockey. It must be relentless! The adjacent players establish position on either side and wait to either intercept the pass or to tackle the ball handler if she switches zones. There should be one player on the ball and four aligning themselves for support. When the ball is intercepted or stolen, the forwards break into their zones and re-establish the attack! Ideally, if this is done with determination, the ball should rarely cross the center line!!! The links are waiting to drive the ball back and do the same "fore-checking" if the ball gets by the forwards. Coaches need to be very attentive to the needs of their players during the execution of these techniques. This level of activity will cause fatigue quickly. Forwards should be alternated to maintain the intensity of this "fore-checking". The players need to be in top physical condition in order to maintain the necessary intensity. If your opponent cannot get the ball out of their zone they cannot shoot and definitely cannot score... if they don't score you cannot lose.