This field hockey playbook outlines strategies for moving the ball up the field through passing. It discusses passing to the open man in triangles that can overlap, as well as percentage passing to frustrate opponents and keep possession. Various ball movement patterns like W, Z, V, and triangles are described. The playbook recommends emulating the control and passing style of Barcelona and Brazil's national teams, which focus on maintaining possession through many short passes and wall passes to progress up the field. Rough or negative play is discouraged.

1. Field Hockey Playbook
Derek E. Pappas

2. Moving the ball
Roll the ball
Lift the ball
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

3. Pass to the open man
Possess the ball by always finding the open man
Attack in triangles
The triangles can overlap one another
One triangle can feed another triangle with some of the
same players
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

4. Percentage passing
Do not put the player receiving the ball under pressure
Always break the press by moving the ball away from
the defenses majority (avoid the parts of the field where
the defense has a numerical advantage)
Pass the ball on the ground and to the players stick
with no spin.
Frustrate the other team by keeping the ball away from
them for long periods of time.
If you do not have a pass get a foul and start the
passing all over again.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

5. Team Ball movement
patterns
W
Z
V
X
U
Triangle
C’s
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

6. Team Ball
movement-W
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

7. Team Ball
movement-Z
In order to transfer the ball
across the field three
movements are required to
get through the defense in
the middle of the field. A
direct transfer across the
field is not possible.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

8. Team Ball
movement-V
The off the ball
movement in the
opposite direction of the
first pass.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

9. Team Ball
movement-X
Front stick to front stick
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10. Team Ball
movement-
Moving v
Front stick to front stick
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11. Team Ball
movement-U
defensive passing
around the back
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

12. Team Ball
movement-
triangle
Possession is established
in a triangle. The exit pass
from the triangle is made
from the back where the
passer has a view of the
entire field.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

13. Team Ball
movement-b
aseline attack
mid field build up
Fix
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14. Style
Play like Barcelona/Brazil
Don’t play like ManU/Argentina
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

15. Barcelona FC/Brazil National
Football team
Tough defense
Control the ball
20 passes in a row-frustrate the other team
move the other team around-make them work
Move the ball around the midfield away from the
other team’s midfielders
Use wall passes to move the ball quickly
Create a pattern in the passing so that your team
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009

16. Don’t play like Argentina/
ManU FC
No rough play
Messi is the exception not the rule.
No negative play
Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2009