1. PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF
TEACHING GAMES FOR
UNDERSTANDING IN FIELD
HOCKEY
USA Field Hockey
Presented on Sunday 24th January 2016 at the Level 1 Coaches Clinic,
Dublin, Ohio, USA
Dr. Stephen Harvey – West Virginia University, USA

2. Objectives
• To explain the games for understanding model and align
it to Rink’s four stage model of effective game play
• To physically experience examine how we, as coaches,
can use the four pedagogical principles of the games for
understanding model to design good games
– Lead up games
– Small-sided games
– Modified/exaggerated games
– Game-related ‘functional’ practices
• To discuss challenges of integrating games into your
regular coaching session/practices

3. What is Teaching Games for Understanding
and Why did it come about?

4. Rink’s Game Play Stages
• Stage 1: Developing control of the object
• Stage 2: Complex control and combination of
skills
• Stage 3: Beginning offensive and defensive
strategies
• Stage 4: Complex game play

5. What is Teaching Games for Understanding
and Why did it come about?
• There was recognition about the benefits of a
movement ‘education’ not simply drilling
• Need to develop ‘understanding of games’
• Inflexible techniques when applied to games
• There was little success in games sessions
which were just not fun
Bunker and Thorpe (1982)

6. Benefits of games for understanding
• Motivation
• Empowerment
• Interaction between tactical/strategical
knowledge and skill so pupils know ‘why’ as
well as ‘how’
• Alignment of practice to the ‘real’ game
• Transfer
Mitchell, Oslin and Griffin (2006)

7. Games for Understanding Model
Bunker and Thorpe (1982)

9. Pedagogical Principles of TGfU

10. Principle Explanation Relevance
Sampling With exposure to similar tactical problems
within (and sometimes between) games
forms, students can learn to transfer
strategies and techniques
Pupils need to
experience a wide
variety of games and
game forms
Tactical
Complexity
Considered within and between game forms.
Teachers need to manipulate task constraints
to the level of the learners
Need a ‘spiral
curriculum’ where the
level of game
complexity develops
over time
Modification
Representation
Modified games should contain the same
tactical structure (i.e. goals and primary rules)
as the adult game; they should represent the
real thing
Teachers must retain
the ‘primary rules’ so
game is not something
else
Modification
Exaggeration
Rules and tasks can be changed to overstate
or emphasize required information-movement
relationships (making the objective implicitly
obvious)
Teachers manipulate
constraints to develop
pupils’ understanding
and/or game sense

11. Tactical Complexity Example

12. Tactical Problems
of Scoring
Off-the-ball movements On-the-ball skills
Maintaining
possession of the
ball
Support the ball carrier Protecting the ball
Safe passing and catching
Picking up loose
balls/intercepting
Attacking the goal Cutting and replacing
Passing Patterns
Shoot, feed, turn, roll, dodge
Creating space to
attack
Clearing patterns
Transition overlaps
L-cut and v-cut
Settled attack
Fast break
Passing – long, short, back, side
Using space to
attack
Give and go
Timing cuts
Using width and depth
Pick and roll
Dribbling short and long handle
Driving and drawing

13. Tactical
Problems of
Scoring
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Maintaining
possession of
the ball
Safe pass, safe
receive, loose
balls, signaling
Support the
ball carrier
Change hands
when running
Variety of
passing
Use of trail
Change hands to
pass
Variety of
dribbling and
passing under
pressure
Attacking the
basket
Shooting Shooting
Cutting, rolling
and dodging
Feed the cutter Offensive plays
against zone
Creating
space to
attack
Triangle shape
in attack
Dodging
V-cut Fast break
Cutting and
replacing
Overlaps
Clearing space
Settled attacks
Transition to
attack
Using space
to attack
Give and go
Timing the cut
Outlet pass
Width and depth Swinging play in
attack
Creating overlaps

14. Principles of Play

15. Principles of Play in Attack Definition
Penetration The act of breaking through the defense by dribbling,
shooting, running or passing.
Support A player in possession of the ball receives help to
maintain possession.
Mobility Attackers make runs into different areas of the field in
order to draw defenders out of their positions.
Width/depth The attacking team attempts to stretch the
opponent’s defensive shape. The attacking players use
the width/depth of the field to tempt defenders from
a compact shape covering the dangerous areas in
front of goal and in so doing create space.
Improvisation & Creativity Attackers will try to break down defenses by
employing the element of surprise. Skills such as lifts,
pull backs, v-drags, feints and fakes are all used to this
end. Comfort on the ball is critical at the highest level
of the game.

16. Principles of Play in
Defense
Description
Delay The ability to prevent the ball from being played forward
quickly.
Depth Reduce the space behind the pressuring player. Provide
support in defense.
Concentration/Compac
tness
Movement of players to concentrate into an area of the field
vulnerable to scoring opportunities.
Balance Cancel the threat of mobility provided by the offense by
retaining defensive shape.
Discipline/Patience Defending players need to be patient and assess the risk
involved in challenging for the ball.
Predictability Defensive movements should encourage/force the attacking
team to play into certain areas of the field. Channeling play
into particular well defended areas or less important areas of
the field

17. When designing games…consider

18. Diagram showing the closer alignment between a practice situation and the real
game, the greater possibility of transfer of learning (from Launder, 2001)

21. Challenges
• Tell me some challenges?

22. Games

23. Game 1 – Lead up games

24. Game 2 – Small-sided representative
games

25. Game 3 – Modified/exaggerated
game

26. Game 4 – Game-related ‘functional’
practice

27. Game 5 – Game-related ‘phase-of-
play’
• Attack vs. defense on half-court
• Not doing this today

28. Games

29. I am challenging you to…
• Try one thing from today in your coaching
session…
• What might that be?
• Tell a partner...

30. Questions?