Hockey – JSS3 Physical & Health Education Lesson Note (First Term)

Hockey is a team and field game played with hockey sticks and a ball. Each team has eleven players, one of whom must be a goalkeeper. Teams try to get the ball into the striking circle by dribbling, passing and hitting, and then hit it into the opponents’ goal to score. A match starts with a centre pass.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• give a brief history of hockey;
• list the eight basic skills of hockey;
• state the number of players in a hockey team;
• explain the objective of the game;
• state how long a hockey match lasts.

What is the history of hockey?

Hockey is a team and field game played with hockey sticks and a ball. The game originated from the ancient Greeks, Romans and Persians as early as 514 BC. Rich people played their hockey on horses’ backs, a game known as “polo”.

• 1876: modern hockey clubs were formed.
• 1886: a well-constituted modern Hockey Association was formed, ten years later.
• 1900: the International Hockey Federation (IHF) was formed with standard rules and regulations.
• 1962: the Nigeria Hockey Federation (NHF) was formed.

What are the basic skills in hockey?

1. Dribbling
2. Tackling
3. Driving/hitting
4. Stopping
5. Passing
6. Scooping
7. Flick
8. Goalkeeping

What is the nature of the game?

The game starts with a centre pass. The formation on the field resembles that of football, as the number of players is the same.

The objective of the game is to get the ball into the striking circle by dribbling, passing, hitting and similar skills. From the circle, the ball can be hit into the opposing team’s goal to score. Each team has eleven players, and one of them must be a goalkeeper.

A match has two halves of 35 minutes each, with a ten-minute interval between them.

Evaluation

1. How did hockey begin, and what was “polo”?
2. Name the eight basic skills of hockey.
3. How many players are in a hockey team, and which of them is compulsory?
4. What must a team do before it can hit the ball into the opponents’ goal?
5. How long is a hockey match, and how long is the interval?

Assignment

Write a timeline of hockey using the years 1876, 1886, 1900 and 1962. Then list the eight basic skills of hockey in your notebook.