Nth Degree Performance are a premier provider of elite level remote physical preparation and performance support to the best field hockey players, teams and coaches in the world and to those who want to be them in the future. As an official partner we have access to exclusive content and we are pleased to share the latest installment with you.
Trying to become an elite hockey player outside elite environments is far harder than most people realise.
After more than a decade working within international hockey at World Cup and Olympic level, Nth Degree set out to bring the knowledge, habits and guidance normally reserved for players at the very top to ambitious players trying to get there.
Now, two years into supporting aspiring elite players remotely outside those systems, Nth Degree have learned a huge amount about what players actually struggle with, what holds them back and what is really required to survive and thrive at the top level and are exclusively sharing with us at Grays through our partnership.
In this blog, we want to share some of our biggest takeaways with you.
1. Physical Preparation
Foundations First
When you work with the best players in the world, you can take for granted what it physically takes to hit the ball on the move with power and accuracy under pressure. You might overlook what flicking around the first runner with incredible speed demands from the body in both competition and training. The same goes for what goalkeepers require physically to save in the bottom corner with no time to set before finishing in the splits.
Everything a player wants to learn to do, repeat safely or amplify is underpinned by physical capability.
What we have learned is that aspiring players can unlock new skills, refine and hone techniques and significantly elevate their current level of performance when they develop the physical capabilities to support it.
Yet what we often hear from players is that they just need to ‘work on their technique’.
But to do anything consistently at elite level in this sport, the physical capabilities usually have to come first.
The Wrong Programme for Everyone
The destination to the elite levels of the game may be the same but the journey for everyone must be different. Outside the elite systems, however, resources are so tight or the assumptions are so wrong that ambitious players are given generic programmes.
The part that has surprised us is the strong belief in some that a plan that hasn’t been tailored to them as athletes, their circumstances or their game is going to take them to where they need to go.
Goalkeepers are not extra outfield players. Their demands are completely unique. Each goalkeeper is completely unique in their athleticism and in their style. The outcomes may need to be consistent but what is needed to achieve it will vary.
Outfield players at the sub-elite level need to be ready to play in new positions, new systems and for new lengths of time as they move up the levels. Unless you are an established senior international full back at the top of the food chain the modern game requires complete adaptability. So you simply must have a programme which identifies the gaps in your physical profile so you are technically and tactically capable to adapt.
2. High Performance Behaviours
High-performance behaviours are highly repeatable types of actions, habits and routines that amplify and protect the effectiveness of training and enhance both performance level and consistency in competition.
Knowing how to operate at the required level across so many different arenas and contexts is often the reserve of experienced elite players who have had time to learn it and be exposed to people who already have it.
Aspiring elite players are often expected to know it, deliver it and sustain it without ever really being shown what it looks or feels like until they are suddenly thrown into elite environments.
One of the biggest lessons we have learned is that schools, clubs and development pathways often do not fully understand the behaviours required at the highest levels. Very often, they do not have anybody responsible for providing the apprenticeship needed to pass these behaviours onto the players who need them most. Without being exposed to elite environments many players, even super close to the elite level do not have the habitual behaviours required to survive or thrive in elite environments.
3. Competition Focused Strategy
All your behaviours and physical improvement can mean nothing if you do not have a competition-focused strategy. You need a plan that allows you to arrive at an event in a superior physical place and tailor your preparation around major competitions. Crucially, you need in-the-moment routines that allow you to show up when it matters most.
One of the biggest lessons we have learned is that many aspiring elite players have never even been exposed to this type of preparation. Yes, they have played in lots of matches and tournaments, but that is very different to having a strategy going into each one, a review process afterwards and then refining both before the next opportunity.
Inside elite environments, players learn how to prepare for moments that matter. Outside them, many players are simply training, competing and hoping performance appears when they need it most.
4. The Reality Outside the System
Hockey is a sport full of amazingly driven and committed players, coaches and parents. Unfortunately, this won’t be enough and what the last two years has taught us most is just how difficult it can be to pursue elite ambitions outside elite environments on your own.
