The academy is located in Port Elizabeth, the sporting capital of South Africa, and is surrounded by a number of top sports clubs and the Indian Ocean right on your doorstep. The academy welcomes players from a variety of playing levels, many of whom are of international calibre. On arrival at the academy, your will be assessed through informal training sessions and matches to determine the areas of your game that need development, both mentally and technically. You will then spend the rest of your time in team training environments, receiving personal tuition and working towards clear goals set by the academy coaches.
The academy is supported by a number of world class training facilities, including a gym and weights room, swimming pool, athletics track, tennis courts, squash courts and more. All these facilities are available for use in your free time, allowing you to work on your own fitness and conditioning in preparation for intense matches and rigorous training sessions.
The Programme
The programme has been developed in consultation with a number of sports experts to create a well balanced approach to your hockey development. The programme therefore aims to develop core areas of your technical skills, physical fitness and mental approach to the game.
Following an initial assessment of your current playing ability, the academy coaches will set clear performance targets for you and then track your development throughout the programme. They will work hard to improve your strengths and combat your weaker areas. Team training sessions will incorporate intense repetition of the core hockey skills including passing, dribbling and shooting as well as practice matches which will focus on attacking, defending and set plays.
The programme also includes a number of sessions focused on developing your personal fitness and conditioning. The academy coaches recognise that players must be physically and mentally fit if they are to execute the technical skills required during match conditions. During these sessions, the academy coaches will work hard to improve your speed, agility and core strength. You will also be given individual areas to work on both in training sessions and individual gym or fitness workouts.
The final part of the programme will see you play competitive matches against other academy teams and local hockey clubs. This is an exciting part of the programme where you will be continually analysed by the academy coaches. Not only is it important to track your progress in real match conditions where your performance really counts, you will also get to enjoy the social side of sport in South Africa and experience the camaraderie it creates. You will soon discover that playing hockey in South Africa will not only develop you as an individual player, it will give you the chance to build close, cross-cultural friendships in a fun, sporting environment.
If you like to play and train hard, you will feel right at home at the academy. However, the academy coaches are keen to protect players from too much physical impact and ensure you are given the necessary time to recover from often physically intense training and matches. You will therefore be entitled to a number of free recovery sessions including ice baths, plyometrics, lead stretch sessions or power plate sessions.
To complement the physical aspect of the programme, you will receive a series of lectures from sports experts specialising in various areas such as biokinetics, nutrition and sports psychology. This will add another dimension to your understanding of the game, and you should hopefully find them quite interesting too!
Assessments are prepared for each player during the programme, culminating in a final report on completion of the programme. This will summarise your time at the academy and highlight your key points of progression as well as the areas of your game that still need refinement.
You will leave the hockey academy with a much deeper understanding of the physical, mental and technical aspects of the game, all of which will prepare you for your future career in hockey, be it at club, county, university or higher levels in the game.
Academy Facilities
In addition to the gym and weights room, swimming pool, tennis courts and squash courts, you will enjoy the use of the following facilities during the programme:
- Numerous all-weather pitches
- A modern fitness and aquatics centre
- State-of-the-art weight training facilities
- Trained personnel monitoring progress
- Support from doctors, physiotherapists and sports scientists
- Video analysis to evaluate player’s strengths and weaknesses
What's Included
- A warm welcome at the overseas airport
- Transfers to/from the airport from/to the activity site
- Food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) as stated in the meals section
- All accommodation as stated in the accommodation section
- Full co-ordination of your programme activities
- All required equipment for the programme
- 24-hour support from the in-country staff and 24-hour emergency support from our UK team
What's Not Included
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Visas
- Vaccinations
- Additional Transportation
- Personal spending money
- A free laundry service
- Soft drinks and alcohol
Prices and Durations
South Africa Hockey Academy - 6 weeks £2,759
