Overcoming lockdown series - Hockey in Lockdown

We have been living in strange and challenging times and keeping the Monkton Hockey programme running over Google Meet has required much creative thinking and open minds from all involved. Our aim from the start was to keep it engaging and pitched at the right level for the boys, and also to be a bit of a respite from the online learning, so while it is still ‘screentime’ it has hopefully been a space where the boys can relax a little and enjoy being challenged in different ways. From skills sessions in bedrooms and home fitness routines, to video analysis of international hockey matches and enjoying England’s successful run to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, the boys have been exposed to a wide range of topical content and hopefully they have found it engaging, interesting and challenging. We have also encouraged the boys to keep up with the daily home workouts being posted on the @MonktonSport Twitter account, and also posting regular skill challenges for them to master at home in their own time.

In conversations it is clear the boys miss the human interaction of playing and competing with each other on the sports fields, and just generally having a laugh with their mates on the pitch, and we are all looking forward to the days when this will be possible again soon. The strains and pressure everyone is under at the moment is immense but the light at the end of the tunnel is gradually getting nearer, and if in some small way the live online hockey sessions are helping keep some focussed and positive, then it’s serving its purpose.

I had the good fortune of spending a day recently with the GB Men’s Hockey Squad who are in training for the Tokyo Olympics at their base in Bisham Abbey, and it was inspiring to see how much hard work they are putting in, and not taking the privilege they have of still being able to train and play for granted. In a subsequent session with one of the Monkton hockey groups I was explaining how even at an elite level (where sport can be played at present), they are also dealing with major issues and stresses. The doubts which linger over the Olympics taking place this year is constantly in the minds of these elite players, as much as they try to ignore it, the daily updates in the press make it almost impossible to avoid. These players have committed their lives to a dream which has already been postponed by 12 months and now could very easily be taken away for good. For some this is their only opportunity to compete at the Games and for some their last chance. They are also in a training squad of almost 30 players of which only 16 will actually get to go, and all of this creates a highly stressful environment for them. The pressure and strains which these elite hockey players are under, are vastly different to those our students at Monkton face, but they are still very real nonetheless, and it was good to highlight to our students that everyone has their issues and it's good to be aware and sensitive to all around us during this time. 

It has been wonderful to have been able to keep in contact with the Monkton hockey players, and while this hockey season is looking like it will not really get off the ground, hopefully through the work we are doing and by engaging with the players on their understanding of the game, we will have more intelligent players ready to go for the next time we can take to the pitch, which cannot come soon enough.

Chris Hibbert

Head of Hockey