Penalty Corner Routine

The attacking penalty corner, built one job at a time: a fast flat injection, a clean stop at the top of the circle, and a hit or drag-flick on goal while the defence rushes out.

Setup:

• An injector on the backline 10 yards from the near post, with a bucket of balls.

• A stopper and a hitter at the top of the circle, plus two attackers on the circle edge for rebounds.

• A goalkeeper and four defenders behind the backline, two to rush out and two to cover the posts.

Execution:

• Nobody moves until the ball is injected.

• The injector pushes a fast, flat ball along the ground to the stopper's stick.

• The stopper traps it dead and presents it just inside the circle.

• The hitter steps onto it and strikes or drag-flicks at the low corner.

• The defenders rush out and take the posts; the attackers and the injector follow in for any rebound.

Coaching points:

• Injector: transfer weight from back foot to front foot and keep the stick in one plane so the ball stays flat and on line.

• Stopper: stop the ball dead on the same spot every time. The routine lives or dies on the stop.

• Hitter: keep the timing tight. The longer the ball sits, the closer the first runner gets.

• Everyone in the circle: follow the shot in.

Progressions:

• Add a slip variation where the stopper plays it wide instead of stopping.

• Make the first runner live and score attack against defence.

• Time the corner from injection to shot and try to beat it.