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Poor Running Form or Technique is a Waste of Energy in so Many Ways

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Steve Erkkila | 0 comments

Steve Erkkila - Speed & fitness coach for athletics & field hockey

Speed & fitness are arguably the number 1 attributes in todays game of hockey. Are you fading before the final whistle? Can’t pick yourself up with 15 to 20 minutes of the game to go? Are you making poor calls at the back end of the game?  Do yourself a favour and improve your running form/technique. This could increase your performance by up to 20%.

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Injury Prevention for Youth Athletes

Posted on January 04, 2017 by Fiona Kelso | 0 comments

 @maddie_kh  Maddie Kelso-Heap Rep hockey player, athletics, runner

Injuries occur for a vаriеtу of rеаѕоnѕ. Trаumаtiс injuriеѕ оссur when contact оr force iѕ tоо muсh fоr уоur muscles, joints оr bоnеѕ tо аbѕоrb. A ѕрrаinеd ankle, a twisted knее, a fаll оff уоur bicycle оr a соlliѕiоn on the hockey field аrе еxаmрlеѕ оf thiѕ type of injurу. Overuse injuries аrе a gradual breakdown of bоdу structures. They can often bе prevented аnd аrе gеnеrаllу саuѕеd bу аnу оnе оr соmbinаtiоn оf the following:

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Hockey Players - The Fittest Athletes on the Planet?

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Fiona Kelso | 0 comments

Black Stick Kirsten Pearce. Hockey Players fit, fast & elite athletes

We found this article fascinating, and, thought you would also be interested to read excerpts from the original article published by FIH November 11 2015:

Hockey players are some of the fittest athletes on the planet. Here's why...

For years there's been much debate about which sport produces the fittest athletes? Which training regime is the toughest? Whose legs are the most muscled, abs the most ripped and arms the most toned?

Well it seems we have found our answer, thanks to FIH Innovation Partner Loughborough University – one of the top sports universities in the world.

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What to Look For in a Top Quality Hockey Stick

Posted on November 04, 2016 by A Review | 0 comments

International quality Field hockey sticks carbon

There are a variety of field hockey sticks available in the market and it becomes really hard to choose which one would be best for you. If you’re a field hockey player and you are looking for a top quality field hockey stick that can enhance your play, you’ve come to the right place.

In this succinct article, we discuss what makes a top quality field hockey stick, so it becomes easier for you to choose the best stick there is. Let’s get started:

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The Road to Rio: How it all Comes Together

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Kirsten Pearce | 0 comments

Olympic athlete NZ Black Stick Kirsten Pearce

Hey EDGE fans,

Being an elite athlete requires a lot of time and effort put into training to ensure that our team can perform at the highest level on the world stage. This is reflected by what is required of the team and as individuals in the team when training both on and off the hockey field. In relation to what our training program typically looks like you will usually see the @nzblacksticks completing 2-4 sessions a day with usually one day off for a recovery/regeneration day. These sessions include anything from strength and conditioning to group hockey trainings, position specific training sessions, team building sessions, scouting sessions, psychology seminars, yoga, team meetings, recovery post training sessions (i.e. ice baths or roller sessions) as well as the option of doing individual sessions with our coaches especially if we have a specialised skill to work on (i.e. short corner skills).

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The Road to Rio - Dealing with Injury

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Kirsten Pearce | 0 comments

NZ Black Stick Kirsten Pearce. Field Hockey Injury

Hey EDGE fans,

For those of you that don't know me my name is Kirsten Pearce and I'm a striker who plays for the New Zealand Black Sticks. I'm a relatively new squad member after being included at the start of last year. I debuted against Canada on the 5th of February 2015 and currently have 42 caps along with 16 goals to my name. Along with Edge Hockey NZ we thought it would be an interesting idea if I wrote a few blogs every now and then to give a bit of an insight into the life of a NZ Black Stick, so here it goes..

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New Zealand Black Sticks Player Kirsten Pearce Answers Hockey Fans Questions

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Fiona Kelso | 2 comments

Olympic athlete & NZ Black Stick Kirsten Pearce

First Published 15 February 2016: Recruitment4hockey.com

Recruitment 4 Hockey fielded 10 questions from their global hockey followers to ask Black Sticks player #18 Kirsten Pearce. The answers are both helpful & funny – read on and enjoy:

Amauri Amat Which shoe do you always put on first and do you have any other pre-match rituals?

Before every match I always put everything on my right side before my left and alternate (i.e. right inner, left inner, right sock, left sock etc.). I have a couple of pre-match rituals I guess you could say, those being listening to some tunes whilst I walk onto the pitch and a couple of other little things that when you watch me play I do every time before a match, one has something to do with my hair, and, the other is something I do before I head out for anthems on the field.

Louise Guest What moment are you most proud of in your hockey career?


There are definitely a few that come to mind but I would have to say every chance I get to step out onto the pitch and represent New Zealand as well as knowing that perseverance and hard work got me to where I am today.

Mollie Kavanagh What’s your favourite drill when training?

Anything that involves shooting at the goal!

Jeni Gale Do you miss living in Australia?

There are definitely some aspects of living in Australia that I miss with the most prominent being my family and friends, however, I have been extremely lucky with the amount of support I have received from my family friends over here, the staff at Hockey NZ as well as the Black Sticks girls, all of which has made my transition over to New Zealand a lot easier!

Recruitment 4 Hockey What EDGE hockey stick do you use & why? My hockey stick of choice is the Pink Diamond (just in case it isn’t obvious enough already) and I switch up from time to time by using both the light and medium weighted 36.5”. For me, it really just comes down to the feel of it when I’m playing and I guess using a hockey stick that is my favourite colour is an added bonus.

tristankearns16 In your opinion, what’s the best place in the world to play a hockey match? Are there any specific fans you remember and why?

Such a great question and I think after I get a bit more experience with playing at different venues around the world then I will be able to answer it. However, I have to say that when we have headed to smaller towns in New Zealand we have some amazing fans who are always happy to have a bit of a chat, grab some signatures and a picture with us.

edgehockeysticks How is the Olympic preparation going? What’s in store for the Black Stick’s in the road to Rio?

Olympic preparations are going great! We have been back into Full-Time training for the past few weeks and are about to go on our first tour of the year to Argentina from the 21st February – 4 March. Although our Olympic squad hasn’t been announced just yet we are continuing to build on from our performances last year with some hard training sessions including pitch, gym, conditioning along with some yoga and a bunch of team building activities on our road to Rio. We also have a number of tournaments before Rio so if you’re keen on where we will be playing check out www.hockeynz.co.nz for more details and follow us on instagram @nzblacksticks and on Facebook.

sophiejayne200 Which sports person did you look up to when you were little @kirst_pearce18

My idol has always been Mandy Smith who is an ex NZ Black Stick striker.

kara.irwin What advice would you give to young hockey players and aspiring black sticks? @kirst_pearce18 Good luck for Rio

Trust in the belief that you have in yourself, don’t be afraid to ask for help, surround yourself with people who can make a positive influence on you, control the controllables and do more than the bare minimum because if it was easy then everyone would be doing it.

Morganblamey What’s the single most important attribute you feel allows you to be a goal scorer

I think it definitely comes down to a few things but mainly not over thinking things and using your instinct.

Thanks Kirsten!

Kirsten Pearce, New Zealand Black Sticks #18

Kirsten was born in South Africa, and, with her family then lived in both New Zealand & Australia. She started playing hockey at the age of 7 in New Zealand, representing North Harbour prior to moving to Australia with her family. In Australia, Kirsten began playing in the Junior competition and progressed her way through the ranks at Club, State and National level. She has been a part of State and National squads including being a NSWIS scholarship holder and NSW AHL (Australian Hockey League) Arrows team member.  Kirsten was selected into the Australian under 21’s hockey squad. In addition to outdoor hockey, Kirsten was also chosen as an Australian Indoor Women’s World Cup squad member. In January 2015 she was given the opportunity to attend a Super Camp in Auckland with the NZ National Team and was selected into the NZ Black Sticks 2015 squad. Kirsten debuted for the Black Sticks in February 2015 against Canada. She has now accumulated 42 caps for the Black Sticks and we envisage many more to come.

A big Thank You to Kirsten for her help. To follow her on the Road to RIO follow @kirst_pearce18 on Instagram, /kirstpearce18 on Facebook, and at EDGE Hockey