GC Warm-Up and Practice Routines

Warm-Up

The 10 min warm up at the beginning of the day should be used to warm your body up and get it ready to play and familiarise yourself with the playing conditions of the lawn; these can change significantly from one day to the next, and even from the morning to afternoon based on the weather conditions, speed of the lawn and difficulty of the hoops.

Things to focus on:

• Learning the hills on the lawns
• Finding your swing by hitting a range of different shots (this varies from player to player)
• Discovering any fast or slow patches on the lawn. Is it generally fast or slow? How should this impact what sort of shots you choose to play?
• How tight are the hoops? Are they consistent? Are they all set straight in the ground?
• Is the ground suitable for jump shots? How bouncy is it?
• Practise key approach shots, for example to hoop 13

Try to use the majority of the practice time to take one or two balls round the entire 13 hoop circuit; taking position with both balls at hoop 1 from corner 4, running both hoops (gently) through hoop one and then taking position at hoop 2 etc.

Practice Routine 1: 26 point game

The exact rules of these games are not important. Feel free to make up your own and deal with anything not covered as you see fit. The important point is the principle behind each game which is providing practice of different skills and a measurement of success.

This 26 point game can be played solo or competitively. It encourages careful consideration when selecting hoop running position, and practises taking position and hoop running.

Each player starts with 2 balls in corner IV. Approach hoop 1 with each ball. If two players are competing they take alternate approach shots. One uses the blue and black and the other red and yellow.

Once all balls are in position at hoop 1, all balls attempt to run the hoop (if they are able to do so). Those that run the hoop successfully score 1 point. Those that fail the hoop score 0.

The balls are then collected and played to position at hoop 2 from beside hoop 1, again followed by a hoop attempt at hoop 2, with success again scoring a point. Play continues in this manner for all the hoops (giving a 26 point game).

When playing from an odd numbered hoop all balls are set at right angles to it, with one ball of each oppo on either side of the hoop. When playing from an even hoop the balls are staggered into common positions; these are: 1 on the boundary behind the hoop, 1 a yard through the hoop, 2 in front of the hoop at slightly varying distances.

If playing in pairs swap who is playing first after each even hoop.

Record your score, and then try to beat it next time you play.

Advanced Variant (Practises running hoops to the next hoop - two things in one stroke)

Once all the balls have attempted each hoop, each player has the opportunity to decide to leave any balls that have run the hoop where they lie and to attempt to run the next hoop from there, rather than playing an approach shot. Any such balls that successfully run the hoop 2 score 2 points instead of 1

Practice routine 2: Hoop running

Can be played solo or competitively.

Start with a firmly set hoop and a set of bisques or cones set as yard markers at each yard marking from 1-7.

Solo: Start with a ball at 1 yard. Run the hoop. When this has been successfully done, move the ball back a yard and run from there. Continue and see how far back you get. Go back to one yard and start again whenever you fail.

Competitively: Each person needs to run the hoop successfully at each distance to progress to a harder distance. If you both fail at a given distance you both try again. The first person to successfully run a distance that the other person has failed scores 1 point and you reset back to starting at 1 yard hoops again. First to 7, with 2 clear points wins.

Solo modification: Start with 4 balls at each distance. Based on how many of the 4 run you vary how far forward or back you move in relation to the hoop. If you achieve:

• 0/4 move 2 yards nearer to the hoop
• 1/4 move 1 yard nearer to the hoop
• 2/4 stay at the current distance from the hoop
• 3/4 move 1 yard further from the hoop
• 4/4 move 1 yard further from the hoop

This exercise is great for helping you to accurately assess how likely you are to run hoops from different distances. Make a note of the distance where you run 50% of hoops and see if you can improve this.

Solo and competitive modification: If you aren't regularly getting up to the longer distance hoop runs you can flip this game into reverse so you start from 7 yards and then move closer if you both fail. Again the first person to run at a distance that the opponent fails gets a point.

Practice routine 3: Tennis

Can be played competitively. Solo versions of the game exist but the scoring system will need to be altered. Practise 7 yard clearances.

Have a lightweight target ball on a piece of string and attached to a tent peg or similar into the ground in the middle/side of a lawn. Ensure the piece of ground is flat. Each player stands 7 yards away from the target ball. If using a full size lawn, affixing the target ball between hoop 5 or 6 and the peg, and standing between hoops 1 and 2, or 3 and 4 gives you the correct distances.

You and your practice partner play a "rally". One player serves for the first rally. The serve then swaps after every two rallies (ie like a tie-break in tennis). The server has two attempts at hitting the ball at 7 yards. If they hit, the opponent needs to return the shot and hit the target ball. A player wins the rally when their oppo misses and the next set rally starts. First to 7, with 2 clear points wins.

Modifications: You can vary the distance at which you play, and two players of unequal skill can play from different distances. You can have rallies or entire games where the balls need to be hit at a specific pace, ie. gentle, mid pace or smash. Timing the duration of the game can also give an indication of how successful overall you were, ie the more shots you hit the longer the game.

With thanks to Ian Burridge