COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - April 27, 2020 - The drag flick is one of the fastest and most lethal skills in field hockey, and one of the most challenging and technical to master. Games are won and lost with penalty corners, with the top drag flickers in the world flicking the ball at speeds up to almost 90 miles per hour. The drag flick is a specialty skill used exclusively as a penalty corner scoring technique. Drag flick specialists are essential for the world’s (top) teams. Fortunately, the U.S. Men's National Team has a world-class drag flicker in Aki Kaeppeler (Berlin, Germany).

Aki has been on the USMNT since 2012 and has earned 75 caps so far. During that time, his drag flick has scored for USA on some of the biggest international stages, for example during the 2019 FIH Series Finals and 2019 Pan American Games, where he helped the team win the first bronze since 1995.

Besides playing as a full back for USA, Aki also plays at the top level for Mannheimer HC in the German Bundesliga 1. He could not have been more excited to have his younger brother Kei join the USMNT two years ago. 

This week Aki will share some inside tips on the drag flick technique as well as discuss an important penalty corner moment each day.