Wednesday Drill of the Week: Bruins High/Low

May 22, 2013 2 Comments

Bruins High Low

 

Having just posted two videos of the Rangers PP, I thought I would do a Bruins themed drill this week. This one is a simple shooting drill out of both ends called the Bruins High/Low drill. Three skaters go at a time (or two if you’re short on bodies).

The first skater leaves, goes around the circle and takes a shot. Second skater leaves from the same corner, gets above the blue line, exchanges with a coach on the far side, and then goes in and takes a shot. The third skater leaves from the opposite end, skates to the far blue, exchanges with a coach and then goes in and takes a third shot. Skaters need to focus on keeping their feet moving, skating with their head up, getting a good release off, and stopping at the net. The drill goes out of both ends simultaneously, with coaches constantly exchanging with skaters from both sides.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: Ducks Shooting

April 24, 2013 Leave a comment

Ducks Shooting

This week is a continuous shooting drill. Ducks Shooting is a good drill for getting the legs and hands moving, working on passing, working on timing, and letting the goaltenders see some shots.

Players line up on the goal lines. One player starts on each blue line. The drill begins with a whistle where the X on the near blue curls up near the red and presents himself for a pass. He receives a puck from the corner and then immediately passes to the X on the far blue who has timed the start of his loop so that he can catch a pass in sync from the near blue. He then goes in and takes a shot on net. Meanwhile, the player who made the first pass skates up to the near blue, the player who made the second pass skates up to the far blue and then each goes on a similar timing loop, passing and receiving, going in to shoot. The drill moves continuously, and runs out of both ends. After you pass, you take the place and the pattern of the person you passed the puck to. This drill flows nicely and can create a good pace to start a practice.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: Double Rim

April 10, 2013 Leave a comment

This week is a Defensemen pinch/shooting drill.

Double Rim

 

This drill starts with two D in position on the strong side of the blue line. Coach will move a puck up the wall (either through a hard rim up the runner, a chip off the glass, a hard play off the dasher, etc – test your defensemen and their ability to pinch pucks in on the wall), the D will stop it, control it, move it D-D who will then take a shot. Once the shot is taken, coach will hard rim a puck the other direction, the D need to move to the other side of the ice, stop the puck, control it, move it D-D for a shot. D need to focus on stopping pucks on the wall, controlling them, and making good hard passes to their partner. The partner in the middle of the ice should focus on keeping their feet pointed up ice, presenting a good target, and keeping their eyes up when they shoot.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: Carolina Flow

March 27, 2013 Leave a comment

This week’s drill is a simple warmup/shooting drill that incorporates a lot of flow, timing and precision.

UMass ShootingCarolina Flow begins with lines in all four corners. One player takes off from opposite lines and button hooks just inside the far blue line. They receive a hard pass from the opposite line. Meanwhile, a player skates out of the same side and skates into a support position. They then attack the far net in a 2v0. As soon as the player makes the hard cross ice pass, they take off and button hook inside the far blue line. The drill is continuous.

Players should focus on speed/pace of the drill, hard accurate passes, timing and support, driving the net, and shooting to score/shooting for rebounds.

 

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Wednesday Drill of the Week: Speed Pass/Shot

March 13, 2013 Leave a comment

Short and simple passing and shooting drill this week. Speed Pass/Shot focuses on specific skills and keeps the drill simple to enhance a players ability to dial in on a few specific things. The main skills? Listed in the drill title.

Speed Pass Shot

 

Place a player on each of the three neutral zone lines. Player 1 takes off with a puck, give and go exchange with each player, then accelerate into a shot on net. While the drill itself and the execution is simple, it is the skills worked on that are important. Players should focus on keeping their feet moving at a high tempo the entire time. They should focus on their ability to pass and receive, and transition from receiving to passing quickly (all while moving their feet). Finally, they should focus on the execution of attacking the net with speed and getting off a quick release with their feet moving. Players should complete this drill with their heads up and presenting extremely good targets for their teammates.

While it is a simple drill, when executed properly and at a high tempo it will improve a players ability to pass and receive, as well as shoot on the move.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week

November 7, 2012 Leave a comment

This weeks drill is a simple but easy one. It works on skills for both forwards, defensemen and goalies. The name of the drill is 3v0 Stretch/Drive.

 

The first forward skates towards the D with a puck, and passes it to him when he hits the Red Line. The other forward takes off in a stretch pattern across the far blue. The defenseman passes the puck to the stretching forward, while the first forward does a tight turn at the blue. The stretch forward then carries the puck wide into the zone and goes below the goal line. The other forward follows the play up and stops at the net, while the defenseman comes in dot wide and stops at the other dot. The forward with the puck now has multiple plays at the net front. The drill then starts again on a whistle, going the other direction.

Focus on good passes and attacking the net hard for the skaters. The forwards should make good heads up plays and drive hard. The goalies can work on their depth, as well as their adjustment from a low angle to a high angle.

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Explosive Power

October 23, 2012 1 Comment

Explosive power is a critical part of the game of hockey. The ability to quickly accelerate in one direction or another is often pivotal to the way the game is played. Both forwards and defensemen need this first step burst to try to gain an edge on their opponent.

This power can be built up both in the weight room and on the ice. Explosive power in the weight room easily translates to the ice. When lifting, be sure to control the weight and try to generate as much thrust as possible when doing any type of explosive leg lifts. This will help to train your legs and build the explosive power. On the ice, quick acceleration drills will help to improve footwork and skating skills – both critical parts of a skating burst in any direction. Drills requiring stops and starts, a quick start from a standstill, or anything that pushes the limits of your speed and acceleration will be beneficial.

Hockey has become a game of quick transition and seizing opportunity. Players and teams that are able to harness their explosive power and skate effectively to take advantage in transition are going to generate more chances. Push yourself beyond your limits in the weight room and in practice and you will be better prepared when the opportunity presents itself in a game.

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Hockey Warm-Up Skates

August 18, 2012 Leave a comment

Over a number of years playing and watching hockey games and practices, I have noticed an odd habit with hockey players. If given no direction, when they first step on the ice they will automatically skate in a counter-clockwise direction. Age, ability level or familiarity doesn’t seem to make any difference. I was at a camp this week and I made the players skate in a clockwise direction and I heard comments like “Why?” and “This is strange”. The players felt uncomfortable skating in the opposite direction than what they were used to.

I’m curious as to why. No one teaches them to skate this way direction. There is no rule in warmups or practices about skating one direction. So why is this a habit? Where/when does it start? Does it actually affect how players skate? Are players better at skating/crossing over got the left than to the right? Do coaches even notice that players skate the same way all the time?

I’d love to hear if anyone has any ideas about this as it is something that has baffled me for a while now.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week (Delayed Version)

July 12, 2012 Leave a comment

It has been far too long since my last Wednesday Drill of the Week. I apologize for the lack of posting recently – there has been some changes in my life that have taken most of my attention. This week I’ve got a simple yet effective 1 on 1 drill that can be used to teach both forwards and defensemen.

Forwards and Defensemen start the drill in opposite corners. Defensemen have the puck. Both lines start skating at each other until the D makes a long pass to the Forward. The D continues to skate towards the F, and then transitions front to back when they gain a good gap. The F receives the puck and attempts to attack the D. The two players play out the 1 on 1.

For defensemen, this is a great drill to work on gap control, skating ability and transition skating. The D has to gain ice as quick as possible, then adjust to the speed of the forward, all while maintaining proper positioning in the middle of the ice. They should also focus on stick position and forcing the Forwards into an unfavorable position (backhand side or out wide/down low).

Forwards need to work on accelerating with the puck and situational awareness. It is a test for the forward to try to put him/herself in the best possible position to get a quality scoring opportunity. They should work on reading the defenseman and recognizing when to attack and when to slow play the situation. They should also attempt to gain the shoulder of the D-man, protect the puck, and drive to the net.

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Wednesday Drill of the Week #2

May 16, 2012 Leave a comment

This week’s drill is a three shot drill that can then turn into a 2 on 1 (or any number of other options). It is a great flow/tempo drill that gets players skating, moving the puck, and playing a situation.

As you can see from the diagram, a defenseman starts the drill with a puck, skates forward and then pivots around the dot. They then skate backwards to the net, transition to forwards behind the net and then come out the other side to make a breakout pass to a forward. The forwards skate two patterns, one through the neutral zone in support (red) and one around the dot for the breakout pass (green). The puck gets moved from the D to the W, and then to the forward who came through the NZ in support, either directly or indirectly (off the boards). The Red F then goes and takes a shot on net, stopping at the net. The Green F picks up a pass from the line they left from, exchanges with the Red line and then goes and takes a shot on net, stopping at the net. The D follows the play up the ice, receiving a pass from the opposite D line, walking towards the middle and delivering a shot on net. This runs simultaneously on both sides of the ice.

After the three shots, there are options available. 1. The drill can stop after all three shots. 2. The two forwards can swing in support, get a pass from a coach, and go 2 on 0 down the other end. 3. The forwards can get a pass and go 2 on 1 on the defenseman.  4. The D can swing back to the other side they came from, join up with the other two forwards on a 3 on 0. Whatever you choose, the drill will be beneficial for your players.

Overall, this drill gets players skating, passing, moving, supporting the puck, attacking the net, screening the goalie, getting D involved in the rush, and playing a situational rush. It can be used with players of all ages, although I suggest the complexities (second part of the drill) wait until the basic patterns are established and known.

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