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February / March 2010 Practice Plans

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Well, now that the season has come to a close, this is the final posting for my full-season of practice plans. I hope you’ve enjoyed the entries and have found some value in them.  If you have questions about any of the practices, don’t hesitate to drop me a line.

02/01/10 – Dryland Practice Plan
02/01/10 – Practice Plan
02/09/10 – Practice Plan
02/11/10 – Practice Plan
02/16/10 – Dryland Practice Plan
02/16/10 – Practice Plan
02/18/10 – Practice Plan
02/23/10 – Dryland Practice Plan
02/23/10 – Practice Plan
02/25/10 – Practice Plan
02/27/10 – Dryland Practice Plan
02/27/10 – Puckmasters Practice Plan (Defensemen)
02/27/10 – Puckmasters Practice Plan (Forwards & Goalies)
02/28/10 – Puckmasters Practice Plan (All Players)
03/02/10 – Practice Plan
03/04/10 – Practice Plan



 

5 Small Areas of Focus to Improve Practice

Mar
10
Posted by Kevin - Filed under: Comments & Thoughts
Tags: , ,

Cones at Hockey PracticeIt is often said the small things make the biggest difference.  Here are five simple things to watch for in practices which will – if repeated throughout the course of a season – will make a huge difference:

1) Drill Start – If the drill starts on the goal line, make sure your players feet are completely behind the goal line. Don’t allow cheating in any of your drills. If a player cheats 5 feet on every drill repetition 20 times during practice, for 50 practices a season, that’s almost a mile of skating the player has cheated his/her way out of!  Little stuff adds up.

2) Drill End – Just as starting is important, finishing is just as important (if not more). If the drill finishes at the blue line, make sure your players don’t stop skating until after they have crossed the blue line. This habit reenforces not letting up. Letting up early can lead to sloppy play or even injury. If you’re running a more advanced drill that finishes with a rush to one end, have the players hustle back to the red line on the whistle ending the drill. This will help players naturally get in the habit of hustling back – hopefully for a backcheck during the game.

3) Quick Starts – When beginning a drill, force your players to execute a proper quick start. The degree to which they are able to execute the quick start depends on their age, but it should still be reenforced at all age levels. Making this a habit in practice will help your players transition this into the game.

4) Stop in Front of the Net – Too often, drills are run at a tempo that forces players to “get out of the way” quickly to try and keep as many players moving as possible. While it’s good to have players moving, don’t force your players to abandon a rebound in front of the net. Give them time to stop in front and play their rebounds. As the goaltenders get better, more and more shots need to be scored on rebounds – give your players time to work on this during practice. Try making a simple rule for all your drills – after you shoot, you must stop in front of the net and look for a rebound.

5) Carrying the Puck – If a drill begins with a player carrying the puck, make sure they start with it on their stick instead of pushing it 10 feet in front of them. If you force them to practice their quick starts at the beginning of the drill, and also carry the puck, you’re forcing the player to improve his/her explosive abilities with the puck.  Also, if the drill involves a tight-turn around a cone, don’t allow your players to chip the puck to the side of the cone they’re turning and pick it up – force them to carry the puck all the way around the cone.

 

Team Up and Bring Home the Cup!

Mar
9
Posted by Kevin - Filed under: HockeyShare Contests
Tags:

Team Up LogoPepsi®, Lay’s®, and Gatorade® have teamed up for a contest called “Bring Home the Cup”™.  The contest is designed to have amateur hockey teams (at any level) in Canada submit the reason why they deserve to Bring Home the Cup™.  The winning team will get the Stanley Cup delivered by Mark Messier along with some really cool other prizes like: 52″ LCD TV, Home Theatre System, Pepsi®, Lay’s®, and Gatorade® products – all valued at approximately $10,500 CDN.

The entry deadline is March 12, 2010 – so hurry to TSN.ca to enter: http://teamup.tsn.ca

Now for the really cool part.  Share the reason why your team deserves to Bring Home the Cup™ in the comments section of this post, and you could win a $75 (CDN) Gift Certificate for the Canada Shop.NHL.com Store!

 

Hockey Is… – Contest Winners

Mar
8
Posted by Kevin - Filed under: HockeyShare Contests
Tags: ,

The winners of the “Hockey Is…” contest are as follows:

1) Ted Miskolczi Sr – Hockey is knowing that you are going to the arena to teach kids a game that could alter their life in some way, also knowing that they are with friends and family but most of all at the end of the day hockey is when the kids come up to you with a big smile and says I had fun today coach.

2) JIM – hockey is filling a void in your life that only you, yourself can place the value on. The game by nature is an ever changing enviroment of recognizable patterns , yet it lends itself well to those individuals that bore easily and seldom tire. It is the freedom to be outside of your present life if only for a brief moment in time. It is a dream come to life , in a childs heart. A heart still young no matter what the age.

3) Thomas Guarino -Hockey is very important to me. Hockey is me! I love to play it. It is something that I know is good for my body and my mind.I have learned alot of things by playing hockey. Not only have I learned how to play the game of hockey but I have also learned many lessons.

I have learned that to be a “great hockey player” I must be a team player and not just the leading goal scorer. I know that my teammates have alot of respect for me because I do what is expected of me from my team and from my coach. It makes me feel good when I choose to pass to the lead man to score instead of “hogging” the puck just to prove that I can score. I know that I need to play for my team and not just for myself.

My life is good because of what hockey has taught me. I play my hardest and I play as a part of a whole team. I know that I am well liked because of this. This is how I try to live my life outside of the rink, in school, and at home. I pitch in to help out at home and I am always there for my friends if they need me. Whether I am helping out as a part of my family, as part of my group of friends, or as a part of my hockey team, I know that I always need to work well with others.

I learned that hard work on the ice is like hard work at school. When I play hard on the ice, I feel better at the end of the game whether we win or lose. When I work hard at school I know that I am learning alot of good things for when I am older and go to college. If I put all my best effort into my work I know that I will get a pretty good shot of getting something good out of it.

In the future, I believe that I will be whatever I want to be because of what hockey has taught me. I know that I have to work hard to get things done. Hockey made me see that I have to trust people, be generous, and always help people who need it without expecting anything back. Hockey has taught me lessons that have made me a good person and these things that I have learned will let me do anything I want in my life.

4) Rick Vaile – hockeys is a game of fun and skill where everyone involved learns something new just about everyday they are at the rink. Hockey is spending time with the family and fFriends. Hockey is being there when they need help, to see all the smiles when something great happens. or console when something not so good happens. Hockey is teaching and learning respect for the game on the ice as well as taking that respect and applying it to off ice life. Hockey is a great way to teach and learn life lessons that will arise when we get older.Hockey is a way to stay in shape and stay active. Hockey is plain and simply the best game in the world with some of the best people and role models I have ever met. Without Hockey my life would have never been as great as it has been. Thank You Hockey and to all the people who have help make me who I am today.

5) Gary – Hockey is the ultimate combination of teamwork, artistry, discipline, creativity, athleticism and passion!

We were originally going to do only 3 winners, but both Brett and I thought we could go with more. Winners #4 and #5 will both receive a copy of “In Pursuit of Excellence.” This is a great motivational book with lots of ideas to apply to sports and life.

Winners – please contact me via email (kevin@hockeyshare.com) using the same email address you used to post the comment (this allows us to verify who you are). Please include your full name, shipping address, and phone number to include in the shipment.

 

Personal Congratulations

Mar
7
Posted by Kevin - Filed under: Comments & Thoughts
Tags:

I usually don’t do this, but I wanted to take a quick minute to congratulate my team on their third-straight WAHA HS D1 State Championship.  Every single player on the squad worked hard throughout a season filled with a lot of adversity.  Today, Hockey Is…seeing a group of 15 kids come together to achieve a common goal.  Today, Hockey is…powerful and rewarding!

Komets Midget Major - 3-Peat State Champions

Seniors – I’ll miss you guys!!!

 

Shooter Tutor – Evolved

Mar
3
Posted by Kevin - Filed under: Cool Links
Tags: ,

Every now and then I stumble upon new hockey products I think have some great potential to help people.  When I saw the Score100Goals.com Shooter Tutor, I asked Brett Henning (creator) to write up some information explaining the concepts behind the product.  I was really impressed how much time and effort he put into the “science” of shooter tutor.  I think this is a really cool item that can help shooters understand the openings goalies leave when they’re in different areas of the ice.  I hope you find this information interesting and helpful.  I want to make it abundantly clear that I do NOT get any sort of commission or percentage if you decide to purchase the shooter tutor.  I’m simply providing this information because I think there’s great content here.  Below is Brett’s write-up along with lots of images to help illustrate the concepts. For more information on the Score100Goals.com Shooter Tutor, visit www.Score100Goals.com.


Whether you were jumping with enthusiasm or in complete shock after Crosby’s goal, you realize it was because of a quick release. All goal scorers are able to get the puck off quicker than most, before the goalie is set. This is the idea behind the Score100goals Shooter Tutor.

Goalies are taught to play the angles and their position/depth within the net changes as the puck moves around the offensive zone. So why shouldn’t shooters change where they aim based on their position? With this new shooter tutor the offensive zone is broken down into 5 different areas. After analyzing 1,000’s of NHL goals a pattern emerged and a chart was created illustrating the best places to shoot for the highest probability of scoring from each area.

Shooting Zones

Shooter Tutor - Evolved

*the colors correspond to the outlined holes on the shooter tutor, representing the best areas to score from each zone.

It may look complicated but once you have an idea of where to shoot based on your location in the zone, your release is a fraction of a second quicker. A lot of players including myself would get an opportunity in the offensive zone, pick our heads up and try to find “open net” as the goalie was taking away your shooting angle. Now before the puck is even on your stick you know the best places to shoot for the highest probability of scoring. Instead of taking time to find the openings you are releasing the puck while the goalie is still moving. With this knowledge you will score more goals.

Zone 1

Zone 1 represents a rebound situation. More often then not the goalie is down from making the first save so you need to get it up and over him/her.

Zone 1Zone 1 - Highlighted

Zone 2

Zone 2 represents a shot coming down the right wing boards. Low stick side off the post is a great place to shoot. Also if you get in tight from this zone the goalie sometimes drops his glove and you can shoot at hole number 3.

Zone 2Zone 2 - Highlighted

Zone 3

Zone 3 is the “prime scoring” area or slot. This area has the most highlighted targets to shoot as well as a new hole over the goalies shoulder(number 2). As the goalie goes down in the butterfly position you can blast one past his/her ear. Great place to shoot.

Zone 3Zone 3 - Highlighted

Zone 4

Zone 4 is a mirror image of zone 2. It represents a player streaking down the left wing or coming out of the corner on a cycle. You want to move across the ice to get a goalies feet moving and then Five-Hole or off the post low is a great place to shoot.

Zone 4Zone 4 - Highlighted

Zone 5

Zone 5 represents a shot from the point. A shot from this area can create a rebound or deflection opportunity. Plus if you’re shooting high from this outside area it has a greater chance of getting blocked. A goalies hands are quicker then his/her feet and most times it’s an easy save.

Zone 5Zone 5 - Highlighted

You can find more info on the Score100goals Shooter Tutor at www.score100goals.com

 

USA vs. Canada Final Goal – Lessons for a Youth Hockey Coach

Mar
1
Posted by Kevin - Filed under: Comments & Thoughts
Tags:

No matter who you were rooting for on Sunday’s Olympic matchup between USA and Canada, it was certainly a shining day for our sport. Sidney Crosby’s game-winning over-time goal couldn’t have been scripted better in terms of promoting the game. Love him or hate him, he is arguably the “face of the game” right now.  Sid’s goal provided an excellent glimpse of just how quickly defensive break-downs can happen.  The same mistakes youth players make happen at the pro level.

As Crosby slid the puck down the wall to Jarome Iginla, Brian Rafalski quickly found himself on the wrong-side of one of the best players in the game. Rafalski committed one of the cardinal sins of defenseman – allowing an offensive player to get on the offensive side of him. Defensemen attempt to keep the opponents on the defensive side of them, meaning they are between the opponent and the net. This forces the opponent to have to go through you as a defender before they are able to get an opportunity to drive the net.  When Rafalski and Crosby were even along the boards, Crosby had already won. There was no way Rafalski could win the race back to the front of the net after Sid took his first step.  It’s a mistake repeated time and time again in youth hockey games, this time displayed on a world-wide stage.

The lessons to take to your players as youth coaches:  1) Stay on defensive side of your assignment 2) You must win the races back to the front of the net.

USA vs. Canada - Crosby's Goal

USA vs. Canada - Crosby's Game-Winning Goal

The next notable thing after Sid gained the inside position driving to the net was the way he handled the puck – or should I say, didn’t handle the puck! As coaches, we spend so much time developing the skill of stickhandling that it becomes an unconscious habit when players receive passes.  Often times we forget about the need for under-handling.  Crosby’s play was a great example of under-handling the puck.  Once the puck hit his stick, he settled it and shot it…zero stickhandles.  This technique requires as much (if not more) practice as “handling” the puck.  If you watch youth players, many are not comfortable shooting the puck or making a pass without stickhandling first.  This is nothing more than a habit – one that (in my opinion) needs to be broken. There are times where stickhandling the puck before moving it is required – rolling pucks, making a move, changing directions – but in a straight-on scenario like Crosby had, the correct play was to not handle the puck.  This gives the shot a much quicker release and takes time away from the goalie to get set.

The lesson to take to your players as youth coaches:  Underhandling skills are  just as important to develop as stickhandling skills.

Congratulations to both Team Canada and Team USA.  Both competed hard and provided us with some very entertaining games.

 

Post-Game Tirades

Feb
26
Posted by Kevin - Filed under: Comments & Thoughts
Tags: , ,

Angry Hockey CoachAs I entered the locker room to address my team before a tournament game last weekend, for the second time in as many weeks I was over-powered vocally by a coach from the adjoining locker room screaming and cursing out his team.  Both times myself and my team were basically forced to listen to a curse-laden tirade while we were attempting to get ready for our own games.  One of them even went so far as to kick the exit door open on his way out.  These incidents led me to contemplate a few issues after our own games and evaluate the lessons being taught by these coaches.

1) What lesson is being taught to these kids? One of the only things continually crossing my mind was: “I really wouldn’t want to play his team – if that’s the way he acts and ‘controls’ himself during tense situations, I can only imagine how the children he is coaching will maintain their control.”  Kids are like sponges, they pick up on the smallest things leaders they respect do.  While I can’t say for certain whether or not the players in those locker rooms respected the coaches, I can almost guarantee they are absorbing poor behavioral habits in times of difficulty/stress.  If a coach completely loses his cool when something doesn’t go right, how can he/she expect a player to maintain composure when something happens to them during a game?

2) Why do parents put up with this?  In our area, the cost to play midget hockey is substantial – usually falling in the $2,500 range for non-Tier I (AAA) programs.  With that much money on the line, I don’t see how parents could be willing to put up with actions like these and continue to allow their children to be exposed to this sort of behavior coming from an ‘adult.’

3) What are the long-term effects of this learned behavior?  It is easy to see the short-term effects coaches who are out of control can have on a team, but the long-term effects are much harder to quantify.  Habits, no matter how small, play an enormous role in the long-term development of people. One of the best simple habit examples is the age-old saying: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”  Imagine the long-term impact and difference between consistently practicing that habit versus: “A candy bar a day keeps the doctor away!”

Now, don’t get me wrong.  There is a time and place to raise your voice to make a point, but I don’t think there’s a place in our game to degrade and personally attack youth.  I definitely have things I struggle with handling, as I’m sure every coach does.  This is OK – nobody is perfect.  I’m sure there have been instances where I was out of line with my actions.  My simple hope is that you and I, as a coaches, take the time to evaluate our interactions with our teams.  Make sure they’re appropriate.  The kids are watching you.  Coaching is a position of leadership.  Let’s make sure we’re leading them in the right directions – not only in hockey….but in life.

 

Corner Create Space Drill Video [M2]

Feb
23
Posted by Kevin - Filed under: Hockey Drills, M2 Hockey
Tags: ,

This week’s video features the Corner Create Space Drill which focuses on the following:

1) Puck Protection
2) Creating Space
3) Battling in the Corners
4) Skating Through Checks
5) Quick Feet/Acceleration Out of the Corner
6) Shooting in Stride/Driving the Net

Corner Create Space Drill Diagram
Click Diagram to View Drill Page

 

Crucial Areas of the Ice

Feb
22
Posted by Kevin - Filed under: Comments & Thoughts
Tags: ,

Those of us near the Chicago area are lucky to get Eddie Olczyk’s analysis of the Chicago Blackhawks games on a regular basis.  In my opinion, he does a great job of breaking the game down and analyzing important plays.  Any player (or coach) who watches games he’s announcing can take lots of great tidbits and apply them directly to their own game.  In last night’s Olympic matchup between the USA and Canada, Eddie O pointed out the key areas for USA in the last minutes of the game.  The areas he mentioned are simple, but important.  I thought it was a great opportunity to cover what he said, and expand on it further.

Important Areas on the Ice for Hockey

The areas shown above are important not only to hold on to a lead in the last fading minutes of a game, but also when you’re in a tight game.  Turn-overs in these areas lead to good scoring opportunities for the opponent and open up holes in your defensive coverage.

The first area in red shows the area from the top of the circle to the blue line in the defensive zone.  If a player gets the puck in this zone, the puck MUST get out of the zone.  There are usually three options for this: 1) Pass 2) Off the Glass 3) Ice the Puck.

Turn-over threat:  Turn-overs in this area often lead to offensive players skating to leave the zone (to attack). With this, they are most times releasing from their defensive zone responsibility.  If your center’s defensive responsibility is a man down low, and they’ve left the zone already, a quick shot on net from the opposing defense will lead to an odd-man situation in front of the net.

Benefit to executing: The best-case scenario is you control the puck out of the zone and are able to get the puck in deep or create a scoring opportunity.  Worst-case, you’ve bought yourself and teammates a few seconds to regroup and defend the return rush.  Since it is highly likely the opposing team will take a few seconds to exit the zone, players should have sufficient time to re-identify their coverage.

The second area in yellow shows the offensive-side of the neutral zone.  In this area, players must make sure the puck gets deep.  They can either skate the puck in if they have time/space, or they can dump it in.

Turn-over threat: If the puck fails to get deep in this zone, it becomes much more difficult for defensemen to get adequately set for the rush.  If the D are following the play up ice, they will have to transition before they can play the rush effectively.  If the defensemen were caught deep in the d-zone and are still trying to get out, their gap will be large, which will give the attacking forwards a lot of time and space.  If the D are changing lines, they will have to hustle from a side-position to get back to the middle of the ice.  None of these situations are ideal – especially when playing with a lead.

Benefit to executing:  There are several benefits to getting the puck in deep: 1) Tired lines can change  2) Eats up time on the clock 3) Allows attacking players to set up a proper forecheck 4) Scoring opportunities.

This is NOT to say players shouldn’t ever try to be creative and try new moves or different plays in these areas.  These are simply rules to help be effective when playing in a tight game – especially with a lead in the last few minutes.  It is in these times where small mistakes and turn-overs are greatly magnified.  Remember – don’t get too mad when your players don’t execute properly.  The “best of the best” still make mistakes in these areas…in fact, our game would be extremely boring if they didn’t!

 

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