Toe- Drags can be a flashy way for players to beat defensemen 1 on 1. Yet, as players advance relying on the toe-drag can be a bad-habit waiting to happen. Young players need to understand the purpose of a toe-drag and then use the different variables available to them to beat both defenders and the goaltender.
Effect of the Toe- Drag
Essentially the toe-drag is a manipulation of the puck by using your stick only (not your arms or body). This manipulation creates different angles for which the puck can be shot from, and different directions from which the puck can be moved to. In addition, upon set- up, the defender of a toe drag will jump the puck or attack the body, giving away a portion of the ice. It is up to a good forward to know which way to maneuver himself to exploit it. Moreover, given that a defender will jump the puck, it creates less visibility for the puck to be tracked by the goaltender.
Puck Tracking & Uses as a Screen Shot
For best use of the toe- drag at higher levels, I try to train players to use the toe-drag shot as an additional arrow in their quiver. By dragging the puck 2-4 inches towards your body it'll set up the perfect defender screen on the goaltender. In addition, given that the puck is closer to your body, torque is maximized which if practiced can create a more powerful shot that is released in a split second of time.
Practice
Work on this skill stationary at first off-ice. Focus on the form, hand positioning, quick release and power... accuracy of the shot at first is not that important.
After you have acquired the basic skills, use an obstacle placed over cones on-ice or a chair/ bench. Begin to practice this skill skating into the zone and from 12-15' out from the net. Remember to practice good habits, and crash the net for rebounds after releasing the shot. Aim low at first for maximum power and to create a rebound. Low will eventually be the best placement for this shot, as it will be the most difficult spot for the goalie to track.
David Clarkson of the NJ Devils is one of the best in the business at this shot. Watch him work, and have fun with this new skill!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Sacrificing Yourself for the Team
I referenced the story of Bob Baun of the Toronto Maple Leafs during of one my end of the year meetings with a player. For those who don't know, this is the story of Bob Baun...
It was 1964. In Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, Leaf defenseman Bob Baun fell to the ice in excruciating pain after blocking a slap shot off his ankle late in the third period.
Baun was carried off on a stretcher and was presumed to be out for the remainder of the series. During the intermission, Baun refused to have his ankle X-rayed. Instead, he insisted it be frozen and, miraculously, he skated out for the overtime session.
The Maple Leafs, facing a three games to two deficit at the time, were in need of a hero to keep their Stanley Cup dreams alive. At the 1:42 mark of overtime, Baun drilled a shot from the point that beat Detroit netminder Terry Sawchuk, giving the Leafs a Game 6 victory.
Inspired by his heroics, the Leafs easily won Game 7, 4-0, giving the team a third consecutive Stanley Cup victory. It was not until after the series that it was discovered Bob Baun had scored that overtime winner on a fractured ankle.
Reprinted via- http://bleacherreport.com/articles/29182-bob-baun-scores-winner-on-broken-leg-defining-moments-in-leaf-history-no-5
It was 1964. In Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, Leaf defenseman Bob Baun fell to the ice in excruciating pain after blocking a slap shot off his ankle late in the third period.
Baun was carried off on a stretcher and was presumed to be out for the remainder of the series. During the intermission, Baun refused to have his ankle X-rayed. Instead, he insisted it be frozen and, miraculously, he skated out for the overtime session.
The Maple Leafs, facing a three games to two deficit at the time, were in need of a hero to keep their Stanley Cup dreams alive. At the 1:42 mark of overtime, Baun drilled a shot from the point that beat Detroit netminder Terry Sawchuk, giving the Leafs a Game 6 victory.
Inspired by his heroics, the Leafs easily won Game 7, 4-0, giving the team a third consecutive Stanley Cup victory. It was not until after the series that it was discovered Bob Baun had scored that overtime winner on a fractured ankle.
Reprinted via- http://bleacherreport.com/articles/29182-bob-baun-scores-winner-on-broken-leg-defining-moments-in-leaf-history-no-5
Monday, February 6, 2012
Drills to do during "Free Time"
Every coach or parent who runs a practice gives their kids 3-5 minutes before and, sometimes, at the end of practice "Free Time" where the athlete can warm up and get ready for the drills and instruction that will commence. When used effectively over the course of an entire season these 3-5 minutes can become personal skill sessions where players acquire and develop tools that they normally don't work on in a practice. 3-5 minutes twice a week over the course of a season could add up to 60+ minutes of focus. Try these drills-
1. Elevated/ Saucer partner passing- Grab a teammate and spread 10 feet apart. Practice forehand and backhand stationary, at first, saucer passing. Rotate the puck heal to toe off the blade of the stick and aim to get a flat puck to drop on your partners stick. As you get better, try this moving forward and backward.
2. Footwork Drills. Try the Half & Half Drill detailed in this video...
3. Stationary Overspeed Stickhandling- Use other pucks to maneuver around, and puck yourself to develop rapid timing and stickhandling skills that are faster than you think you can stickhandle. Remember to practice all around your body, and out of your comfort zone.
4. One-timers- Grab a partner and a section of boards and work on passing back and forth setting up for one-timer shots. Use good form and mechanics and aim for a place on the boards to target your shot towards.
5. Net chances- Place a row of 5-7 pucks on an arch at the top of the crease and work on "roofing" them in one continuous motion. Remember to have good foot placement.
6. Powerskating maneuvers- Try some of these for 2 minutes at the beginning of a practice, and by the end of a season your edge control, balance and power will be dramatically improved.
7. Edge control + Stickhandling drills- Try the flat stick puck control drill.-
These are just a few ideas, but the important thing is to not WASTE this valuable ice time. It's time you won't get back, and can dramatically improve your skill set.
1. Elevated/ Saucer partner passing- Grab a teammate and spread 10 feet apart. Practice forehand and backhand stationary, at first, saucer passing. Rotate the puck heal to toe off the blade of the stick and aim to get a flat puck to drop on your partners stick. As you get better, try this moving forward and backward.
2. Footwork Drills. Try the Half & Half Drill detailed in this video...
3. Stationary Overspeed Stickhandling- Use other pucks to maneuver around, and puck yourself to develop rapid timing and stickhandling skills that are faster than you think you can stickhandle. Remember to practice all around your body, and out of your comfort zone.
4. One-timers- Grab a partner and a section of boards and work on passing back and forth setting up for one-timer shots. Use good form and mechanics and aim for a place on the boards to target your shot towards.
5. Net chances- Place a row of 5-7 pucks on an arch at the top of the crease and work on "roofing" them in one continuous motion. Remember to have good foot placement.
6. Powerskating maneuvers- Try some of these for 2 minutes at the beginning of a practice, and by the end of a season your edge control, balance and power will be dramatically improved.
7. Edge control + Stickhandling drills- Try the flat stick puck control drill.-
These are just a few ideas, but the important thing is to not WASTE this valuable ice time. It's time you won't get back, and can dramatically improve your skill set.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Importance of Coaching "Playing Without the Puck"
We've discussed in previous posts the importance of practices over games, and the OMHA study that revealed that players generally only control the puck less than 1 minute over the course of a standard youth hockey game. Moreover, we've discussed how many coaches and parents focus on correcting the mistakes players make when they do have the puck, and neglect the 98% of the game when they do not possess it.
So how can we teach the art of "playing without the puck"? how can we improve our youth players "Hockey IQ"? Here are some suggestions...
1. As a coach or parental observer, focus on re-creating plays in the mind of the youth athlete and express in detail what they could have done when their teammate had the puck. The key to playing away from the puck is anticipation and having good hockey sense. Did non-puck players find the open ice to support the puck carrier by putting themselves in a position to do one of two things: free up ice for the puck carrier to move, or make themselves an attractive target and give their teammate an outlet to pass the puck. Especially at the youth level, you see a lot of kids spending too much time watching the play instead of moving to help create a play. Diagram or draw up in their mind a specific breakout, offensive zone entry play, or regroup when a linemate of theirs made an outstanding play, and explain to them how they could have helped it without ever touching the puck.
2. Use a video and record your son/daughter playing. Watch it with your kids and focus on what they are doing when they are out of the play. You don't have to be Bill Belichick and breakdown every piece of footage, but this can be a fun exercise and extremely helpful.
3. Watch hockey together either live or on TV, and have them watch a specific player for a specific shift. Express to them not to follow the puck with their eyes for the next 30-40 seconds while their favorite player, or the target of this exercise, is on the ice and instead follow that player and watch how he activates into his D-Zone coverage and into plays in the offensive zone. Regroups and breakouts are great for demonstrating body positioning and communication. Some of the best players to do this with are the players who may not be as overwhelmingly skilled, but are consistently productive. Here are my suggestions- Forwards- Patrick Elias (NJ Devils). Defensemen- Nick Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings).
4. Coaches- In practice it is important to work on drills, even at the youth (squirt/ pee wee) level WITHOUT cones, and then demonstrate (Yes, you jumping into the drill and moving your feet) to the players what the support players should have done on a particular drill. A lot of Neutral Zone regroup drills, offensive zone entry, or split D/ F drills are perfect for this, and kids will respond better to watching you do it, than you drawing it up on a dry erase board. Cones are great as imaginary defensemen, but can develop bad habits when used as positional boundaries or lanes, as youth players won't understand why they are there.
5. Footwork Drills. Bad footwork, and poor skating fundamentals are the elephant in the room when it comes to explaining to a parent why their son/ daughter isn't scoring goals or getting beat one on one. Many parents will ask me to work with their son/ daughter on one on one skills, and then be perplexed when I run them through 30-40 minutes of powerskating drills during a training session. The reality is, that the lateral movement work, the transitions, the stops and starts, and power work develop the skating skills to win one on one battles, and to be more active in their play away from the puck. Without good footwork, or skating skills, all the other tools are wasted.
So how can we teach the art of "playing without the puck"? how can we improve our youth players "Hockey IQ"? Here are some suggestions...
1. As a coach or parental observer, focus on re-creating plays in the mind of the youth athlete and express in detail what they could have done when their teammate had the puck. The key to playing away from the puck is anticipation and having good hockey sense. Did non-puck players find the open ice to support the puck carrier by putting themselves in a position to do one of two things: free up ice for the puck carrier to move, or make themselves an attractive target and give their teammate an outlet to pass the puck. Especially at the youth level, you see a lot of kids spending too much time watching the play instead of moving to help create a play. Diagram or draw up in their mind a specific breakout, offensive zone entry play, or regroup when a linemate of theirs made an outstanding play, and explain to them how they could have helped it without ever touching the puck.
2. Use a video and record your son/daughter playing. Watch it with your kids and focus on what they are doing when they are out of the play. You don't have to be Bill Belichick and breakdown every piece of footage, but this can be a fun exercise and extremely helpful.
3. Watch hockey together either live or on TV, and have them watch a specific player for a specific shift. Express to them not to follow the puck with their eyes for the next 30-40 seconds while their favorite player, or the target of this exercise, is on the ice and instead follow that player and watch how he activates into his D-Zone coverage and into plays in the offensive zone. Regroups and breakouts are great for demonstrating body positioning and communication. Some of the best players to do this with are the players who may not be as overwhelmingly skilled, but are consistently productive. Here are my suggestions- Forwards- Patrick Elias (NJ Devils). Defensemen- Nick Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings).
4. Coaches- In practice it is important to work on drills, even at the youth (squirt/ pee wee) level WITHOUT cones, and then demonstrate (Yes, you jumping into the drill and moving your feet) to the players what the support players should have done on a particular drill. A lot of Neutral Zone regroup drills, offensive zone entry, or split D/ F drills are perfect for this, and kids will respond better to watching you do it, than you drawing it up on a dry erase board. Cones are great as imaginary defensemen, but can develop bad habits when used as positional boundaries or lanes, as youth players won't understand why they are there.
5. Footwork Drills. Bad footwork, and poor skating fundamentals are the elephant in the room when it comes to explaining to a parent why their son/ daughter isn't scoring goals or getting beat one on one. Many parents will ask me to work with their son/ daughter on one on one skills, and then be perplexed when I run them through 30-40 minutes of powerskating drills during a training session. The reality is, that the lateral movement work, the transitions, the stops and starts, and power work develop the skating skills to win one on one battles, and to be more active in their play away from the puck. Without good footwork, or skating skills, all the other tools are wasted.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Story of Derek Boogaard.... an interesting look inside.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/boogaard-video.html#chapter/2
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | Regina Pats | WHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | -2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 1999-00 | Prince George Cougars | WHL | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 149 | -3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2000-01 | Prince George Cougars | WHL | 61 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 245 | -9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 31 |
| 2001-02 | Prince George Cougars | WHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2001-02 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 46 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 178 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2002-03 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 27 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 65 | -2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2002-03 | Louisiana IceGators | ECHL | 33 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 240 | -3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-04 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 53 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 207 | -7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 2004-05 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 56 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 259 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
| 2005-06 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 65 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 158 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2006-07 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 48 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 120 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| 2007-08 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 74 | -5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 2008-09 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 51 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 87 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2009-10 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 57 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 105 | -12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2010-11 | New York Rangers | NHL | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| NHL Totals | 277 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 589 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Proper Forward Crossover Technique
A big emphasis on this year's current high school team is basic skills and proper skating technique. With 15 of our 20 player rosters underclassmen (freshmen & sophmores) and most with very limited playing/ skating experience, it is more important than ever to develop proper technique so that they have the necessary foundation with which to build upon.
The most common mistakes I see are any variety of steps rather than strides, improper weight distribution, lack of full extension... and sometimes even usage of wrong edges.
Here are 2 key teaching points to consider-
1. 2 Strides within the crossover push – the “stride push” and the “X-push.”
The “stride push” is the outside leg and mirrors the motion of a forward stride with leg locked at full extension and a powerful toe-flick at the end of the stride.
The “X-push” is performed with the inside leg. It also requires full extension and a toe-flick, but feels very un-natural and can take quite some time to learn, particularly if the placement of the skaters legs are improperly aligned and if the player isn't effectively bending their knees.
2. Carve the edges into the ice rather than simply gliding on them. Hold each push – both the “stride push” then the “X-push” for 3 seconds each as a drill to improve technique.
Coaches and players should listen to the ice for the sound of their skates carving hard into the ice. Often players will be strong on the inside-edge of their glide (outer) leg but soft (weak) on the outside-edge of their inside leg (“X-push”).
The lack of effective carving will be easily apparent for skaters who are crossover "steppers" and lack good body balance. If the skater is too upright, they will not be able to provide the necessary leverage to effectively carve.
"If you can't skate you can't rate."- No other skills matter any where near as much as skating, and it never hurts to go back and review the positive and negative components of your own individual skating stride. Everyone has their own style, and habits.. but their are always ways to get more out of what you are doing.
The most common mistakes I see are any variety of steps rather than strides, improper weight distribution, lack of full extension... and sometimes even usage of wrong edges.
Here are 2 key teaching points to consider-
1. 2 Strides within the crossover push – the “stride push” and the “X-push.”
The “stride push” is the outside leg and mirrors the motion of a forward stride with leg locked at full extension and a powerful toe-flick at the end of the stride.
The “X-push” is performed with the inside leg. It also requires full extension and a toe-flick, but feels very un-natural and can take quite some time to learn, particularly if the placement of the skaters legs are improperly aligned and if the player isn't effectively bending their knees.
2. Carve the edges into the ice rather than simply gliding on them. Hold each push – both the “stride push” then the “X-push” for 3 seconds each as a drill to improve technique.
Coaches and players should listen to the ice for the sound of their skates carving hard into the ice. Often players will be strong on the inside-edge of their glide (outer) leg but soft (weak) on the outside-edge of their inside leg (“X-push”).
The lack of effective carving will be easily apparent for skaters who are crossover "steppers" and lack good body balance. If the skater is too upright, they will not be able to provide the necessary leverage to effectively carve.
"If you can't skate you can't rate."- No other skills matter any where near as much as skating, and it never hurts to go back and review the positive and negative components of your own individual skating stride. Everyone has their own style, and habits.. but their are always ways to get more out of what you are doing.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Holiday Wish List
Many of you know I am very "Do it yourself-er" when it comes to hockey training and training gear. I think most items can be made, retro-fitted or the activities be replicated with a little elbow grease. Yet, there are some great tools that would make terrific gifts for the Youth Hockey Player in your life...
1) Weighted pucks- These items are very difficult to be retro-fitted as the vulcanized rubber of a standard puck loses its shape when altered. Weighted pucks are great for stickhandling practice to speed up your hands and shooting practice to strengthen your shot.
2) Don Cherry Videos- As a kid I used to love to watch Don Cherry video's, back when these were in VHS format, and try to copy the stickhandling and scoring moves of the players featured. Don Cherry has made a video a year, every year for the last 20 or so, so there are plenty of options to choose from. Each video includes a years worth of highlights, playoff features, and commentary.
3) Exercise Ball- These are a great way for youth players to first have an experience with strength training, and the difficult manuevers can be valuable for experienced players as well. Use the ball to strengthen your core, lower/ upper body, and balance training. Hundreds of exercises can be performed.
4) Street Hockey Net- These are necessary for any young player. Can be used for a backyard shooting station, street hockey games, or on a backyard or pond hockey rink. I've always preferred metal over PVC nets, as the PVC will break easily if used in the winter months.
5) Ken Dryden's "The Game"- A must read for any hockey fan. Dryden is a Cornell- grad and Hockey hall of famer, who detailed in this classic book the inner workings of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty.
1) Weighted pucks- These items are very difficult to be retro-fitted as the vulcanized rubber of a standard puck loses its shape when altered. Weighted pucks are great for stickhandling practice to speed up your hands and shooting practice to strengthen your shot.
2) Don Cherry Videos- As a kid I used to love to watch Don Cherry video's, back when these were in VHS format, and try to copy the stickhandling and scoring moves of the players featured. Don Cherry has made a video a year, every year for the last 20 or so, so there are plenty of options to choose from. Each video includes a years worth of highlights, playoff features, and commentary.
3) Exercise Ball- These are a great way for youth players to first have an experience with strength training, and the difficult manuevers can be valuable for experienced players as well. Use the ball to strengthen your core, lower/ upper body, and balance training. Hundreds of exercises can be performed.
4) Street Hockey Net- These are necessary for any young player. Can be used for a backyard shooting station, street hockey games, or on a backyard or pond hockey rink. I've always preferred metal over PVC nets, as the PVC will break easily if used in the winter months.
5) Ken Dryden's "The Game"- A must read for any hockey fan. Dryden is a Cornell- grad and Hockey hall of famer, who detailed in this classic book the inner workings of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty.
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