This was the fifth day that we went on the ice.
On Day 5 I stayed with 4 pucks and 4 other objects but changed things so there was a huge difference in the size, feel, bounce and weight. The heavy puck is at least 3 times the weight of a regular puck and the shinny puck with the middle removed is about a third as heavy. The racquet ball is very light and bouncy and the field hockey ball has zero bounce and is hard and heavy.
Handle 4 different kinds of balls and pucks, and then multiple pucks around 4 nets. Handle a puck around a circuit of 4 nets always facing the middlle in the triple threat positon. Loosen the shoulders with the puck on the forehand in the triple threat position and then continue the zig zags with the puck always on the backhand. Finish with a fake backhand pass and across the body.
http://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/album.php?aid=17&page=1
I am reposting this because it is a good example of how to practice big moves in large groups and one puck each.
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A200 - Skating and Puck Handling - Yashin and Finnish HS
1. A200 formation and Yashin leads the big moves warm demonstrating the skill and the kid's follow.
2. A2 skating drills for balance and edge control.
3. A200 Russian Big Moves exercises. Pro player demonstrate the big moves and the players follow.
This practice was done at Juhani's hockey school in Mikkeli, Finland. It is beautiful lake country where he has his summer place. The focus is on Big Moves with Good Hard Fakes when puck handling. Many pro's including Yashin helped with his camps. Juhani is in the IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame and is a legend in Finland.
Another IIHF hall of famer Vladimir Yursinov is the one who developed this big moves warm up. He is a Russian hockey legend as a player and coach. Between them they have developed about 70 NHL players.
In my coaching experience these puck handling exercises are the most effective way for players to develop good hands. They can be done off ice as well. Big moves and handling the puck all around the body with big fakes and protecting the puck with the body are the essentials to being a good offensive player.
The video starts with Yashin demonstrating the moves down the ice and players following, then there is a few minutes of skating exercises for balance and it moves to the Russian Big Moves Puck Handling Sequence where the coaches demonstrate and the players do the same thing. This is a GREAT VIDEO for everyone to imporve puck handling.
When I talked with Iginla last week I mentioned to him that last season I saw him doing things I have never seen him do before like the back toe drag and putting it through his legs. He said that he has changed what he does at the start of each practice. Instead of just mindlessly skating and shooting the puck around now he gets a puck and practices all kinds of moves.
If players would do these big move exercises on their own for the first 5 minutes of each practice as a warm up the puck handling skills really improve.
http://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/media.php?s=20080722140651119
https://youtu.be/ODq1cq-Z8_I
This is a tournament on the same theme as the last three postings. The focus is on puck handling by using a different type of ball or puck with each game. There are some passing rules but the main idea is to play a different game every 5 minutes and change the proprioceptive challenge to the nervous system. The player has to adapt to the variations in the pucks and balls.They play 9 games in total and get a lot of puck possession.
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D5 Tournament Using Various Pucks and Ball 1-1 to 3-3
Key Points:
The different weights, size, hardness and bounce of the pucks and balls overload the nervous system to adapt stickhandling technique.
This tournament lasted 45 minutes with 9 x 5 minute games. Fun, skill and lots of skating, touches and exercise. Research has shown that cross ice games have 600% more puck touches than a full ice game.
Description:
1. Play two cross ice and one game with one goalie.
2. Games last 5 minutes then the same teams play in a different area.
3. After all have played in each area rotate who they play against.
4. Use different pucks and balls for the first two rounds and then play 1-1 where the defender regroups with the goalie before attacking or the point in the one net game.
5. Keep track of wins.
http://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20130506082228769
https://youtu.be/N3AR3nS-qsU
Safety on the Ice
A short note on keeping your work space safe. I just saw one of the best players in the world go crashing into the boards after stepping on a puck that was left in the working area. No injury but easily could have been serious.
He actually was injured and had a bad shoulder the first few months of that season and a very slow start.
Coaches love having zillions of pucks all over the place in drills and even in games where they constantly shoot new pucks in for the next group. It is dangerous because when you step on a puck you are totally out of control.
So anticipate where the activity will be and move the pucks to a safe place.
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While I am on the subject I ask WHY PYLONS????
There are lines and dots all over the ice and on the boards that players can use as markings to turn etc. When every player goes around a pylon it tends to BREAK THE ICE and this worsens with each player who gets a turn. The ice gets rough and it is hard for the next players to do the skill. If the pylons aren't moved to new ice often it ruins the ice for the next group.
So if you need to use pylons and other apparatus then move them often.
Cutting up the ice is simply bad coaching manners.
Maybe with under 10 the ice isn't damaged badly because they are light but after that it worsens as the players get heavier and faster.
E300 3 on 2 Contest
Key Points:
Forwards compete with the defense and goalie. Points are awarded for shots and goals as well as defensive plays. Coach times 20" for the attack. Play ends if the puck is frozen, a goal scored or the defenders clear the zone. Record the score.
Description:
Forward Points:
1 point for each shot. up to 2 pts.
3 points for a goal.
Defenders Points:
3 points for stopping the rush before blue line
2 points for carrying the puck out of the zone
1 point for 0 shots within 20"
http://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20110707074113682
Efficient Use of the Ice
An important part of coaching using the ABC method is to use the ice efficiently. We try to use the Physical Education principle of AIM.
A - 80% activity.
I - 10% instruction.
M - 10% maintenance; things such as moving pucks, switching starting points, water breaks, etc.
The more intense the activity the longer the rest period between reps. Recovery is part of the activity when the proper w/r ratios are used.
Hockey practices are almost the opposite in activity. Studies in Canada and Finland consistently show the average drill based practice has an individual player moving from 7-12 minutes in a 60 minute practice. This isn't enough activity to improve skills or fitness.
Some coaches get upset when I say this, so I challenge you to pick out one player and time him/her when they are active within a practice plan. Better yet take a video.
So coaches must learn how to move seamlessly from one activity to another without needing to go to the board all of the time. Create routines and sequences from the same starting place. Usually start with many pucks and reduce them down to one puck games or transition games.
Your players and your won/lost record will love you for it.
This is a skating warm-up that Gaston uses at the start of each skating session. The players use all of the edges and need to be in a solid balance position to accomplish everything. It is our Jasper camp and the players range from 7-14 years old.
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A2 Skating Warm-up for Edges and Balance
Key Points:
Good players can move in all directions efficiently because they and use all edges and have great balance on the ice. Routines for skating, puck handling, shooting and passing are efficient ways for a coach to quickly review the foundation skills and allow the players to get a lot of reps and improve at their own rate.
Description:
A2 Formation - Players start at one end and skate to the other end.
- inside edges - out and in using a snowplow.
- inside edges - sculling one leg at a time on the inside edges.
- outside and inside edges - slalom with the skates together and a good knee bend.
- balance and edges - one length of the ice on each leg.
Repeat the same sequence but skate Backward.
A2 – Skating Warm up for Agility and Balance – Jasper Camp
https://youtu.be/7DKq8pfeFSA
The same warm up with 12-14 year olds.
http://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20110423080435937
I work with some pro players on sharpening their skills. This is a routine I use to overload the nervous system. It is a real challenge as every ball and puck is different in weight, bounce and size.
A3 Nervous System Overload for Puck Handling
Day One and Two
The sequence on the first two days that we didn't video was.
- one puck with big moves all around the body, in the feet, fake shots, moves, pivots.
- two pucks at once all around the body.
- two pucks then replace a puck with a ball when two balls.
- two balls, one puck on ball, two pucks around obstacles moving in all directions.
- move inside the circle around pucks, obstacles, escape moves, front and back toe drags around each dot on the rink, front and back toe drags inside and out of the 4 small nets.
- In order to practice handling the puck all around the body this is a great exercise. It also loosens the shoulders.
Do a large number 8 in each zone on each side of the ice. Start to the right on one side and to the left on the other. Do a different exercise in each zone. 1-forward moving the hands and feet. 2-backward moving the hands and feet. 3-face one end transition skating forward to back. (if there is a goalie shoot and change sides) 4-forward with the puck only on the forehand side of the blade. 5. forward with the puck only on the backhand side of the blade. 6. every third stride rotate first to the inside then face the outside all around the 8.
An example of the moves with one puck is on this video with IIHF Hall of Fame Russian coach Vladimir Jursinov leading a group of u20 and u17 players in Europe.
http://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/filemgmt/index.php?id=6
Day Three
Overload the nervous system and challenge the player with 3 objects of varying weights and sizes.
Racquet ball, tennis ball and hockey ball are used here. Replace the heaviest object with a puck, then the next heaviest then handle 3 pucks for a lap, then 2 pucks, then go through the Russian Big Moves Warm up with one puck.
Make big moves and handle the puck all around the body.
Move around the 4 small nets inside the middle circle and focus on keeping the puck on the forehand in the triple threat position.
Overload the nervous system and challenge the player with 3 objects of varying weights and sizes.
Racquet ball, tennis ball and hockey ball are used here. Replace the heaviest object with a puck, then the next heaviest then handle 3 pucks for a lap, then 2 pucks, then go through the Russian Big Moves Warm up with one puck. Make big moves and handle the puck all around the body.
Move around the 4 small nets inside the middle circle and focus on keeping the puck on the forehand in the triple threat position.
Dary 3
Overload the nervous system and challenge the player with 3 objects of varying weights and sizes.
Racquet ball, tennis ball and hockey ball are used here. Replace the heaviest object with a puck, then the next heaviest then handle 3 pucks for a lap, then 2 pucks, then go through the Russian Big Moves Warm up with one puck. Make big moves and handle the puck all around the body.
Move around the 4 small nets inside the middle circle and focus on keeping the puck on the forehand in the triple threat position.
http://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=2011062308381933
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Day 4
Today we progressed to 4 objects and did them from heaviest to lightest, which is much harder.
Start with 4 pucks then replace the pucks one at a time with a.
1-Hockey ball + 3 pucks
2-Plastic puck, hockey ball + 2 pucks
3-Plastic puck, hockey ball, tennis ball + 1 puck
4-Plastic puck, hockey ball, tennis ball, racquet ball
Progress to handling 2 pucks in a small obstacle course.
Carry one puck on the forehand side in the triple threat position but always face the middle
http://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/album.php?aid=17&page=1
'Enjoy the Game'