Explanation of the ABC Coding

The PDF has diagrams.

I have had some questions about the way we code the activities. The reason for coding is that there are hundreds or thousands of drills and games. Coding makes it possible to put all of these in categories that make them easy to find when a coach needs them. Otherwise you have piles of drills that you have to search through each time.It makes sense to code books in libraries, core samples for drilling, etc. As your mother and my mother taught us. 'There is a place for everything. Put everything in it's place.

Basic Formations:

A Skating and Individual Skills.

A1 Skating and Individual Skills – skate across the ice.

A1 – Variation – skate over, under, around obstacles.

A100 – Skate across the ice with a puck.

A2 Basic Formation – Skate the length of the ice.

A200 Basic Formation – Puck Handling Skills length of ice.

A3 Skating around the rink.

A300 Skating around the rink with a puck.

A500 Skill work in a small area of the ice.

B - Partner or Team Skills vs. No Opponents

B1 Basic Shooting Formation

B2 Basic Shooting Formation – line up across the blueline.

B3 Partner Practice Across from each other

B300 – Partner Skills in small areas.

B300 B – Four Lane Skill Circuit

B4 – Partner drills that leave from the middle circle.

B5 drills leaving from the neutral zone.

B6 – Drills that start from the corners.

B7 – Face-off practice at the dots.

B202 – Partner skills facing each other in the neutral zone.

B500 Partner contests leaving from the neutral zone.

B600 – Drills that start from the four blue line stripes on the boards.


C – Game Situations 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 3-2, 3-3, 4-4, 4-5, 5-5, 1-2 etc. vs. Defenders

C1 – Drills that start in the middle circle.

C2 – Drills that start with players lined up on one side of the ice.

C3 – Players line up on both sides of the ice.

C6 – Players start from the corners.

C600 – Players start from the four blue lines on the boards.

* A C1-C6 drill could have forwards starting from the middle and defenders from the corner.


D - Games to Teach the Game

D1 Basic Game Formation – Full ice

D100 Basic Game Formation – Full ice with extra player on the bench or the sides.

D2 – Cross-ice Games

D200 Game Formation – Cross ice games with extra players.

D3 Game Formation - A cross ice game at one end and a 2/3 ice game lengthwise.

D300 Formation – Cross ice and 2/3 length game with subs on the side.

D4 Game Formation – Game at one end with both teams shooting on the same net.

D400 Game Formation – Game at one end with both teams shooting on the same net and extra players.

D5 Game Formation – Games using one net at each end and a cross ice game in the middle.

D500 Game Formation – One net at each end and a cross ice game in the middle and extra players.

D6 Game Formation – Full ice game with two nets at each end.

D600 Game Formation - Full ice games with two nets at each end and extra players on the sides.

D7 Game Formation – Rink divided into 4 sections with one 2 nets on each goal line. D700 extra players.

D8 Game Formation – Rink in 4 sections and 2 nets in each.

D800 extra players wait on the sides.


DT – Transition Games – Practice the Same Game Situations as C Drills but One Puck/No Whistles

DT100 – Full ice game with passive or active support (or both).

DT4 – One zone game with Jokers who must be passed to for transition.

DT200 – Cross ice game with passive or active support (or both).

DT400 – Game shooting on one net with passive or active support (or both).

DT500 – Nets back to back.


E – Shoot-outs or Skill Contests


F – Conditioning Skate

These are coded the same as above according to where they leave i.e. E – B4.

G – Goalie Training

O – Off-ice Conditioning

T – Teaching any of the ‘Four Game Playing Roles.’ Coaches are with the players instructing and correcting technique or team play.

T1 – Individual offensive skills.

T2 – Team offensive skills.

T3 – Individual defensive skills.

T4 – Team defensive skills.

Good thread to find things quickly.