Tip of the Month

January 2009: Practice Your Skills

Playing a hockey game is fun, but doing so doesn’t lend itself to rapid improvement of your skills.  Pick-up hockey can be somewhat better since you may have more time with the puck, and you can experiment without the pressure of a real game.  But for skill improvement, nothing beats time on the ice focusing on particular skills, without the pressure, distraction and time limitations of a game.

After all, this is what you get at hockey camp…time to focus on particular skills.  But there is a big gap between learning how to do something (i.e. understanding how it is done) and being able to perform the skill under pressure in a game.  And the only way to move from the former to the latter is through repetition.  If that were not the case, we would have created 30 Sidney Crosby’s at the end of every one of our camps.

Whether it is skating, stickhandling, shooting or some other element of your game, find some time to practice.  Most rinks have time set aside for this kind of practice.  It can go by different names, depending upon the region and rink.  Some call it “Stick & Puck”, or “Skate & Shoot” or “Hockey Skills”.  The key is that it is only for players working on skills, and no pick-up games are allowed.

When you go to a session, plan to work on several skills.  This will help you avoid boredom, and keep you from overdoing it on any one skill.  But you are only doing one at a time.  Of course there are hundreds of different aspects of your game that you can focus on, and the needs and goals of each player will vary tremendously.  I went out to a “hockey skills” session at my local rink the other day, and I was working on: 1) getting lower when I skate; 2) skating transitions from forward to backward skating; 3) a deke involving a toe drag move; and 4) being able to flip the puck up high (like when trying to clear the zone).  By working on these skills over the course of an hour and 15 minute session, I was able to attain significant improvement in each of them.  Now hopefully I’ll be able to use that toe drag move in my next game.

December 2008: Get In Front of the Net

Everybody wants to score that highlight goal.  You know the one: breaking in with a defender in hot pursuit, shot off the backhand, top shelf over the goalie's shoulder.  But those are rare.  Most goals are a result of hard work in front of the net.  So get there.

The first guy into the offensive zone is the puck carrier.  The second guy into the zone should make a bee line for the net.  Get there as quickly as you can, and create as much havoc as possible.  Be ready for a pass or a tip, or to jump on a rebound.  If the puck moves up high, turn your back to the goalie and get in his way.  The best way to do this is to act as if you are playing goalie (just stay out of the crease).  If you are in position to stop the shot, then you are probably right in front of the goalie's line of sight.  Of course, when the shot comes in, you are going to either deflect it, or just let it pass.  Try not to stop it. You will be amazed how many times the shot from the outside will go in when you are screening the goalie.

If you don't touch the puck, you won't get an assist on the score sheet. But rest assured, you deserve a lot of credit for that goal.  And of course if it doesn't go in, you will be in great position to pounce on the rebound and get a goal.  This is a drill that we work on at most every Weekend Warriors camp.

Coming Soon: Tip of the Month Archive