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 |
