This drill conducted from both ends at one time. With reference to the figure, F1 begins the drill by taking the puck to the neutral zone and then making a pass to F2 who is at the far end. F2 makes a pass across the ice to F3 and F1 hoops low. D acts as F1’s shadow down the rink and tries to defend the 1×1 coming back. After making the shot, F1 skates to the passing line, F4 skates to the shooting line and D goes back to the line.
Stickhandling is a primary aspect of hockey. When the player has learned how to skate, the next thing he needs to learn is how to use the stick for controlling the slippery, frozen rubber that often causes havoc.
For the sake of this drill, players skate lengthwise in a figure 8 shape.
Areas of focus: a variety of skills can be performed by the players between the blue lines such as acceleration, skating, or anything that initiates movement to warm up their feet.
A hockey power play practice is not the same as when you play penalty kill versus powder play during the practice. There are a bunch of different drills which can be made use of for a power play scrimmage.
For the sake of this drill, players have to line up in a big circle at the end zone. The drill commences as the coach skates about in a smaller circle within the larger circle made by the players and he passes the puck to the players back and forth as he goes.
Splay out a lot of pucks about the edge of the circle. The drill begins with one of the players taking shots by moving about and the goalkeeper has to save as many shots as possible. You can also up the game by making two players take shots from a variety of angles. Also a range of different shots can be taken like pushes, slaps and flicks.
The drills discussed below revolve around team, technical as well as individual tactics. They also incorporate the skills of skating, passing, stopping and agility.
The first drill requires that the players split up into two teams, one team on one bench. On each blue line, 10 pucks are lined up and a goalie is present in each net. As the whistle is blown, one player from each team gets up from the bench and speeds towards the blue line. To help them pick up speed, the coach can get the players to come out from a fare-off door so that they can speed up on their way to the blue line. When they reach the blue line, they’re supposed to pick up the puck and make use of the breakaway position, since there’s no one defending the goal other than the goalie. If the player is able to shoot the pucker into the goal, he’ll rush back to the bench and let the next player go. But if the player is not able to put the pucker into the goal or if the goalie defends it, he has to recover the pucker and put it on the blue line for the next player to use. Out of the two teams, whichever scores all of their pucks first, wins the game.
This drill begins with the players starting off in a 5-card position. When the whistle is sounded, each player speeds off to his appointed area of attack, swivels and then skates in a backward manner and settles into a 5-card position. When the first one return, the one next in line speeds out and repeats the same exercise. The center protects the corner points until they return and take back the seam (the areas of attack are 5 & 2). Four laps of this are supposed to be done and then this 5-man team is replaced with a new one.
Several fundamental hockey skills go into making up a complete player, but some outshine the others. Making big saves and defensive stops, scoring goals; these are very noticeable to someone watching the game. But it’s the small things that aid in making these big things happen.
