|
USAHockey's website has put together a very good 20-part series of off-ice drills used in National Team development. Each drill builds on the next. (They are shown in video so these are best seen with broadband connections.) The direct link is:: www.usahockey.com/ntdp/ntdp_features/main/ntdp/off_ice_drills_home//
Thanks to Bill Bellows for sharing this information with RRHC Coaches
"Coaching Goaltenders" Manual Available....
Rich Mason, former director of the Goalie Program, provided a manual for your team's goalie coach. Rich describes the manual this way: "The guide does not teach goaltending, but rather how to coach a goalie. Its focus is on goaltending tools, practice plans, strategies and resources." The manual is available in both Word format or Acrobat PDF format
Example 1 - Down the Wall Example 2 - 3-on-3 End Zone
As you coach, it is important to remember some simple ideas that might help you along the way.
FIRSTLY, REALIZE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT IN ORDER TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION. Even the greatest hockey coaches of all time started with little more than enthusiasm and a desire to learn. Your content knowledge will grow over time and resources, such as the one you are currently reading, will help fill in the gaps along the way. While it has been said that "experience is the great teacher," remember that in reality it is YOU who is the great teacher based upon what you LEARN from your experiences. So be patient, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your coaching expertise. Be observant and learn your coaching lessons well.
SECONDLY, START OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT BY ORGANIZING AND PREPARING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Never underestimate the vital importance of proper organizing and preparation as critical coaching tools and skills. If you organize and prepare before each session, you will be on solid coaching ground as you begin your coaching career.
THIRDLY, COACH ACCORDING TO YOUR SPECIFIC LEVEL OF PLAY. Many times a coach will return from a coaching symposium or workshop and proceed to inflict drilling patterns upon players who are simply not capable of fulfilling the coach's expectations. It is essential to consider such factors as age, developmental stage and skill abilities within your specific team before putting into practice your game plan. Always recognize that even at the highest professional levels of our sport, the BASIC SKILLS are reinforced in simple ways on a day-to-day basis.
FINALLY, REMEMBER TO HAVE SOME FUN! They are just kids, after all, and the odds of any one of them ever getting to "the show" for even one game are astronomically stacked against them. Why are they there ? To enjoy, of course! As their coach, you are the single most important person responsible for seeing that the game always remains enjoyable.
Example 1 - Down the Wall 
Purpose: To reinforce proper checking/angling techniques
Equipment: None
Time:
2-3 minutes Five rounds maximum
Procedures:
1. Players are in two lines on each side of the ice, from the blue line down, facing the end boards.
2. Leader dumps a puck into the corner and players from both lines go for possession.
3. The player without the puck attempts to angle the opponent out of the play with an effective body check along the side boards. Player with the puck attempts to escape.
4. Alternate sides in each zone.
Key Points: First player to the puck gains possession and attempts to carry it out of the zone while other player tries to eliminate the body with a check. Players should gain possession first, before skating with it; use the boards and the body to protect if necessary.
Drill Progressions:
Finish the drill with a shot on goal, rather than by clearing.
Make it a 2-on-1 or 3-on-1 activity.
Example 2 - 3-on-3 End Zone 
Purpose:
- To refine puck control skills in a confined space, all the while having fun!
- To encourage offensive creativity.
Equipment: If done as a half-ice drill, two extra nets required
Time:
20 seconds per group 3-4 minutes maximum
Procedures:
1. Split team in half with each group at either end of the ice lined up single file at the face-off dot near the blue line.
2. Nets are placed across from each other in the zone.
3. Leader dumps a puck, the first three players from each line start playing 3-on-3.
4. The group of three that retrieves the puck becomes the offensive group, the other the defensive. All three offensive players must touch the puck before a goal is counted.
5. No contact is allowed.
Key Points: 20-second shifts make for a high-speed and fun activity. On the whistle, the puck is left for the next group of players, and all six should vacate the zone at high speed. If the puck in play leaves the zone, the leader puts another back in and play continues.
Drill Progressions:
Add full-body contact. Make the drill a 3-on-2 or 4-on-3, switching at leader's discretion.
|
