Fire White Practice Fifteen
The focus will be on giving good support on the regroup and attack with a middle drive. We will review the power play and introduce the Low Press penalty kill rotation. Games will review the habits of moving when you get the puck and puck support. We also will be doing many games to practice good playing habits.
We have one D out with a hyper-extended elbow and a F and D with concussions and one F sick.
Fire Practice Sixteen
This is a one hour practice and the focus will be on skating, passing and receiving skills. Players will pass and skate inside the dot to the 'big ice' then pass to the outside. Taking a pass with the stick square to the puck and making firm passes will be a main theme as a lot of passes bounce off the sticks.
Lots of game situations will be worked on in a half ice and then a full ice transition game.
Had to modify the practice plan because one of our goalies let me know that she is sick and can't make it. Adapted the half ice transition game to use more players so it was a 2-2 2/3 ice instead of 1-1 at each end. Also couldn't do the full ice continuous 2-1, 2-2 so played the competitive low 3-3 with a pass to the point to transition to offense.
TomM
TomM
Practice Thirteen and Fourteen
The team is picked and we have 2 G, 6 D, 11 F. We have one practice and then a 4 game tournament on the weekend. With the team chosen the parents met to assign jobs like time keeper, treasurer, etc. We handed out the red and white practice jersey's and the black practice socks. After the tournament the players will create a 'Team Covenant' that sets their expectations and rules for this season.
We added a new female coach who played college hockey, has a degree in Kinesiology and is finishing her Education degree. She will work with the forwards.
Practice Thirteen:
We have about 5-6 new players who haven't practiced angling and stick on the puck. We practiced these skills with drills and transition games after doing a lot of puck handling, passing and shooting.
We have four games this weekend with teams from the new Alberta Elite AA and two AAA teams from British Columbia. The talent is all over the place. We have won our first three games 5-0, 9-3 (vs. last years BC AAA champs who are rebuilding), 5-0. Today we play another team who has been winning by big scores, so it should be a good test. The other Calgary AA team is also winning by large margins but we are ahead of other associations because we started a few weeks earlier.
Our last game vs. another undefeated team didn't start well. We were behind 2-0 after two minutes and got dominated the first ten minutes. We pulled it together and scored a late goal and it was 2-1 after one and they outshot us 16-6. We got 25 shots the rest of the game and only gave up 5 shots a period and the score ended 5-3 for the good guys. There is a lesson there about being ready to compete but it was good that we came back after facing adversity for the first time this season. We have two D out with injuries so forwards took turns playing defense.
The four games showed what we do well and what we need a lot of work on for both skill and decision making.
Practice Fourteen is the Tuesday after the weekend tournament.
This is a one hour practice. Gaston Schaeffer is coming to do position specific skating with the forwards and the D. He will warm up everyone and then take each group for 25 minutes. The D will work on breakout options and shooting and then the forwards will work on shooting and play a cross ice game with the rule you have to regroup with the Joker on your goal line to go onto offense.
Gaston did a great job with striding for the forwards and pivoting and agility with the defense.
TomM
Practice Eleven and Twelve
Practice Eleven
We want to attack with a middle drive which sets up the weak side one timer. We also want to be able to take one timer shots in the slot. The lead up to a one timer is the ability to slap shot. Today we will work on the slap shot and play games where either a slap shot or one timer can score.
We will also review the forecheck transition to defensive back pressure and back tracking.
It is Thursday and we play our second exhibition game on Saturday. We have to finalize the team after the practice on Monday then practice again Wednesday and have a parent meeting on Thursday and get volunteers to do the many jobs required for a successful season.
Won our second exhibition game 5-1 and sat out one player who did the video for me. We have two forwards to cut and then will be down to our team. We play in a tournament on the weekend.
Practice Twelve
This practice we focus on game situations 1-1 to 4-4 with drills transition game one zone game and shootout. Lots of competition and skill reps.
TomM
Practices Nine and Ten
Played our first exhibition game on Sunday vs. the other Calgary team. We dropped three players from the roster earlier in the week and they played everyone, so their roster was weaker. We won 6-1. Before the game I introduced our forecheck and went over it using the large magnetic board with table top hockey players to give a three dimensional picture to my players and coaching staff. The AAA made it's final cuts and we picked up two new forwards and one goalie. We now have 7 D, 14 F and 3 G on our roster and can carry 17 skaters and 2 goalies. I now have to cut 4 players who are good enough to play in the league, which is hard on everyone.
We have three practices this week and a game on Saturday.
Practice Nine:
Skating Edges for 20', breakout with the D and attack options with the F. Cross ice King's Court tournament and full ice game then finish with a shootout relay race.
I had to modify the practice a bit and I replaced the 20' of edge work with edge work with a shot and added games to the King's Court tournament. Video of the session can be found at this link. We added two F and one G, so three goalies at practice. There were 19 skaters.
T2 - Practicing Scoring U18F
http://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=7657&topic=7740#7740
Practice Ten:
This practice will focus on the power play and goalie technique. There will be 21 skaters and 3 goalies. We will walk through the pp options of overload into a diamond 1-3-1 and play two one zone games where everyone gets reps on the PP and PK.
TomM
Fire White Practice Seven and Eight
We are still in the team selection part of the season. We started mid August with conditioning camp and try-outs and the AAA team still has to cut 2 G and 6 skaters. We picked up two of their players last night and now have 24 skaters and 2 goalies. We practice tomorrow and will drop 2 D and 2 F. We play a game Sunday and everyone will be able to dress.
I made the practice plan and then found out that neither of my asst. coaches could make it and one of the goalies was sick. The practice was modified for one goalie and not as much instruction. I introduced the 'Middle Drive' Thursday and attacking in a diamond with 4 one assistant will be there plus our two new forwards.
Practice Seven
Breakouts, edges, 1-1 and 2-1, passing.
Practice Eight
Game situation for evaluation, warm-up skills, D breakout options. We will do a common drill 1 on 1 with the D joining the rush and F backcheck.. Most team go from the 1-1 to 2-2 and stop there. With the Red Bulls Pierre Page did all of the situations, 2-1 to 3-3, 2-2 to 4-4, 3-2 to 5-5. It is a great way to practice the attack and covering the right player on defense. You need 8 D and 12 F to do the 3-2 to 5-5 and we have that for one more practice. (I miss college and pro where you have 20 skaters and can do everything because you have extra players at practice.)
TomM
Fire White Practice Five and Six
Fire White Practice 8-30-16
The focus was skating backwards and the Chocktaw turn. Dr. Gaston Schaeffer ran the session for 60 minutes starting with the edges and balance warm-up which everyone did. Mel took the goalies to one end and Gaston had them work on the backward start and stride. He then taught the Choctaw turn which is forward to backward on the outside edges and Mohawk which is backward to forward using the inside edges.
They practiced the technique and used racquet balls which they had to catch while transitioning backward and then mirrored a forward skating partner in three groups.
We played a 12 minute 5-5 scrimmage that had the rule there must be at least on pass in each zone and finished with a 2-2 x 2 scoring contest.
The skating edges and balance warm-up at the start.
https://youtu.be/PKGj99HYAYc
Fire White Practice 9-1-16
The focus was on the wrist pass forehand and backhand as well as receiving a pass. The goalies did the drills with passing and no shots. I am using the time we wait for cuts from the AAA team for a mini skills camp to ingrain proper technique. We had 8 D, 11 F and 2 G at the practice.
TomM
Practice Three and Four
Fire White Practice 8-27-16 focused on Puck Handling. We did skill exercises and played a King's Court Tournament with six nets.
Fire White Practice 8-28-16 focus was Puck Protection. I brought a friend Rich Preston who is an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks and he gave the players some good tips and played a few games with them.
TomM
Practice One and Two
We had a four game tryout and then drafted the teams. The AAA team took a lot of extra players and will cut down Sept. 11 and the two AA teams picked 20 skaters and two goalies each. We carry 17 skaters and 2 goalies during the season.
My focus is to identify players and work on one theme each practice that will transfer to any team the players end up on during the season.
Fire White Practice 8-24-16 focused on Good Habits within game situations.
Fire White Practice 8-25-16 focused on blade on blade and angling skills.
TomM
Diary of a Season 2016-17
Some coaches like to see how the ABC system is used during an actual season to coach a team, so I will post the pdf's of the practices for this year.
This year I am coaching a girl's AA U18 team. They play in a 12 team league all over the Province of Alberta. There were 80 players trying out for three teams, the AAA and two AA.
Things started with a conditioning camp with two groups of 30 and I ran two sessions which are posted below.
TomM
Fire White Practice Seventeen and Eighteen
We still haven't started the season. We play two exhibition games vs. the Banff Hockey Academy next Friday/Saturday. We practice this Sunday, Crash Conditioning on Monday, 90' practices on Wednesday and Thursday. Now that it is October the Monday conditioning and W-Th 90' practices will happen every week. Our season starts Oct. 15 with a Saturday game in Leduc and Sunday against St. Albert.
Practice Seventeen
The morning we have Team Building doing the 'Locked Room' where the players have to work together to problem solve and get out of rooms. The coaches and players worked together and it was a great success. We then have a team lunch at Boston Pizza and head over the the arena for practice, we got there two hours before so played ultimate Frisbee for an hour before going in to change.
The practice is planned with edges and puck handling warm-up, lots of passing, 2-1, 2-2, backchecking, puck support in drills, games and transition games. One goalie was sick so coach Melissa went in the net.
This week the regular times kick in. We do conditioning on Monday, 90' on ice practices on Wednesday and Thursday and games on the weekend. My plan is for Wednesday to focus on skating and individual offensive and individual defensive skills. Thursday we will spend the first 30' on skill work and skating and then Offensive and Defensive team play. We will get extra ice some weeks but it is random.
Practice Eighteen
Defensive Zone Coverage, lots of competition and battling, back checking and identifying coverage, game situations, tight gaps, 1-1 to 4-4 situations in drills and transition games.
'Enjoy the Game'