Reply To: Daily Drill Part Eight

[Tom Molloy]

The MISSING Ingredient: Transition Games

A few days ago I posted a Russian practice and they progressed from simple to more complex DRILLS. At the end the D were defending and then making a pass for the new attack after a whistle.

DOES THIS HAPPEN IN A GAME

NO IT DOESN'T

There is nothing wrong with the progression except that it leave out the next step which is Transiton Games. A coach can use transition games that create any situation from 1-1 to 5-6. ONE PUCK is used only, as in a REAL game and when they transiton from offense to defense the defender must fight for the puck and make a breakout pass under real pressure and the attackers continue to try and score by winning loose pucks, cycling etc.

The coach can create the situation he/she wants by adjusting how many offensive or defensive or offensive and defensive players join the rush. The new players can be passive, waiting for the breakout pass or active and join the play. Some can be passive and some can be active. It all depends what the coach wants to focus on.

Adjust how many players are active at one time to have a good w/r ratio.

Teach your player how to play under pressure and transiton between the situations Loose puck-offense-defense and quickly change their game playing role from puck carrier to puck support and when they lose the puck from checking the puck carrier to covering away from the puck.

That is the game. If we do only drills where the players are told the situation beforehand then how do we expect them to be able to read the situation and how can we develop creative players if we spoon feed them everything and only use Command Style Teaching (the lowest form of teaching on the learning continuum ). We want to create independent learners and we need to get out of the 50's educational model (command style drill and practice) and at least progress to the 60's or 70's in the way we run practice. Move toward developing independent learners by using task cards at stations that say what to work on and a few important points, allow your players to create power play options on their own after you have given them a basic structure. Give them 10 minutes to work on what they think they need to work on while the coaches act as a resource by skating around and helping if they are asked. Let them work as partners and teach each other.

So my new theme is "GET OUT OF THE LINES AND INTO THE TIMES"

I spent a year with international and former NHL pro coaches in Austria and I watch a lot of jr, and NHL practices here as well as pre-season camps with pro's. I see transition games about 5% or less of the time.

I think practices should be at least 40% transition games. You don't have to be a traffic cop with the whistle but instead can talk to players and give input when they come back to the line up. Coaches can create back checking games, D joining the attack games, teach D zone coverage, forecheck, cycle etc. just by modifying the rules. Add regroups or dump ins to work on puck possession or winning loose pucks.

Another benefit is the transition games are so intense that there is NO need for conditioning skates at the end of practice.

In the files section there is a pdf with lots of DT coded transition games. There is a transition video section in this site and if you search DT or transition game in the search box you can find many examples. Errka Westerlund did a great little manual and video for Hockey Canada in about 94 and it is a fantastic resource that is seldom used.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'