Reply To: Game Intelligence / Decision Training

[Tom Molloy]

Good points Campi. Game understanding at a quick glance is the key to putting everything together while under actual game pressure.

If you are a boxer you will learn how to jab, hook, cross and then you practice putting these things into a chunk so they become a movement pattern. The fighter needs to read the opponents defense for the appropriate time to use this attack as well as read the opponents body language to predict his attack. To prepare for a fight he throws chunks or sequences of punches at his trainers gloves and has a sparring partner to practice in a more realistic situation.

We need to do that sort of thing in hockey practice. Individual skill drills give us the movement for specific skills and they need to be inserted into movement patterns with multiple skills. Take these chunks and do situation drills like 1-1, 2-1 which practice reading the defender (like punching into the trainers mitt).

These situations should be then practiced in one puck transition games that are continuous and you must finish the play i.e. fight for rebounds while the D must make a breakout pass vs a situational drill where you simply return to the line.

Because the game situation constantly changes between loose puck, offense and defense the players have to learn to recognize the patterns in each situation. Small area games like a cross ice game increase the player touches vs a full ice game by an average of 600%. So these small games create these game patterns often and accelerate the players recognition or game reading skills.

The game is played full ice so it is important to also do full ice scrimmages and create situations with modified rules that teach good habits. A great way to work on team play is to combine practice with other teams and have controlled scrimmage and take turns with 5 min. pplay, 4 on 4, 6-5 etc. Have a few minutes between each situation to go over the team play at the bench.

We have to learn how to effectively teach the constant transiton between the situations of loose puck, offense, defense and the transiton on offense from puck carrier to puck support and on defense from checking the puck carrier to covering away from the puck.

We need to develop these patterns when we coach. Move from the isolated skills to small situations and on to game situation. (being able to spell and type fast doesn't make you an author and being able to dangle around the pylons doesn't make you a player)

We are doing a good job of teaching the individual skills. The challenge in education or coaching is 'can they apply these skills in real life situations.'

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