Reply To: Game Intelligence / Decision Training

[Rookie coach]

Dean,
First off, I agree with what you said in the Clearing the Defensive Zone post .
Too clarify for other coaches , would you not do drills to teach each role in the defensive zone . Drills that each forward can do as a progression. Sometimes a winger is the first player back and he assumes the center support role. The center must then take the winger position . Parts of the whole task .

Teach each part or role of the D zone with a transition drill or game.
Do a drill teaching the role of the far winger stretching out behind the D across to the puck side as you mentioned.

Then applying these roles to games.

A number of these transition games are great . A good number of them use one puck with a shot on net with support . But the game is also played in the corners .

How would you teach roles of support in defensive zone using games or starting with drills ?

You said " The game is the best teacher "

For a young or new coach that you were giving advice too.

Would you start with drills then games?

Thanks Dean. Keep up the great posts.

Rookie Coach
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Rookie Coach, Transition Games are games and the play is all over the ice. If the player dumps in the puck or is forced to the corner then the play is in the corner. So you work on all aspects of the game in transition games. The flow of the game determines where the puck is. You can put in rules such as dump and chase to create more low battles as I intend to do in our next practice.

I started Dzone by circling the slot and saying that is where the game is won and lost. Don't let them shoot from there and get into the offensive zone and get shots, rebounds or deflections. We then did the Bob Murdoch game where 5 defenders stand in the low slot and can only take one stride and 5 attackers are allowed to do anything to score in 60". If the defenders keep their sticks in the lanes, tie up sticks, block shots and box out then it is unusual if the attackers can score. Next we progress to one on and a box behind for 60" shifts.

It is a challenge to get the light to turn on but that is why teams have coaches.
Tom