Reply To: Teaching support in all zones

[PMurphy]

Hi Tom et al,

Interesting conversation.
I agree on the difficulty ion teaching support but want to comment on something previously mentioned – use of flow drills. These are for the most part as you describe black and white drills. Skate here, get pass, no thought and lots of speed and reps. That is why they like them, even at my level. That being said we run drills black and white and then try to introduce the grey. If for example we were doing a D to D pass, forward swings and gets return pass and then goes for a shot then we would add a coach on either side of the ice as it runs. The coach then steps between the D (read no D to D pass but hit the player as they fill the far lane), or coach shadows the forward so they are always between the passer and the forward then forward should call for a chip off the wall.

This is just one example but the point is the same. Add grey to black and white drills can suddenly make them game like because the speed of the flow drill is very quick. Players will need to read, make adjustments. At our level we do not tell the players when this is going to occur but simply do it. They do tend to start expecting it though.

Small area games are still great and we use them all the time but I think at looking at old drills in a new way can provide opportunities to make them game like as well.

All the best, let's keep the conversation going.

PM