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2011 Spring Teams

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  • April 10, 2011 at 4:55 pm #2209
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    I am doing 2 spring teams of upper level 8-9 year olds as well as tow 11-12 year old groups.
    Last night I did the older ones and the emphasis was on good mechanic in holding the stick and being able to handle the puck all around the body.

    I try to eliminate the "bottom hand dominant" technique that many players have that limits them to handling the puck only on the forehand side, makes taking and making a pass difficult and is very inefficient for shooting. In other words if you learn to play like this you will "only get good at being bad."

    It is like trying to drive a car that has square tires. Nothing will go smoothly.

    I also try to teach them to look around when playing and to get open when they don't have the puck.

    I do the Russian Big Moves Puck Handling with all the groups. With the older kid's we do toe drags and between the legs etc. We also play games with rules that promote moving the puck to someone in better position.

    I will attack pdf.' of the first practice for the age groups. I did 2 older groups yesterday and a young group last night and this morning. I do another older group tonight. I have to modify things a little for each group but the practice plan is my basic outline.
    ————————————————————————-
    The 02 group has a lot of 03-04 as well and the practice was only 60 min. so I had to cut things. So we did.

    -one zone game of 2 pass at each end.
    -Russian stickhandling. Stressed good mechanics, loose shoulders and handling the puck all around the body. Passing and shooting are an extension of good puck handling.
    -3 man weave. (a few struggled with this but I want to introduce the concepts of going to the "Big Ice" with the puck and following the pass and taking the ice behind)
    -full ice game with one pass in each zone.
    -2 shot shootout.

    We will build on these things next practice with more puck handling and some passing technique.

    Attachments

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

    April 12, 2011 at 4:16 pm #3870
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    Today we worked on puck protection along the boards. They did cut backs vs 1-0, then 1-1 with passive resistance then 1-1 battles.
    We started practice with 10 min. of individual choice practice. After that did a pass and replace drill, then the cut back drill, following the drill we played a game in one zone at each end with the rule they must clear the zone and get onside and then attack by dumping and chasing. This was to cause board battle and work on the cut back skill.

    We went to a full ice game with one minute shifts. Rules: only 2" with the puck. First 5 min. pass to the goalie on the whistle and second 5" rim the puck so the goalie has to stop it and set it up for his D.

    Finished with a Betting Shootout.

    The practice with diagrams is on the attached PDF.

    Players said it was one of their favorite practices so far.

    Attachments

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

    April 14, 2011 at 3:19 pm #3876
    Aberdeen
    Guest

    Tom love this thread! I might be doing a clinic for this age group soon.

    Can you talk more about "bottom hand dominant" technique? As in getting away from it

    One of my biggest struggles is coming up with what to do at sessions. I know so much but actually laying out the plan has been a struggle. Thanks for thr PDFs!!! Could you continue posting them? I like to see what you're doing and when you do them.

    Thank you so much!

    April 14, 2011 at 3:20 pm #3877
    Aberdeen
    Guest

    PS. Do you have a blank version of the 5-7 yr old PDF format?

    April 15, 2011 at 12:07 pm #3883
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    Aberdeen here are two videos about technique.
    https://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/videos/watch/o-stickhandling-practice-off-ice/

    Jeff Hill (former captain of Michigan Tech)
    https://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/videos/watch/tb-intro-to-puck-handling/

    I will attach a pdf of the practie plan. I use the word version so I can paste diagrams in.

    Attachments

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

    April 15, 2011 at 1:08 pm #3884
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    These are the first two sessions for a 02 born team.

    -First practice went very well and the second was ok but I shouldn't have used the parent coaches who came on the ice to demonstrate because they haven't done transition games before. It caused confusion. Also with kid's this young I should have had them do only one task in the C1 drill so they get used to where they leave from and where they go. Then add make a breakout pass after. I thought they would be able to do it because they caught on to everything the first practice.

    Session one was about puck handling and session two angling with the stick on the puck and defensive side.

    Attachments

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

    April 15, 2011 at 2:39 pm #3886
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    00 born team has had only one practice so far and they wanted body checking because it is the first year of contact and they play a game Sat.

    Attachments

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

    April 16, 2011 at 11:33 am #3890
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    I am off to run a 90 min. practice with the 02 born team. Skating with the puck, more moves with fakes, good habits like give a target and face the puck and passing technique are on the agenda.

    Things went smoothly and I added a B6 pass and replace, a 5 min. game of only 2" with the puck and a full ice game with all playing Rule; there must be at least one pass in each zone.

    We really have to work on the players skating while passing instead of skating when they carry and still when passing. We stressed moving to open ice with the puck and playing the game with the feet moving.

    Attachments

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

    April 22, 2011 at 12:23 pm #3902
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    I coached both the 00 and the 02 last night. I had to adjust the practice for the 00 team as only one goalie and 11 of the 14 skaters where there. (start of the long weekend) So we did a lot of one end activities.

    Both teams did breakouts taking turns at being the 1 D and 1F.

    00 team is starting body checking and needs to learn to support the puck and play while skating.

    02 team the focus was on support and skating to open ice when you get the puck as well as covering man to man.

    Attachments

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

    April 27, 2011 at 12:10 pm #3908
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    Had a 90 minute practice last night. I want to get them to move their feet and support the puck. We did breakout and regroup options, some shooting and team play.

    D to D behind the net and reverse and regroups. I want the passing to be gamelike and not just mindless passing drills.

    I am flying to Austria this morning and will see Juhani in Turku Finland on Friday. So I won't be doing drills for about a week.

    Attachments

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

    April 27, 2011 at 6:11 pm #3909
    hockeygod
    Participant

    Have a good trip Tom. Looking forward to hooking up with you when you get back to see what you learned!

    _______
    Dean after one missed flight and a rerout to zurich I am finally at the Vienna airport waiting for my train. Now if the can find my luggage which is mostly books to take to Juuso tomrrow all will be well.
    —————-
    It is about noon in Turku, Finland now. It is also May 1 which is May Day and a big deal all over Europe. People here wear the school cap they got when they graduated. Last night there were parties all over the city to celebrate.
    I went for a two hour walk this morning while Juuso (Juhani Wahlsten) worked on his autobiography. He has been asked to write this as a history of hockey in Finland. There basically was no hockey when he was a young boy. The game was introduced and he and his friends took it up. Juuso played on the Finnish National team for 11 seasons and 3 Olympic Games. He also has coached all over he world. He was named to the IIHF Hall of Fame along with Kent Nilsson on Sweden and Petrov of Russia about 5 years ago. this was because of his playing, coaching and contributions to hockey development throughout the world.

    Juuso introduced Ringuette to Finland and they are now the top country in the world at that womenäs sport.

    On my walk along the river I went up to a sports park that has a soccer and a track and field stadium as well as beach volleyball, fitness stations, ponds, tennis courts, etc. Great place for active life styles. People walking and riding their bikes. Very active lifestyle. Every road has a bike path and walking path beside it, so being active is much safer than in north america where the auto is king.

    Dean
    M.Ed (Coaching)
    Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
    Game Intelligence Training
    "Great education depends on great teaching."

    May 6, 2011 at 1:05 pm #3916
    Tony
    Guest

    Tom,

    Thanks for posting the practices. I coached an 01 team (with several 02s) last Fall/Winter and currently this spring.

    I use a lot of your ideas and concepts that I have taken from your sites and book over the years.

    I'm glad to see you mention the 3 man weave. I integrated this drill part way thru the season with my 01s in the winter and it seemed to dramatically effect their puck movement during games. I never thought that the 3 man weave was so important. Its seems to have taught my players the spacing and timing of puck movement.
    ————————————-

    Tony I think the 3 man weave has a lot of great playing principles built into it.
    1. Gain the big ice between the dots when you get the puck.
    2. Pass while skating.
    3. Pass and follow your pass.
    4. Fill the 3 lanes (not everyone in the middle like youth players tend to do.
    5. Finish with a triangle.
    4. On the regroup at the other end support from 3 lanes, on the strong side wall, in the middle giving the skates and stick for a target, in the weak side lane.
    5. Move the puck to someone in better postiion than you.
    6. Play 1-2-3 and not w-c-w/

    I like to add 1 and then 2 D who they regroup with and then a second regroup. After that you can progress to the most common drill I see at higher levels of break out regroup with D at far end, regroup with original D then attack D at far end. Then new players repeat the other was attacking vs oringinal D.

    May 7, 2011 at 12:22 am #3917
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    This is the practice for the 02 born team.

    I wanted to promote puck support and angling. I played with them in the 2 puck game and found they skate far away when you get the puck thinking that being "alone" is being "open". They make it so you have to pass over sticks and between legs to get them the puck. So close support, ginving a target in an open space is what I wanted to accomplish. We added a drag, shoot and screen drill also as the goalie coach was on the ice.

    Attachments

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

    May 8, 2011 at 2:23 pm #3922
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    I just got an email from a good 92 born player that I coached in Salzburg. He played on both the U17 an U20 team there and has good hands, good skater good character. He is at least 6'2" – 200 lbs. He is Hungarian but speaks perfect english. He has played in many World Championships for Hungary in age group categories.

    He went to Finland last season but broke his ankle in pre season and only played a few games at the end of the year. He is looking for a team to play on next year. He would be a good player for a Eruopena club or a United States Hockey League or North American Hockey League club.
    ———————————–
    I will start another drill section next week. I still have to do diagrams for many of the videos I have posted and descriptions for many diagrams I have made. Right now I am putting my video from the trip to Austria – Finland into video files for my records. I wish I could have attended the conferences at the worlds but the meeting with Juuso and Kalle, a Finnish U20 national team coach was very good.

    I got a coaching offer from a European club and I countered with conditions that I could come home on a regular basis. I don't know if they will agree. They may though as it is an an asst. with the U20 team and a coach mentor for the other development teams in the club.

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

    May 9, 2011 at 2:19 pm #3924
    Tom Molloy
    Keymaster

    Looking through the old bulletin board I came across a letter I wrote to Court Dunn who uses the ABC method in Penn and gets a lot of resistance because he uses so many games in practice. He has a middle school team and his school is very small. They regularly beat JV high school teams.

    I wrote this to give him some moral support and I put links to hockeydb that give info about the 85ers I coached in 97 and 98 spring hockey and where they ended up playing. 2 NHLers, one Hobey Baker winner.

    There is a lot of resistance to using games in practice and as the saying goes; "The proof is in the RESULTS"

    Attachments

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

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