Transition Games Videos

[Tom Molloy]

Seems like the discussions aren't going on anymore. It is nice to share some ideas.

Anyway I am trying to go through the videos that I uploaded last year after someone destroyed the site and wiped out years of work. I had the videos and it took many, many hours and days to put them on the site. I didn't do the diagrams or descriptions and I added over 100 from my time coaching in Europe. So I am working on doing one a day to have the diagram and description with the video. I have made pdf's of all of them and send them to coaches who donate to help pay for the site and the site name or buy a book. So a grand total of about 10 coaches have been sent the pdf's. No one asked me to do this so I really can't expect any help. It does help me to keep my things organized.

Anyway it is nice to see that by the end of this month the site will have over 1 000 000 hits in about 13 months. Dwight is the computer guy who keeps the site up despite attacks from hackers. (why ruining things floats their boat I don't understand).

A new season is starting and I hope the ideas about running efficient drills and incorporating games and transition games throughout practice keeps gaining momentum.

Personally my teams started on Monday and my hockey class on Tuesday, so after a 5 week lull I am busy again coaching kid's and adults.
I lost some players on my WWHL team but some very good new ones came to the first ice session. My only problem is that there are 5 goalies trying out and they are all good. They have all played university hockey except one who came all the way from Australia where she was on their National Team. One is a returning goalie and the other 4 are new. The hard part is I have to cut two of them and there are no other leagues for women that practice. They are all good enough to play.

My hockey class has 22 skaters and 2 goalies. It is about one half returning players and one half new players. Tony who is the Vice Principal hired me and is on the ice with me. I coached him in university, so there is no poblem having 2 groups because he is very good and has coached midget AAA and Jr. A. So it should work out.

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

[steve]

Tom,
And to all others who are starting their season – Good luck. I pop in once or twice a week to see what people are discussing but enough of the non-essentials. Have any of you guys worked on puck recovery (the opposite of puck protection) I have been working on some individual skill drills to get players to utilize and strengthen their bottom hand. It gets a little sketchy because playing the body is so important but strong sticks win pucks. Just trolling for ideas and thoughts – over and out Steve

[hockeygod]

Steve,

Nice to hear from you. When you say "puck recovery" I think of a player approaching a loose puck to gain possession; then make a play. Not sure what age / level of player you are working with; or if you are specifying "puck recovery" in a certain area (OZ, NZ, DZ) of the ice ie: on a dump-in (for either a breakout or off a forecheck?)

Regardless of your meaning, this is what I do to allow reps on puck recovery:

I will spot the puck into different areas of the ice during my drills and games. Sometimes I like to spot it right along the wall – even flipping it up on end – tight against the wall. Sometimes I jam it right against the side or back of the net. Sometimes I spot it close to the player; sometimes far; sometimes I lift it into the air so it bounces; sometimes I rim it hard. It is up the to player to have their head on a swivel and read the checking pressure / time and space available prior to getting to the puck. Sometimes I pass the puck to the unsuspecting player – hard on the tape – when they are expecting a loose puck… just to keep them on their toes!

If I am training kids to take the puck off the wall (on a rim or on a breakout pass into the skates or on the stick), I demonstrate how I want them to do it and let them practice. Two ways to do this – bum on the wall with the stick facing the middle of the ice, or turn and skate up the wall, timing the approach with the puck / with the situation. Then I try to incorporate a game-like drill or a game itself that lends itself to puck recovery along the wall (or wherever I want to work on it.)

Hopefully, this helps answer your question.

Dean

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

[Pops Ryan]

The Rejo 1 v 1 is a nice drill and it can easily be expanded into a 2 v 1 or 2 v 2. If any of you guys use a Forward up top on the PP, it may be worth it to have him play the role of the D-Man here and get used to the inevitable defensive responsibility that he will face even when up a man.
As for puck recovery, one thing that the players have gotten a kick out of is when they line up back to back down in the corner with a puck in between the 4 skates. On the whistle it is pretty much 'the best man wins'. Throw a goalie down there with the net angled to face the corner and you have a few minutes of practice that sharpens a sometimes neglected game related skill. Puck Recovery was a good suggestion. I am attempting to come up with ways to use that concept in Backchecking Drills and am open to any thoughts.

[Pops Ryan]

Lucky me..Tom has been showing 1 v 1 videos for the last couple of days and .tomorrow night we are spending 15 minutes working on just that. Now I have 2 new drills to show the boys and can pretend that I am actually creative.
To me, gap is the key to all man on man coverage. If you are not within a stick length of their puck carrier then he can pass easily to his team mates. While the videos focus on preventing high percentage shots and moves into the scoring area, tight gap on their puck is always a good thing.
Hey, Tom…on Wednesday night we are working on breakouts….have any good videos ??

[TomM]

Pops, I just used the one where the D passes then defends vs the forward coming from the other end at my practice tonight. I then progressed to a continuous 1-1 with active support.

On Wed. I will be doing work with breakouts and use my hockey friend Bob Murdoch's sequence. He liked to use it at the start of practice instead of aimless skating around.

Various breakout sequences by Bob Murdoch
https://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/videos/watch/b5-full-ice-breakout-one-d/ breakouts with one defenseman.

Two defense working together https://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/videos/watch/b5-breakouts-with-2-d-college-w/

Breakout drills and other thoughts by Mud.
https://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/downloads/

Breakout routines
https://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/forums/reply/reply-to-b5-checking-and-angling-edge-2/
https://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/forums/reply/reply-to-b5-checking-and-angling-edge-3/
https://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/forums/reply/reply-to-b5-checking-and-angling-edge-4/

[Kai K]

I posted this to a Daily Drill section two:

http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?topic=906#906

You can do all kinds of variations with this drill. You can run it as 2 on 1, where the other D plays against the two Fs from the other end.
You can set one player to take away one of the passing lanes from the D (so he has to read and react where he can play the puck). etc. etc.
here's some more break out drills ( in istd.pdf drills 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6):
https://www.hockeycoachingabcs.com/forums/topic/drills-from-my-drill-collection/

Kai

Kai

[hockeygod]

After my skill academy, I went downtown to watch the Flames pre-game skate vs. Phoenix (they play tonight.) Seeing as how it is training camp time, the skate was uncharacteristically long for game day; it was almost 1 hour long. Not much tactical stuff, more skill work today. Flames play 4 games in 5 or 6 nights and still have over 30 players in camp. They only skated the 20 guys playing tonight.

While there were some 'new to me' DRILLS, there were no GAMES or competitive drills. Since I embrace the ABC Philosophy, and the teachings of Horst Wein, I find 'normal' practice drills short-circuit my mind… and make me a 'dumber, patterned' coach! Although I understand that the accepted hockey culture is very ingrained, especially at the pro level, it never ceases to amaze me that the pros still feel that these sort of practices (no scoreboard; no accountability so far as winners or losers; little or no pressure; no randomness – mainly patterns) prepare them for the pressure-filled, unpredictable chaos that is an actual game!

Even though Dave King was there (Phoenix A/C) – he is an old friend and his son married into the family, I had to leave… I didn't want to 'de-train' my mind any more… I would rather eat lunch at Spolumbo's and visit a used bookstore (where I found a used copy of Tom's Book 1 for sale!)

The more I see the pros, the more I love coaching kids!!!!!

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

[Tom Molloy]

Last night Gaston worked with my team on backward skating trying to correct the old way of C cuts (which work against you) and a smooth transition turn that works much better than the Mohawk most of us taught.
The players really worked at it and I could see a big improvement. Bkwd skating may the the weakest part of player development.

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

[Author]

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