Pylon Plus Review

Pylon Plus Review

Coaches' Corner, Useful Products
The Pylon Plus can be a Great Way to Add Diversity to your Drills I recently had a chance to check out the Pylon Plus. It's a great little product, and gives you an easy way to add some diversity to your drills! What you get The Pylon Plus comes with the following items: 8 weighted pylons 8 plug inserts 6 extendable hurdles 1 durable carry bag Instructional booklet with sample drills Benefits of the Pylon Plus: Kit extends up to 17 feet (over 5 m) Can be used on or off ice Collapsible for easy transportation My Experience I used the Pylon Plus for the first time during a camp I was running. I hadn't messed with it before, and didn't set it up properly. This made for a…
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Positional vs Tactical Play in Hockey

Positional vs Tactical Play in Hockey

Defensive Zone, Team Systems
Positional vs Tactical Play in Hockey We talk a lot about positional play on this blog. Positional play is extremely important, but it's only part of the equation! There are tactical elements that must be executed in any given scenario for the positioning to be worth anything. In other words, it's great to be in the right place at the right time... but if you are doing the WRONG thing while you're there, it's useless! Controlling the Stick There are many instances in games where positional and tactical must be executed together. In this video you see situation where the Team Canada has a positional mix-up, and a forward ends up playing defense. He does a good job covering for the defenseman positionally, but tactically he makes the mistake of…
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Bongo Board for Improved Hockey Balance

Bongo Board for Improved Hockey Balance

Off-ice Training, Skills
Use the Bongo Board to Improve your Hockey Balance While Away from the Rink! I recently had the chance to test out a number of new products from HockeyShot's balance line. I'm a big believer that developing balance and coordination off the ice can lead to improved performance on the ice. The first product I tested out was the 20" Wobble Board. The next product I checked out was the Bongo Board, which is shown in the video above. Construction: At first glance, the Bongo Board looks like a skate board without wheels. It's made of solid maple plywood, and has a non-slip surface on the top. The underside of the Bongo Board has the track, with the bungee cord, which fits with the double ball bearing wheel system. The…
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Neutral Zone Trap Clarified

Neutral Zone Trap Clarified

Offensive Zone, Team Systems
Neutral Zone Trap Clarified Seems like I'm doing a lot of Q&A work these days! There have been quite a few questions on the Neutral Zone Trap I diagrammed up a few years ago. So I decided to make a quick clarification video to resolve some of these questions. Before we jump straight in, let me just state again that there are many ways of structuring systems. Sometimes these differences are adjustments to what the other team is doing, sometimes they're just the coach's personal preference. Either way, use this info if it makes sense for your situation. If not, don't use it! Here are a few key points to remember: Neutral Zone Trap 1. The trap is a CONCEPT: make it look like the board-side breakout is open, then…
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How to Beat a 1-2-2 Forecheck

How to Beat a 1-2-2 Forecheck

Defensive Zone, Team Systems
How to Beat a 1-2-2 Forecheck I've had a few questions come in recently on the 1-2-2 Forecheck. Specifically, coaches are looking for ways to beat it. The 1-2-2 is a great forecheck, but, as is the case with any system, it's beatable. Your objective is to control the puck, drawing players out of position, then beating them with a pass. Here are the key points: How to Beat the 1-2-2 Forecheck 1. Defenseman carries the puck to open ice 2. Defenseman walks the puck until someone comes to get him (if nobody comes, he walks all the way down the ice!) 3. As soon as F2 or F3 leaves their coverage to attack the Defenseman, he or she moves the puck to that side of the ice, hitting the…
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