My last two articles have discussed important factors that come into play when trying to impress a coach at tryouts. This series spawned from my recent experience as an evaluator in our State District Camp; where I realized that many players didn't know how to carry themselves in ways that would showcase their abilities and impress an on-looking coach. In this 3-part series, I hope to give players an "insider's look" at what coaches are watching for. This knowledge, applied properly, should help give you the edge you need going into tryout season. Off-Ice StrategyOn-Ice StrategyOn-Ice Performance Make Yourself Stand Out! Part of showing well in a tryout is doing things that draw attention to yourself in a good way. The following list has some tips that will help you…
https://youtu.be/_K8kbnDluUE Sometimes a slightly different way of explaining things can make a big difference in a youngster's mind... We often talk about winning races and winning battles, but when you ask a group of players what are they racing to, most of the time they say "TO THE PUCK!" While gaining puck possession is the goal, it's not entirely true that we're racing to the puck, or that we're battling for control of the puck. We're actually racing to the LANE to the puck, and battling for control of the LANE to the puck. Furthermore, we're not actually racing to the net... we're racing to the LANE to the net. Once you control the lane, you control the route to the destination, whether it be the puck of the net.…
My last two articles have discussed important factors that come into play when trying to impress a coach at tryouts. This series spawned from my recent experience as an evaluator in our State District Camp; where I realized that many players didn't know how to carry themselves in ways that would showcase their abilities and impress an on-looking coach. In this 3-part series, I hope to give players an "insider's look" at what coaches are watching for. This knowledge, applied properly, should help give you the edge you need going into tryout season. Off-Ice Strategy On-Ice Strategy On-Ice Performance This article (part 3) is all about optimizing your performance on the ice. Let's hit it! Make Yourself Stand Out! Part of showing well in a tryout is doing things that…
Center Pass is a Great Drill for Younger Age Groups I've been using this drill with my Mite team this year, and have already seen the kids executing it in our games! In the video I show two variations, but you can make more adaptations as you see fit. Here's the diagram and explanation: Center Pass Variation 1: 1. Coach dumps the puck into the corner 2. First player in white line goes and gets it 3. Next player in line goes to the front of the net 4. Pass out from the corner, shot on goal Variation 2: 1. Coach dumps the puck into the corner 2. First player in white line goes and gets it 3. One white and one blue drive the net, white trying to get…
"Who is my competition anyways...?" This is the question EVERY player should ask him or herself! The purpose of this blog is to help build better teams, by providing players, coaches, and parents with useful drills, tools, and information. You often hear me talking about on-ice strategies and tactics, or off-ice drills and workouts that will give you an EDGE over your competition. They're all the same... Well... Almost! As you move into higher levels of play, the skill-sets of each player become more and more similar. Think about it... who scores the most goals at mite hockey? It's the kid who can skate the fastest! Who scores the most goals at Peewee? Now that most kids can skate, other tactics like shooting, playmaking, and read & react abilities start…
