I’ve got a good buddy out in Slovakia who sends me great drills on a regular basis. I usually test them out with my teams, then pass the best ones along to you guys. I’m naming this hockey warm-up drill after him, the Bednár Skating Warm-up Drill. Here’s the diagram:
Bednár Skating Warm-up Drill
1. Players skate the patterns, with pucks, as diagrammed.
2. First player of each line goes at the same time.
3. The next player goes ones he receives the pass from the first player of the other line.
4. Drill is perpetual.
Note: Make sure to have players execute at full speed, while maintaining good puck control, and staying low on the pivots.
Weiss Tech Hockey Reveals its Top 5 Most Popular Posts of All Time
I started this blog a little over 4 years ago… which is a long time in internet years! It started as a bit of an experiment for me. I wanted to try and use web technology to help local coaches with their practice plans. I’d been playing around with a “new” drill diagrammer I had just come across, DrillDraw, and thought it would be cool to make video explanations of drills using a “digital whiteboard.”
I started by posting a few video explanations of my favorite drills, and things just kinda took off from there! At that time, nobody was doing digital video explanations, and it seemed to be a method of delivery that resonated with coaches. As things have progressed, we’ve branched out into other aspects of hockey training and development, and the blog has developed into the format you see today.
This week I was doing a bit of reflection, and I got curious as to which of my posts have been the most popular (in terms of page views) over the past 4 years. So I decided to look into it, and post Weiss Tech Hockey’s Top 5 Most Popular Posts. Here they are (remember, my video-production abilities have evolved over the years… so you might get a good laugh at some of my older stuff!):
Weiss Tech Hockey’s Top 5 Most Popular Posts of All Time
HELP US OUT!
So there’s the Top 5. I’d love to know which Weiss Tech content has been the most useful for you. Leave your comments in the section below, and let us know what has been useful, and what you’d like to see more of.
The Mohawk Agility Drill can be used with cones, sticks, “Attack Triangles,” SweetHands, or any other hockey obstacle. More creative obstacles produce more creative players in this drill. Here’s the diagram:
Mohawk Agility Drill
1. Players line up as shown.
2. Puck carrier puts a move on the first stick, skates down around the second stick (putting a move on it), skates up around the top stick (putting a move on it), then shoots.
3. ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY!
The PowerSlide Hockey Slide Board Allows you to Imitate a Skating Motion while Developing Other Skills
A while back I was talking to one of my coaching buddies about some of the cool off-ice training equipment that is available these days. I mentioned something about combining a hockey slide board with a stickhandling skill pad, and how it would be cool to be sliding back and forth while stickhandling, passing, shooting, or anything else.
At the time I thought my idea was completely original… but, it turns out that innovative hockey coaches have had their players doing this for years!
What You Get, and Set-up:
So… here’s what I did. I picked up the PowerSlide slide board from HockeyShot. It’s a really high quality slide board that is portable, so you can take it places; adjustable, so you can use with athletes of various sizes and abilities; durable, so it’ll hold up to a lot of usage; and super grippy, so it won’t slide around on you.
The first thing I did was watch the free DVD that came with the PowerSlide. The DVD was very helpful for instructions on putting the PowerSlide together, but the exercise instructions and demos were a little weak to be totally honest. You’ll be better off just using your own creativity to develop your own set of exercises. Plus, as a hockey player or coach, I’m sure you’ve got no shortage of skating drills that can be transferred to the PowerSlide!
Set up was a breeze. I unrolled the PowerSlide, attached the adjustable end piece so that it was a good length for me, tightened it down, and I was all set.
The PowerSlide consists of two end-piece assemblies (where you’ll be pushing off from), and a flexible slide mat. There’s an interesting design feature that I quite like on the PowerSlide. The end piece assemblies aren’t just flat, like most other slide boards. They are made using solid rubber “ramps” that enhance the grip underneath the slide board, and improve the pushing angle of your stride. This feature allows you to stride really hard, but stay very stable in the process.
The PowerSlide also comes with a carrying bag, and a set of booties to wear over-top of your shoes.
My Experience:
I decided to use my PowerSlide on top of my Dryland Flooring Tiles, which gave me tons of room for stickhandling and passing. It worked REALLY well! The only thing that surprised me was that the PowerSlide was SO grippy that they were causing the Dryland Tiles to shift a little bit against the garage floor!
Once I slid the tile set-up into the corner, it anchored itself down a bit better, and I didn’t slide anymore.
Using the PowerSlide was amazing… not only was it a lot of fun, but it was a FANTASTIC workout! In fact, you can see a bit of sweat on my face at the end of my video review What’s even better though, is that it felt A LOT like the real thing. I was able to work on all sorts of skating, passing, and stickhandling combos, all in the “comfort” of my own garage!
Conclusion:
This was one of the funnest, most realistic set-ups I’ve had the chance to mess around with, and I definitely recommend adding this to your Home Hockey Training Center.
If you decide to pick up the PowerSlide, I would HIGHLY recommend grabbing a few other items while you’re at it… Here’s a quick list for you:
I love this hockey passing drill because it just flows well––especially when you have the right group of players for it. At it’s best, this is a quick-paced, “tic-tac-toe” type of drill. However, if you have the wrong group of players, this drill will grind to a halt pretty quickly. So, just make sure your players are advanced enough before attempting this one! Here’s the diagram and explanation:
Spice Figure 8 Passing Drill
1. On the whistle, one (F) from each line diagonally across from each other goes.
2. Each (F) takes a few steps forward, then passes to the far (D).
3. The defensemen make a few “D to D” passes, then hit the (F) as he power turns around the far cone.
4. After skating the figure 8 as shown in the diagram, (F) picks up the puck, splits the defensemen, and enters the zone for a shot on net.
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Bednár Skating Warm-up Drill
What’s even better though, is that it felt A LOT like the real thing. I was able to work on all sorts of skating, passing, and stickhandling combos, all in the “comfort” of my own garage!
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