Open up Passing Options by Crossing Through Lanes

When I was a kid, my first coach (NOT MY DAD) took me a side one day, and drew two lines down the middle of a rink diagram. He then taught me that “the right winger stays on the right side, the left winger stays on the left side, and that the centerman mostly stays in the middle, but can help out if a winger needs him…”

HOW FAR THE GAME HAS COME SINCE THEN!!!

Today’s hockey is much more dynamic, with players interchanging positions constantly––especially in the offensive zone. I like this more “European” style of play, and I think it is much more effective at opening up passing options and scoring chances.

My general philosophy is to let structured, positional assignments govern defensive zone play, and concepts such as timing, support, and triangulation govern neutral and offensive zone play. This allows forwards to be creative within a framework in the offensive zone.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Coach, Dad, Defensive Zone, European Style, Game, Offensive Zone, Options, Philosophy, Winger, Zone Play

How early can youngsters be taught to play “systems hockey”?

Many people have varying opinions on the correct answer to this question… and, as is often the case with philosophical hockey questions, there is more than one correct answer. The answer depends on the physical skills of your players, the mental maturity of your players, and the manner in which the systems are taught and implemented. In this video, I discuss my own personal opinions on the matter, and why I believe what I believe.

When I was 8 years old, my dad had this idea of taking the top-caliber kids from around the city, and keeping essentially the same kids together for 5 years. The end goal of his vision was to win an Ontario Championship at the “AAA” level.

As 8-year-olds, we were taught to play systems hockey based on a “color-coded” breakout set-up. Our individual skills were advanced enough that we were able to complete the patterns of a structured breakout system, even though we weren’t quite ready to read the play ourselves. So, my dad gave each breakout option a color, and he would read the pressure and call out the play from the bench. We would hear it, and react accordingly. As we got older, we were taught to read the play for ourselves and make our own decisions.

This color-coded breakout system allowed us to learn “systems hockey” years before other teams in our league. I mention a few of our team’s successes in the video.

WARNING: Do not let systems and positional development rob individual skill development. They can both be developed simultaneously if practices are structured correctly.

ENJOY!

Technorati Tags: 8 Years, Bench, Caliber, Correct Answer, Dad, Decisions, Hockey Questions, Many People, Mental Maturity, Ontario Championship, Philosophy, Play Systems, Skill Development, Successes, Teaching Hockey, Youngsters

The Hockey Development Pyramid is a great tool to help design your season’s “Road Map”

Before the season begins, it’s a good idea to take inventory of your team’s strengths and weaknesses. I use the Hockey Development Pyramid as a tool to help gather my thoughts, and determine what areas of play should be focused on over the course of the season.

Skills within various tiers of the pyramid can be developed simultaneously (i.e. puckhandling and passing can be developed during a breakout drill). However, it is EXTREMELY important to build from the bottom up, not from the top down. Players who have not developed a solid foundation of Individual and Team Skills will never be as effective at performing the higher-level skills such as Team Systems and Strategy.

ENJOY!

Technorati Tags: Development Tool, Hockey Development, Philosophy, Pyramid, Road Map, Solid Foundation, Strengths And Weaknesses, Tiers

YOU’RE INVITED… REGISTER TODAY!!

Most competitive teams do some sort of pre-season training camp to ensure that the players are primed and ready to go as soon as the season starts. This is great, and I’m a firm believer in this strategy!

Coaches must come to training camp with a plan, a goal, and a purpose if they intend to have any form of success during the regular season.

We have developed a FREE Specialized Online Training Course for Hockey Coaches, that will give them a chance to think about, and plan their seasons so they can hit the ground running come training camp.

The course will last 2 weeks and will be done via blog posts with videos, written instruction, and downloads.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll be discussing:

• Coaching Philosophy
• Defensive Zone Coverage
• Breakouts
• Offensive Attack Options
• Forechecking
• Regroups and Neutral Zone Play
• Special Teams

SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT OUR COACHES TRAINING COURSE TO ENTER!

We would love to have you participate with us. The Training Course is FREE (just sign up below), and we are even giving away a few cool prizes for folks who help spread the word––including a free DrillDraw Pro license (the software I use to create all my videos) valued at $149!

UPDATE:

We just received word that Shooter Tutor is donating one of their “substitute goalies” for the giveaway (a $165 value)… so now we’ll be able to select TWO lucky winners (your odds just went up!)

I’ve been a HUGE fan of the Shooter Tutor since I was a kid. We had one set up in our yard during the summers and I spent endless hours shooting pucks with my buddies. When I started up my hockey school, the first thing I invested in was two Shooter Tutors… and they’ve lasted for years under intense use!!

Owning at least one Shooter Tutor is a must for any hockey coach.

UPDATE:

I couldn’t resist… I’m adding my own product to the giveaway. We’re throwing in an S3 Formula membership as our third prize (VALUED AT $147). The S3 Formula is my web-based strength and conditioning program, designed specifically for hockey players. We have players from all over the globe participating in the S3 Formula, and now you’ve got a chance to join in the action and get an incredible advantage over your opponent this year!

Our users have already had some phenomenal results using this program… check out this before and after shot of our buddy Nate Hymas (S3 user).

So, we have 3 prizes up for grabs now… we’ll pick our 3 winners on July 12th to kick off our Coaches Training Course. If you haven’t entered the giveaway yet, check out the instructions below!

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY (YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL 3 STEPS TO QUALIFY):

1. Register for the Training Course using the form below
2. Email (and copy me on the email for verification info@weisstechhockey.com) at least 5 of your favorite hockey friends about this course (your coaching staff is a great place to start). Send them to this post so they know what the course is all about.
3. Stay tuned for the drawing on July 12th, the first day of our training course!

Talk soon!

Jeremy

Technorati Tags: Buddies, Coach, Coaches Training, Coaching Philosophy, Defensive Zone, Drawing, Email, Email Verification, Endless Hours, Firm Believer, Form Email, Goalies, Hockey Coach, Hockey Coaches, Hockey Friends, Hockey School, Lucky Winners, Neutral Zone, Offensive Attack, Options, Philosophy, Pre Season Training, Prizes, Pucks, Register, Running Camp, Running Training, Shooter, Specialized, Specialized Training, Standpoint, Submission, Training Camp, Tutor, Tutors, Verification Info, Videos Downloads, Zone Coverage