22Oct 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 2 Comments
Figure 8 Angling Drill

Figure 8 Angling Drill

Checking & Angling, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Skating & Agility, Team Skill Drills
One of my favorite Hockey Body Checking Drills to work on body positioning and angling Remember, as you progress into hockey body checking drills, to stress that the purpose of body checking in hockey is to separate the man from the puck. To do this effectively, players need a strong base in the following areas: "Raw" Skating Ability Agility Body Positioning (Angling, Gap Control, etc...) Stick Positioning Make the Hit Here's the explanation: 1. Players start facing each other on dot 2. (F) picks up a puck and drives wide 3. (D) skates around cones as shown, then angles 4. (F) has to drive around lower cone before cutting to the net Variations: (a) take out the cone at hashmarks (b) allow forward to cut inside earlier Cheers!   USE…
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14Oct 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 2 Comments
Hymas Square Drill

Hymas Square Drill

Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Passing & Timing
Hockey Passing Drills like this one can be great tools to run high-tempo practices One of my players, Nate Hymas, showed me this one a couple of years ago. So, I called this the Hymas Square Drill (or the Wag the Dog Drill - since Hymas is one of those players who loves to give input). Either way, this is a great, quick-paced, heads up passing drill. Here's the diagram and explanation:   Hymas Square Drill 1. Players in opposite corners pass straight ahead 2. Passes go around the square 3. Players who started the drill skate around the circle and receive pass back from the same line they left from   Option 2: Similar to the first option, but now incorporates backward skating. See Diagram 2 Enjoy!   USE…
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28Sep 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 4 Comments
Inside Mohawk

Inside Mohawk

Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Individual Skills, Skating, Skating & Agility
The inside mohawk is a very versatile power skating maneuver. Here are a few simple drills to work on it. The Mohawk can be used while shooting, deking, pivoting, slipping checks... the options are limitless. Players who become proficient with the mohawk will find themselves performing it instinctively in games. Here's the diagram and explanations for the Mohawk Square Drill. Click Here for the Snake Drill mentioned in the video. Mohawk Square 1. Players start on the boards, about half way between the two cones 2. On the whistle, players skate around the square, executing a mohawk around each cone 3. After a few times through, go the other direction Note: Once the players can execute the move well, put a puck on their sticks and have them do a…
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27Aug 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 4 Comments
Perpetual Backcheck Drill

Perpetual Backcheck Drill

Conditioning, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills
Perpetual Backcheck Drill The Perpetual Backcheck Drill is a great competition drill to keep players motivated and having fun while working on their conditioning. I use this one quite often with my own teams. Here's the diagram: Perpetual Backcheck Drill 1. First player in each line leaves and receives a pass from the coach. 2. Each player skates full speed down the ice and takes a shot. 3. Next player in line can't leave until the shot has been taken. 4. After the shot, the shooter will peel off and backcheck the next player in line. 5. Drill continues perpetually. Enjoy!   USE THIS DRILL IN YOUR OWN PRACTICE PLAN:
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14Aug 2009 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments

Level 5 Clinic – Day 3

Coaches' Corner, Philosophy
Just a quick report on today's sessions... Interesting day today at the Level 5 Clinic here in Minnesota. We heard from a bunch of pretty good hockey guys including Todd Richards (head coach of the Wild), Mike Sullivan (assistant coach of the Lightning), Mark Johnson (member of 1980 "Miracle" team and Head Coach of Wisconsin's women's team), Bryan Trottier (NHL Hall of Famer), and a panel of players from the 1980 American Miracle team. One of the things I found interesting was Mike Sullivan's take on defensive hockey (playing when the other team has the puck). He likes a very aggressive style when his team doesn't have the puck, and showed us a few examples of his 1-2-2 forecheck that looked almost identical to our 1-2-2 Fooseball Forecheck. So -…
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