06May 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 4 Comments
“Snake” Shooting Drill

“Snake” Shooting Drill

Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Shooting, Skating & Agility
One of my favorite hockey shooting drills. Simple to set up, but teaches some profound concepts. This could be one of the most basic hockey shooting drills out there... but it is also one of the most effective because of the concepts that can be applied. Remember to have your players shoot in stride if they're on their forehand, and to use their Inside Mohawk if they're on their backhand. Here's the diagram and explanation:     Snake Drill Option 1: 1. players line up in corner 2. on whistle, first player in line skates up and around the top of the circle, attacking the "seam" 3. if on forehand, player shoots in stride, if on backhand, player executes a mohawk, and shoots from the forehand 4. after shot, players…
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21Apr 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 6 Comments
Hockey Breakout Drill

Hockey Breakout Drill

Breakouts, Defensive Zone, Hockey Drills, Team Skill Drills, Team Systems Drills
This is an Excellent Hockey Breakout Drill to Teach the Patterns of Game Situations Many hockey situations occur in patterns. This simple hockey breakout drill breaks down these patterns into their simplest form, then puts them back together in sequence to mimic a game situation. Here's the diagram and explanation: Hockey Breakout Progression: PHASE 1: 1.Set up forwards on the blue line, with defensemen on the close hash mark. Defenseman who is going steps out to the dot 2.On whistle, first forward in line passes to the defenseman, then skates down around the bottom of the circle and opens up for a breakout pass 3.Defenseman skates behind the net, then passes to the forward on the boards, who skates down for a shot Note: Teach forwards to pivot and keep…
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08Apr 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 5 Comments
Initiating a Hockey Breakout

Initiating a Hockey Breakout

Defensive Zone, Team Systems
Tactical discussion on initiating a hockey breakout and hockey systems. Initiating a proper hockey breakout is a very important aspect of hockey systems. All to often you see young players who are coached to do nothing more than "dump it in" or "dump it out." While I agree that there is a time and place for "dump and chase" hockey, I believe we do our players a disservice by teaching those tactics at too young an age. Teach possession hockey first, then implement "dump and chase" for specific situations as players develop and mature. My two cents worth :)
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25Mar 2009 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments
3 Pass and Shot Drill

3 Pass and Shot Drill

Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Passing & Timing, Shooting
The 3 Pass and Shot Drill is Great to Warm-up Your Passing and Timing The "3 Pass and Shot Drill" is a great Hockey Drill that can be utilized in many different practice scenarios. I like to use it as a warm-up drill, but it can also be used to develop passing and timing concepts, or to work on one-touch passes or shooting. Here's the diagram: 3 Pass and Shot Drill 1. Players line up in two lines, at the blue lines 2. Each line has pucks 3. On the whistle, the first player from each line skates across the blue line and receives a pass from the opposite line 4. The receiver controls the pass and gives a pass back to the player who passed to him 5. After…
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20Mar 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 1 Comment

Some Hockey Nostalgia

Miscellaneous
A good buddy and teammate showed me this today. The original source is unknown, but I thought it was fitting for the time of season. The dad who wrote it definitely understands what hockey's really about... Almost brought a tear to my eye thinking about the times I had with my dad, and the times I'll undoubtedly have with my son. These next few weeks may be the last times I see my boy lace ‘em up with an organized team. Fourteen years ago we started, not really knowing anything about this marvelous game. He skated out onto the ice as wobbly as can be. Tonight he glides across the ice cutting his edges into the glimmering sheet of white and throwing snow up to the top of the glass…
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