Teaching Defense to 7-Year-Olds

Teaching Defense to 7-Year-Olds

1 on 1's, 2 on 2's, 2 on 1's, 3 on 2's, Defensive Tactics, Hockey Drills, Individual Skills, Skating, Team Skill Drills, Team Skills, Team Strategy
Teaching Defense to 7-Year-Olds I recently received an email asking about 1 on 1 strategy for 7-year-old defensemen. The coach asked whether he should be teaching the players to play it skating backward (even though they don't skate well backward yet), or starting forward then pivoting backward, or something else altogether. I thought it was a great topic for discussion, and one I'm currently dealing with as well, since I'm working with the same age group on my son's team. So... as I always say, here's my two cents worth: Angle First, then Build to Backwards Most 7-year-olds aren't capable of skating backwards well enough to play a proper 1 on 1. But there are still 1 on 1s in games. So what do you do? Here's my strategy: Put…
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The 3 Areas of Hockey Dominance

Backchecking, Coaches' Corner, Defensive Tactics, Defensive Zone, Individual Skills, Neutral Zone, Neutral Zone Tactics, Off-ice Training, Offensive Tactics, Offensive Zone, Passing, Philosophy, Puckhandling, Shooting, Skating, Special Teams, Team Skills, Team Systems
Improve your Physical Skills, Mental Skills, and Physical Conditioning to Dominate your Opponent! In this post I'm going to discuss what I call the 3 AREAS OF HOCKEY DOMINANCE… now I know that title sounds a little dramatic, but the reality is, if you implement the information I'm about to share with you into your hockey development strategy, you will be miles ahead of your opponent, EVERY TIME YOU STEP ON THE ICE! This video will be equally beneficial for both players, coaches, and even parents who want to be on-board with their players' development. So, let's go ahead and get started! The 3 Areas of Hockey Dominance The 3 Areas of Hockey Dominance are Physical Skills, Mental Skills, and Physical Conditioning. Now we can break each of these areas…
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5-Card Skating Drill

5-Card Skating Drill

Conditioning, D-Zone Coverage, Defensive Zone, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Individual Skills, Skating, Team Skill Drills, Team Systems Drills
5-Card Skating Drill 5-Card Skating is a great drill my assistant coach, Ryan Newton, came up with. I like this one because it lets you work on the defensive zone coverage skating patterns while getting some conditioning in. Here's the diagram: 5-Card Skating Drill 1. Players start in 5-card formation 2. On whistle, each position skates full speed out to his or her designated attack area, pivots, then skates backward into 5-card position 3. Sequence follows, position by position. Center covers for the corner positions until they get back, and takes the seam (attack areas 2 and 5) 4. Wingers alternate between attack positions each "lap" 5. Do 4 "laps" then switch out 5-man unit for a new one Enjoy! USE THIS DRILL IN YOUR OWN PRACTICE PLAN:
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How to effectively teach a new hockey skill

Coaches' Corner, Individual Skills, Philosophy, Skating
Coaching hockey can be a complicated endeavor. The required skill-set to be a good coach is much different than the skill-set to be a good player. Because of this difference, many people find it difficult to make the transition from player to coach. I often hear new coaches say "I know what my players should be doing, but I don't know how to get them to do it..." or "I don't know how to explain proper skating technique, I just know how to show it..." In these situations, I usually recommend that the coach try to break each skill down into three key points that he or she can verbalize. For example, if I were explaining proper forward skating technique, I would say that each player needs to (1) maintain…
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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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