23Feb 2015 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments
Key Points for a Well-Executed 1 on 1

Key Points for a Well-Executed 1 on 1

Defensive Tactics, Defensive Zone, Team Skills, Team Systems
How to Play a 1 on 1 Properly My dad used to say you don't have to be a great player to be a great defenseman. What he meant by that is that you don't have to be the fastest, the most technically sound, and you don't have to have the hardest shot. Being an excellent defenseman means being a SMART player. Excellent defensive play is more about making the right pass, shot selection, managing gap, body positioning, controlling the front of the net, reading forechecking pressure, etc. These are all mental skills, and these are the skills that make for a great defenseman! In this video, we see a well-executed 1 on 1 by a Russian defenseman. The key points shown in this example are as follows: Properly managed…
Read More
12Jan 2015 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments
Head on a Swivel!

Head on a Swivel!

Defensive Tactics, Defensive Zone, Team Skills, Team Systems
Head on a Swivel! I love watching the World Junior Championships each year. It's a chance to see a bunch of talented, young, "up-and-comers" playing some high-quality hockey, in a fun and exciting atmosphere. The nature of the games, and of the tournament in general, lends itself to a great study of the game. The players are smaller than in the NHL, there's a bigger gap between the top and bottom teams, and the games are more of a finesse style of play. Which means, lots of scoring, especially in the early rounds, and lots of well-executed systems play. Even at the highest levels of play, you still see mistakes made. And games are won and lost based in the DETAILS. In this video, we see what happens when a…
Read More
18Feb 2013 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments

Swing Regroup: FAQ

Coaches' Corner, Neutral Zone, Neutral Zone Tactics, Philosophy, Team Skills, Team Systems
Some Frequently Asked Questions on the Swing Regroup In our Coaches' Training Course we outline the fundamentals of the Swing Regroup, which is one of my favorite regroup set-ups. Over the past few weeks, I've received a number of emails with questions on the Swing Regroup. So I figured it was time to put together an FAQ video. The problem many coaches were having, was differentiating between the "textbook version" and the "read and react version." In other words... in a perfect world, we draw up the play, and the players perform it exactly as diagrammed, AKA textbook execution. However, in the actual game, sometimes it happens as planned, but many times it doesn't. In these cases there's a degree of improvisation that needs to be accounted for... this is…
Read More
25Dec 2012 by Jeremy Weiss 4 Comments

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…
Read More
26Aug 2011 by Jeremy Weiss 13 Comments

Philosophy: Utilizing the Hockey Development Pyramid

Coaches' Corner, Individual Skills, Philosophy, Team Skills, Team Strategy, Team Systems
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!
Read More