Overspeed Agility Drill

Overspeed Agility Drill

Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Shooting, Skating & Agility
The Overspeed Agility Drill brings in many different skating elements! I've mentioned before that technical skating drills can be boring and monotonous for many youngsters. The problem is that skating ability is SO essential... you HAVE to find ways of developing it! One method I've found to work with youngsters––and older players too :)--is to add a shot at the end of a skating drill. This tactic turns it from a skating drill into a shooting drill, and is much more fun and motivating for the players. Start with no pucks. As your players progress, add a puck, then start making them do 5 push-ups for each time they lose the puck. Players must be able to execute these skating maneuvers at full speed without mishandling the puck. Add more…
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Michigan Tech 1 on 1 Drill

Michigan Tech 1 on 1 Drill

1 on 1's, 2 on 2's, 2 on 1's, 3 on 2's, Hockey Drills, Team Skill Drills
The Michigan Tech 1 on 1 Drill is fantastic for working gap control, passing, agility skating, and many other skills! This is one of my favorite 1 on 1 drills because you can use it to work on so many different skills. Make sure your forwards swing fairly deep into the zone to receive the breakout pass. This will allow the opposing defenseman time to close the gap properly and play the 1 on 1 the way he or she should in a game. Also, make sure your defensemen get outside the blue line... that gap MUST be closed, and the defensemen need to be able to get their speed up quickly after the pivot. Here's the diagram: Michigan Tech 1 on 1 1. On whistle, 2 forwards and 2…
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Slovakian Agility Race

Slovakian Agility Race

Half Ice Drills, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Misc. Drills, Skating & Agility
  Slovakian Agility Race Drill Since I started this blog back in 2008, I have met a lot of really cool hockey folks. Believe it or not, it has made me a better coach! I have had the opportunity to exchange drills from coaches all over the world. I make a point to work my way through most of these drills, and pass the best ones on to my "readers" here on the blog. I usually try to credit the drill to the person who sent it to me. However, many times the drills that come in are in other languages... as is the case with this one from my good buddy Ján Bednár. Ján has sent me A LOT of drills over the past year or so! Since he…
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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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