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…
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Czech 1-Timer Drill

Czech 1-Timer Drill

Half Ice Drills, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Misc. Drills, Offensive Zone, Passing & Timing, Shooting, Team Skill Drills
Here's a great half-ice drill to work on 1-timers! Being able to take a 1-time shot in a game situation is an extremely important skill. However, most coaches (myself included!) don't allocate enough time in practices to let players develop this skill. Here's a quick-paced 1-timer drill that will help get your players' shots harder and more accurate! Here's the diagram and explanation: Czech 1-Timer Drill 1. player 1 walks in and fires a hard bank pass into the quiet zone (area behind the net) 2. player 2 picks it up then hits player 1 for a one-time shot 3. coach fires a puck into the corner as the shot is being taken 4. after shooting, the player 1 peels off into the corner to pick up the dump in,…
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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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