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
14Jan 2013 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments
Bednár Skating Warm-up Drill

Bednár Skating Warm-up Drill

Half Ice Drills, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Skating & Agility, Stickhandling, Warm-Up
Bednár Skating Warm-up Drill I've got a good buddy out in Slovakia who sends me great drills on a regular basis. I usually test them out with my teams, then pass the best ones along to you guys. I'm naming this hockey warm-up drill after him, the Bednár Skating Warm-up Drill. Here's the diagram: Bednár Skating Warm-up Drill 1. Players skate the patterns, with pucks, as diagrammed. 2. First player of each line goes at the same time. 3. The next player goes ones he receives the pass from the first player of the other line. 4. Drill is perpetual. Note: Make sure to have players execute at full speed, while maintaining good puck control, and staying low on the pivots. Enjoy! USE THIS DRILL IN YOUR OWN PRACTICE PLAN:
Read More
23Jun 2012 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments

Who IS my Competition Anyways…?

Coaches' Corner, Philosophy
"Who is my competition anyways...?" This is the question EVERY player should ask him or herself! The purpose of this blog is to help build better teams, by providing players, coaches, and parents with useful drills, tools, and information. You often hear me talking about on-ice strategies and tactics, or off-ice drills and workouts that will give you an EDGE over your competition. They're all the same... Well... Almost! As you move into higher levels of play, the skill-sets of each player become more and more similar. Think about it... who scores the most goals at mite hockey? It's the kid who can skate the fastest! Who scores the most goals at Peewee? Now that most kids can skate, other tactics like shooting, playmaking, and read & react abilities start…
Read More
31Aug 2011 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments

Breakouts: Color-coded Breakout System

Defensive Zone, Team Systems
Color-coded Breakout System and Options As we discussed in our video on Hockey Systems for Youngsters, structured systems CAN be taught to young hockey players, and a color-coded breakout system is one way of doing this. Young hockey players are often more advanced physically than mentally. Because of this, players at higher levels of play can typically execute the basic patterns of a breakout (i.e. skate the puck behind the net and pass to a winger on the boards) long before they can read which option to select in a given situation. Color-coding a breakout system allows the "read" portion of "read and react" to be passed along to the coach, who can call the plays from the bench using the color code. Well-trained players will hear the call, and…
Read More