30Oct 2010 by Jeremy Weiss No Comments
The Star Drill

The Star Drill

Goalie, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills
The star drill is a great drill to teach young goalies the art of moving around the crease! If done correctly, this drill will generate create good habits moving around the crease, and the goalies will become more "Crease Aware" (knowing where they are in their crease). Here's the diagram, as well as a variation to take the concept to the next level: The Star Drill Goalie starts at the post, then skates the following sequence (see our post on the 11 Visual Targets for Hockey Goalies) 1. Position 11 2. Position 6 3. Position 9 4. Position 1 5. Position 6 6. Position 3 7. Back to Position 11 8. Repeat the opposite way Variation Goalie performs start drill, reacting to the passes of the three forwards 1. Forward…
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23Oct 2010 by Jeremy Weiss 1 Comment
Shuffle T-Pass

Shuffle T-Pass

Goalie, Half Ice Drills, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills
The Shuffle T-Pass is a great drill to work on multiple parts of the goaltender's game. This drill works on positioning, proper rotation when moving around your crease, proper recovery from a butterfly, playing the puck, and crease awareness. Make sure your goalies don’t cheat in this drill. They should be squaring up to the puck, hugging posts, and get back to their proper post every time on the puck handling portion. Here are the diagrams: Shuffle T-Pass: Sequence 1 1. Shuffle from one side of the net to the other, stopping square to each puck, dropping to a reactionary butterfly at each puck 2. After arriving at the far post, come back the other way Note: Make sure to recover with the proper leg; right leg when going from…
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12Apr 2010 by Jeremy Weiss 11 Comments
9 Half-Ice Hockey Drills Every Coach Should Know About

9 Half-Ice Hockey Drills Every Coach Should Know About

Checking & Angling, Half Ice Drills, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills, Misc. Drills, Passing & Timing, Shooting, Small Area Games, Team Skill Drills
Half Ice Hockey Drills to Add to Your Drill Library With the cost of ice time going up, many teams are sharing practice sessions, especially at the younger age groups. The need for half ice hockey drills continues to grow, and has been a highly requested topic from our readers. So, instead of just doing a video or two, I put together 9 of my favorite half ice hockey drills spanning across all levels of play... beginner to advanced. I've also included a printable PDF version as well as the Importable DrillDraw files, if you want to bring all this stuff to the rink with you. You'll find the links at the bottom of this page. Here we go!! 1. Quad Passing: 1. Players 1 and 2 execute five passes…
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27Aug 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 4 Comments
Perpetual Backcheck Drill

Perpetual Backcheck Drill

Conditioning, Hockey Drills, Individual Skill Drills
Perpetual Backcheck Drill The Perpetual Backcheck Drill is a great competition drill to keep players motivated and having fun while working on their conditioning. I use this one quite often with my own teams. Here's the diagram: Perpetual Backcheck Drill 1. First player in each line leaves and receives a pass from the coach. 2. Each player skates full speed down the ice and takes a shot. 3. Next player in line can't leave until the shot has been taken. 4. After the shot, the shooter will peel off and backcheck the next player in line. 5. Drill continues perpetually. Enjoy!   USE THIS DRILL IN YOUR OWN PRACTICE PLAN:
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21Apr 2009 by Jeremy Weiss 6 Comments
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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