By Lisa Brown

When I was 21, I went into a major scoring slump. I became obsessed with whether I was scoring goals or not. Of course, I started scoring less, not more.

Finally I decided I needed a new mental toughness strategy.

I stopped thinking about whether or not I was scoring and started focusing on HOW to score. Oddly enough, as soon as I started thinking about how to score goals, I started to notice some interesting things:

–I saw that most goals were scored from pretty close to the net…between the net and the hash marks. I had been shooting from above the hash marks. Bad!

Here’s a quick video clip to check out what I mean. Notice how the ring carrier fights to get close enough to the net BEFORE she shoots!

–I noticed that the best goal scorers use certain dekes to get around the low defence in the triangle. They didn’t try to get around the top of the triangle where the centre was.

They isolated the defender at the bottom and tried to get around her.

–I realized that I needed to practice a couple of special shots to score on the best goalies in the world. For example, I needed an awesome high backhand shot because all the goalies could predict a wrist shot and stop it.

Suddenly, instead of obsessing about goal scoring, I became fascinated with these new things I noticed. By watching the best snipers in the world, I slowly started to imitate their moves.

I started scoring more! The great thing is, the goals felt like a bonus. The real joy was getting better. I learned that when I focused on goal scoring (something I couldn`t fully control), I scored less.

When I focused on things I could control (shooting from the right place, taking the right shots), I scored more.
Cool.

Light it up out there,
Lisa Brown

By Lisa Brown

Dear Friend,

Sometimes it’s the simplest strategies that win ringette games.

Most ringette players agree that scoring on a triangle is one of the hardest things to do. This is true if you try to do it all by yourself. But, if you break this challenge down into simple steps with each teammate playing her part, it becomes WAY easier.

Click here to see what I mean. Notice the following simple things that each player does to create a goal:

1. On the free pass from centre ice, one forward stays wide (#13) in the corner to receive the pass. But, the only reason she is able to get the ring is because her teammate skates towards the net, taking the defence on the red team with her, which opens up #13 to receive the ring. Simple, but deliberate and very effective.

2. Second, #13Â makes a sneaky pass behind the center and defender in the triangle to create an attack opening for #3. But, the only reason she is able to create an attack opening is because she is a threat to score. She skates fast and is looking to shoot. This draws the center and defender towards her. When most ringette players pass in the offensive end, they telegraph their pass because they are not looking to shoot. In the offensive end, the ring carrier must always be a threat to score.

3. Third, #3 drives to the net and does her best to create a quality scoring opportunity. She is not successful in getting a shot away, but she puts tremendous pressure on the defensive triangle by driving to the net. Most players try to shoot from too far out because they are afraid of being checked or looking silly. Sometimes, to win, you just have to be aggressive and drive and leave your ego at the door.

4. Finally, #7 gets the goal because she isn’t afraid to muck around in the triangle and fight for the ring. Most ringette players would have stood down low by the side of the net, waiting for a sweet pass. #7 is smarter than this. Like all great goal-scorers, she created her own opportunity.

If you break it down, each of these things is very simple to do. The key is that all three players executed on her job. The result? A spectacular team effort that made scoring on the triangle look easy.

Light it up out there,
Lisa Brown

How to Pull Yourself Out of a Scoring Slump

By Lisa Brown

Have you ever started a playoff game thinking, “this is the game I’m going to light it up and score”…

But after five or six shifts, your hope starts to fade? Then, by the second period, you’re barely shooting? And by the end of the ringette game, you feel terrible about yourself?

I’ve been there. I feel your pain.

I’m a pretty consistent goal scorer, and I’ve had this happen to me more than once.

The first secret for breaking out a scoring slump is the most obvious: you must keep shooting. When your confidence is low, you stop shooting and that guarantees you won’t score.

BUT, not all shots are created equal. You will also break out of a slump quicker if you “shoot smart”.

The mistake most ringette players make during a scoring slump is they forget to be a detective and figure out why they aren’t scoring. They just blame themselves and feel bad.

Usually when I’m in a slump, I haven’t had ONE single fast break or 2 on 1 opportunity.

The vast majority of goals in ringette are scored on “odd-man” rushes. It is much harder to score against a set triangle than it is to score on a fast break or broken play (e.g., turnover deep in the other ringette team’s end).

But, I often forget this when I’m in a scoring slump.

You can restore your confidence simply by understanding why you’re not scoring, and then fixing it. Here’s a tip to help you:

If you receive the pass over the offensive blue line, always drive the ringette ring to the net with speed and take a shot.

Many ringette players receive the ring over the offensive blue line and immediately slow down, looking for a pass or to “set up the offence”.

Usually, you’re better off driving to the net. If the defence channels you wide, and there really is no shot, you can always pass after that.

Here’s a long clip for you to watch. Pay attention to the team in black. You’ll notice that every time a forward gets a break on the net, she drives and tries to score. If she really doesn’t have a decent shot, then she sets up her teammate. This is the mentality that will pull you out of your slump. Not only will you shoot more, you’ll get yourself in position behind the other team’s defense more!

Light it up out there,
Lisa B.

By Lisa Brown

The “Spin to Win” move is one of the Top Ten Goal-Scoring Strategies of All Time.

I don’t want to brag or puff myself up here, but I’ve scored more goals using Spin to Win than I can count.

There are three reasons Spin to Win is so effective:

1) The goalie or defence cannot defend against it,

2) You can use it on a breakaway, against one defender in the triangle, on a 3 vs. 2, and during a 1 vs. 1 break on the net.

3) It’s super-easy to learn and does not require a slick wrist shot.

Check out the Spin to Win in the video clip. Note: the clip takes a little while to load. Be patient!

Here are the keys to the Spin to Win:

As the shooter, you must make sure you do NOT telegraph it. You must race the goalie to the far post as though you intend to shoot at the far side of the net (tuck it in between the goalie and the far post).

Only spin at the very last moment when the goalie goes with you all the way across the net.

You MUST read the goalie. If the goalie does not follow you across the net, then you don’t need to spin. Just shoot at the far side of the net before the goalie gets there!

When teaching Spin to Win to your team, simply ask your goalies to ‘mix it up’. Sometimes they should follow the ringette player all the way across the net; other times, they should stay more in the middle, anticipating the Spin to Win. Your players will have to ‘read’ the goalie in order to execute the Spin to Win perfectly.

Light it up out there,
Lisa B.

Too many ringette forwards insist on trying to bust into the triangle.

If you can get to the Hot Spot (slot) in front of the net easily, that’s great! But, it’s not easy. Usually, ringette players get checked or channelled when they try to crash the triangle. So, there are two killer options for creating scoring chances, even without your teammates’ help.

One option: create a 1 vs. 1 when you’re facing a triangle. You do this by driving in on one of the low defenders in the triangle. I call this ‘isolating the low D’. Check out this image.

When isolating the low defender, I always like to watch for defenders who are a bit out of place at the bottom of the triangle. I try to notice if one of them is either coming out at me too far, or backing into her net and screening her goalie.

In one World Championship final, for some reason one of the opposition’s low defenders came out a big too far at me (and she was one of the best players in the world. I am still surprised at this). I drove, deked around her, and was able to score from right on top of the crease. You can try this, too.

Another option: if you see a low defender backing up onto the crease, you can drive to the net and use her as a screen when shooting. Check out this video clip of a player who takes a shot while using the low D as a screen. She doesn’t score, but she definitely made the right play!

Light it up out there,
Lisa B.

By Lisa Brown

Your team should have a set break-out or break-outs that you run. The point of a break-out is to make sure your team can actually get the ring up the ice more often than not. Also, ideally, your break-outs should create fast break scoring chances.

Many more goals are scored in ringette on the fast break than once your team is set up 3 v. 3 against the other team’s triangle.

But, a good break-out pattern isn’t enough. The individual players in the break-out also have to use certain skills to make sure they’re getting open. “Sealing” is one trick that I learned that helped me get open when I was playing forward in a ringette game. It’s a secret I stole from basketball…

When you SEAL a defender, you push yourself right up against the defender trying to mark you. You jam yourself right up against her:

Then, at the last minute, you BURST away from the defender quickly using aquick first step, guaranteeing yourself a one-step lead (if not more). Here is a DVD clip where the forward (in black) does NOT use a quick first step to get away. The defender easily stays with her and marks her effectively:

http://ringettetips.com/videos/no_seal_the_D.wmv

Now watch the forward (in black) as she SEALS the defender and breaks free to get the ring:

http://ringettetips.com/videos/seal_the_D.wmv

You can use this anytime a defender is marking you to ‘bust loose’, snag the ring, and go to the net home free!

Light it up out there,
Lisa B.

There are 3 secrets to keeping the ringette ring when you’re being checked:

1. Skate. And by that I mean, really skate – move your feet at top speed and “head for daylight”.
2. Get to the middle of the ice (away from areas where you can be trapped by checkers).
3. Hide the ring by “building a wall” with your body.

Most athletes have practiced #1 and #3 (skating and hiding the ring). Many athletes are not even aware how important it is to get to the middle of the ice when trying to keep the ring under pressure.

Smart checkers will force the ring carrier towards the boards and trap her there. No matter how much you move your feet and hide the ring, you’re still probably going to get checked if you are right along the boards.

Even if you do not get checked, you will only be able to see a tiny part of the ice. If one of your teammates is wide open on the far side of the ice you won’t be able to get the ring to her.

Next time you work on your break-out in practice ask your coach to put two pylons on the ringuette line right in the middle of the ice (the pylons should be about 15 or 20 feet apart). The rule is that you can’t pass the ring over the first blue line until you skate through the two pylons.

Doing this exercise will force you to move your feet like crazy and fight to get to the middle of the ice.

From the middle of the ice you’ll be able to make a smart break-out pass to anyone on your team who is open. Notice how many fast breaks your team gets when you make smart breakout passes!

Check out these examples of getting to the middle of the ice:

Q. I’ve noticed that the best goal-scorers on the national ringette team can somehow score on a triangle by themselves. How can I do that, especially when I’m a small player?!?

A. Here’s my core secret for scoring on the defensive triangle. Don’t miss the video clip — watch it all the way to the end where I show you specific “moves” to steal and use for yourself!

Lisa Brown’s Secret for Scoring on the Triangle: Attack the Bottom Defender

As you know, most goals are scored from right on the crease – from the “hot spot”. To get to the hot spot, you have to get past the defence first.

The smartest way to do this is to pick one defensive player in the triangle and beat her.

Too many ringette forwards try to beat two or three defenders at a time – they attack the top of the defensive triangle or take turns circling around it.

Attacking the Triangle 1 versus 3

Your chances of scoring a goal using this strategy are very low.

The best goal scorers on the national ringette team attack low on the triangle. They pick one defence and try to beat her to the top of the crease.

Attacking the Low Defender

To do this, you’ll need to perfect a couple of “sniper moves” to help you get around the low defender in the triangle.

Click here to see examples of sniper moves from our How To Be A Ringette Star video… Watch Lisa Brown and Jodi Jensen very closely – what do they do to get to the front of the net?

Here is a great sniper move for you to start rehearsing in your mind today:

Deking Around the Low Defence

In this move, pretend you are going through the center and the defence. At the last minute, skate around the low defence only. When you deke around the low defence, you end up right in front of the net with only the goalie to beat.

The more often you get to this Hot Spot, the more goals you will score.

Visualize deking the defence at the bottom of the triangle and driving straight to the front of the net. When you play your next ringette game next season, you will naturally do this move – and watch your goal scoring balloon!

Light it up out there,

Lisa B.

A perfect lead pass is one where your teammate does NOT have to change her speed at all.

If your teammate has to speed up to receive the ring, the pass is too far ahead of her (and the other team will likely intercept the pass).

If your teammate has to slow down to receive the ring, the pass is too short (and the other team will likely steal the ring).

When the receiver can snag the ring without changing her speed at all, we call the pass just right (and your team maintains possession). That’s why our motto is, “Ain’t Never Gonna Break My Stride”!

To understand the skill of lead passing, watch this video clip. Then, follow these exact same steps in practice.

Light it up out there,

Lisa B.

Too many athletes get burnt 1 v. 1 because they keep the wrong amount of space between them and the ring carrier. If you get too close to the ring carrier, the forward will drive around you and get a breakaway on net. If you remain too far away from the forward, you will screen your goalie and the forward can shoot for the open corners.

Killer ringette tip: The secret to channeling

The secret to awesome ringette channeling is to master a skill called “gap control” – keeping the perfect amount of space between you and the ring carrier at all times.

Great gap control is all about foot speed. If you do not move your feet the forward will get “too close” and blow by you. If you skate too quickly too early you will back in on your goalie and screen her.

A good gap is about a stick length away from the forward. As a defender you must constantly adjust your foot speed to keep the right distance between you and the ring carrier.

As you do this, you can use your body position to steer the forward away from your team’s Hot Spot. Once you get close to the net you will be in a position to block the forward’s shot, steal the ring from her, or force her to take a weak shot from a bad angle.

The following pictures show:

• Too large of a gap
• Too small of a gap
• The ideal gap

Too Close

Too Far

Just Right

Check out these video clips of perfect ringette channeling:

Master these skills and you will be the kind of defender who drives the other team crazy.

Your Friend,
Lisa Brown