At a young age a powerful shot with good accuracy will help you score a lot of goals, however the older you get and the more competitive the hockey gets the faster the game becomes. Soon a powerful and accurate shot is not enough, because if you wait to long to get the shot off you will never get a good scoring chance. This is where a quick release comes in. 

Before we get started… A little demonstration

Before I teach the quick release I want to show you an example of a quick release. The video below has all of Steven Stamkos’ goals from the 2011 season where he popped 60 goals to win the Rocket Richard trophy. How many seconds is the puck on his stick for most of the goals?

Answer: 0.1

I know Stamkos is mostly taking one-timers, however it goes to show how important it is to get the shot off when you have the opportunity.

The key to the Quick Release

A quick release means you get the puck off quickly, without much set-up. The key to this type of shot is getting the hands away from the body and using the leverage of the stick to product power. With other shots you draw the puck back, but in this shot we need to release the puck as quick as we can. Check out the video below to learn more.

This quick release method is most helpful in the snapshot however you can use the same principle to finish your shot in the wrist shot and slapshot.

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A big problem for a lot of people who want to practice their shot is they do not have the space. In order to work on your shot at home you typically need a hockey net, and a big enough area to practice shooting from a distance. These obstacles usually keep people from practicing their shot at home. Even if you do have the space to shoot at home, you may not shoot as much as you like because of bad weather, night fall, or other reasons. Luckily I have found a solution

You can practice your shot inside!

In the video below I share a trick that will let you improve your shot in the comfort of your own home. The important part is using the right technique, and knowing what you want to improve.

Products I use in the video

• Cat – not for sale
• Dryland training tiles (see my review) – $10.95 per tile
• Squishy hockey pucks – .99 cents on Amazon
• Hockey shot stick weight – $10.95 on HockeyShot
• Radar Gun (see my review) – $139.95 on HockeyShot – use our coupon code to save $10

How to improve your shot inside

• Make sure you have a smooth surface to protect the floor, and a soft object to shoot.
• Give yourself enough room for a full shot and follow through
• Watch out for animals
• Make sure you practice good technique
• Have a goal in mind (better weight transfer, faster snap, quicker release, more power, etc)
• Make sure you also practice outside or on the ice with real pucks, keep track of the technique you use there and try to replicate it inside.

Keep track of how many shots you are taking!

I have just released the iSnipe app which will help you track how many shots you have taken. The app also has 16 video tips from me, a buzzer beater training tool, and a quick release training tool. For details visit my iSnipe page, or you can buy it in the app store.

If you browse the how to hockey website enough you will find that the fundamentals of every shot have been covered in detail, most of you who have been following how to hockey for a while should have a good grasp on each shot, so now it is time to take your shot to the next level.

In the video below I share three off ice training methods that you can use to improve your shot on the ice. These training tips will help you with game-like shooting situations. I mostly focus on the quick release and accuracy as these are very important in the game

Advanced Off-ice Shooting Tips

In this video

• Shooting in stride 
  • This is important to practice if you want a quick release without giving any clues. Sometimes you will see an opening and you need to take advantage of it right away. If you are too slow to get your shot off the chance may quickly be taken away.
• Changing the point of release
  • This is very important if you are shooting on a goalie that has taken away your shooting options, or you are being covered by a defencemen. Learning to pull the puck in towards your body and shoot it quickly will help you find more scoring opportunities and get more shots on net.
• Toe shots
  • These are great to practice if you want a deceptive shot. As a hockey player you need to learn how to be accurate with a variety of shots. Sometimes the puck will be at the toe of your stick and you will need to shoot it. The toe shot lets you change the angle, hide your release, disguise where you are shooting, and use the stick to generate a bit more power.

I am very happy to announce that the iSnipe app is now available

How the iSnipe will help you improve your shot

Shot Counter

The shot counter allows you to input and keep track of the number of shots you have taken per shooting session.

You can keep track of each type of shot, while the grand total of shots is shown at the top of the screen.

• Keeping track of shots helps keep you motivated to shoot more
• Individual shot counters allow you to set and achieve goals
• Your initial goal can be smaller (1000 of each type of shot, or 2500 of each type of shot to reach 10 000 total shots)

Video Training Tips

Each type of shot is explained in detail in the first video detailing the fundamentals of the shot, and how to perform it.

The next three videos explain advanced shooting methods, giving you new ways to shoot the puck.

The longer videos are hosted online, while shorter videos are built into the app.

• Videos will help remind you of proper form, helping you drastically improve your rate of improvement
• Advanced shooting tips will give you new game-situation shooting methods to practice, which will help you score more goals

On ice videos

Videos are shot on the ice so you can see how the movements will translate to game situations

All lesson, teaching tips, and movements can and SHOULD be recreated in your off-ice shooting practice

The videos go beyond the basics, teaching you variations of each shot, how to practice them, and when the best time to use them is

16 training videos in total!

Training Tools – The Buzzer Beater

Input how many seconds you want to shoot for. The buzzer beater has a 3 second delay before it starts, allowing you to set up your first shot.

See how many shots you can take in a given time, how many times you hit the net, how many targets you hit, etc.

Vary distance, shot type and shot angle to continue to improve your release and accuracy in many different situations

• Improve shot release speed
• Record and track your improvements with the notepad (next tab)

Training Tool – Quick Release

Input the amount of pucks you want to shoot, and how many seconds you want between shots. Shot locations are called out instructing you where to shoot.

• Improve quick release
• Improve accuracy
• Improve reaction time (must adjust shot and aim according to location called out)
• Time is adjusted in .25 second increments allowing you to gradually increase

Track and Share

A notepad area is included to keep track of your goals and achievements. This is handy to have so you can track your improvements in accuracy, quick release, and shot power (if you have a radar gun)

You can also share the amount of shots you have taken easily with Facebook and Twitter.

• Use the notepad to keep track of goals and achievements

Visit the itunes page to purchase

In this article and video Ken delivers three tips on how to use the boards in the defensive end. The boards are a great tool to have, and as a defensemen you should know how to use them. There are a few ways that you can use the boards or the glass to elevate your level of play. When you get the puck in the defensive end your number one goal is to move it out of your end, and hopefully also maintain possession. In the video Ken shares 3 ways to effectively use the boards and 5 different plays that you can make.

5 plays you can make using the boards

Using the boards as a Defensemen

Here are some of the points that we covered in the video

• You can use the boards when you need to protect the puck, keep your knees bent and have some weight on your stick so you are not easily knocked off the puck. Remember your legs are the most powerful muscles, so keep them moving during the puck battles. You can also use your hands for leverage and support
• Sometimes you need to make a cross ice pass to your defensive partner. If you are close to the net you do not want to put the puck right in front of the net. Use the boards behind the net to bank pass the puck to your partner.
• A hard rim is a good way to get the puck up the ice quickly, but remember your winger needs to know how to handle a rimmed puck, and it usually takes longer to recover than a direct pass. Use a hard rim when you need to clear the puck quickly, it’s usually a safe play, but not always the best one
• A bank pass up the ice is another good play to use, sometimes you want to make a pass to a centermen or winger who is crossing lanes, if this option is taken away then look to the boards. You may see a clear bank pass that will still get the puck to your forwards.
• Another way to use the boards is by clearing the puck high and off the glass. This is usually your last option and only used when you really need to get the puck out. It’s like pulling the cord on the emergency chute

These tips should help you see the ice a little differently. Remember direct passes are great when you can make them, but usually the other team will try to take away passing lanes. You can look to the boards when your direct pass options are taken away, you need to move the puck up ice quickly with a hard rim, you can’t move the puck and need to battle or “eat the puck”, or in case of emergencies, throw it high and off the glass.

The Mohawk turn (some people call it the Eagle turn) is a fairly simple skating maneuver to perfect if you are already comfortable on your edges. One player who seems to use this move quite a bit is Sidney Crosby (when he’s not getting hit in the face with pucks). In order to perform the move the skater simply puts their heels together and points the toes out, this almost aligns the skate blades in-line allowing the player to carve or turn in a circular motion.

How to do the Mohawk Turn

First practice while standing still, you can even practice off the ice. Bend your knees a bit and point one toe out, now lift the other leg and point the other toe out, then step down (heel to heel). With your legs you should be making a “fat diamond” shape.

Now try the same thing on the ice (with skates on). It may be a bit harder because you are on your blades, but work on getting comfortable in that position and balancing.

When doing this move while moving you will be on both inside edges of the skates.

Mohawk Turn Video Lesson

In this video I show you how to do the Mohawk turn, a few drills you can use to get better at doing it, and a few game situations when you might want to use it.

When and Why you need the Mohawk

• The move allows you to open up and see the entire ice while still moving
• You can also use it to protect the puck while moving to an area you need to be
• The move gives you more options while skating, with a push, or turn of a foot you can stop, keep going, or go forwards in a fraction of a second
• Great to use when coming from behind the net
• Use it when skating towards the net and calling for a one-timer (on your off wing)
• Transitioning from skating backwards to going forwards

The Mohawk in Action Sidney Crosby

You can see Crosby using this move a few times in the clip below.

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In sports, any little edge that you can give to your team that the other team does not have, will help your team win more games. The video below focuses on the mental side of competing which can severely impact a players performance, especially at the competitive level. Creating a winning culture, and focusing your mind is a good habit to practice in sports and in life.

If young athletes can get into the habit of positive mental habits it will help them greatly in sports, school, and life. Older athletes can also apply these same principles in sports and at work. I was very inspired by the video below and I hope you are as well. The original video was posted here on the Coaches Site

Martin Rennie – Winning Culture

Martin Rennie is the coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. During his first season with the Whitecaps in 2012, he led the team to first MLS playoff birth.

All the text below was taken from the video above – full credit goes to Martin Rennie. Video embedded  from the Coaches Site.

Key Concepts and quotes from this video

• Desire to learn -A good athlete is always looking to improve and asking “what else can I learn, what can I take from someone else” they are willing to give up their time and money to always learn more. (using Tiger Woods as an example)
• Unless you think big, you are doing a disservice to yourself and to your team. The potential we have to succeed far outweighs what we believe most of the time. The potential of our athletes is far far higher than we give them credit for. You don’t want to hold back your athletes.

Creating a winning culture and Environment (Video 13:20)

• Build your culture and environment first
  • This comes before success. You can’t wait for success to build your confidence and then build your culture. Make sure you build a culture that sustains itself whether you win or lose.
• NO EXCUSES
  • Most people agree that you can’t have excuses, but a lot of people have “legitimate reasons why they can’t succeed” those are excuses! You need to find ways to overcome those problems so the team can succeed.
• Responsibility
  • If the teams loses is it the refs fault, the other players fault or your fault? Are you saying there is nothing you can do to make the team any better? Are you giving away responsibility to someone else? There is nothing you can do to help?
  • Build a culture where your players and your staff, your coaches, your equipment guys take responsibility for what they can do better. Then you’ve got a chance to win
• Respect
  • For Martin respect is building an environment where people understand, recognize and respect what other people bring to the team. No one player is the best at everything, the team needs each type of player, and each player plays a role in success.
• Competitiveness and desire
  • Everybody wants to win, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to win. Having REAL desire is when you’re willing to make sacrifice.
  • Unless you’ve got a team filled with people who want to be the absolute best your team will never be at it’s best.
• Sacrifice
  • You need to be willing to sacrifice being comfortable to be the best. Being the best is not easy, being good is easy, it’s comfortable, players need to push themselves and work hard to be the best.

Self Image (Video 20:29)

• Biggest factor to achieving success
  • Is your self image affecting your level of success? Is your self-doubt holding you back?
  • Your self image is built on what other people have told you, or on past experiences.
  • You can’t do this or that, because everyone tells you that’s the type of person you are, and that’s the type of person you become.
  • You have players who do well in practice but not in games, that’s entirely to do with how they view themselves and that view is based on what other people have told them and what you are telling them.
  • Unless we get our players to their full potential we have not done our best as a coach.
  • We can control how we view ourselves and how players view themselves
• How do we re-engineer the mental part of the game?
  • Ask your athletes “There is a lot of things you believe about yourself, you need to go away and think about what those things are, and you need to decide if they are true or not. Who told you those things? Were they right? Were they the final authority on that? Do they know everything they need to know in order to tell you that? And are those things helping you or hurting you?”
  • Until you get the players thinking that they can be outstanding they are only going to be average. They will never be their best. They need to be aware of what they are thinking and if it’s the wrong thing they need to change it to the right thing.
• Create positive affirmations.
  • What is mentally holding you back and what is the TRUTH?
  • Write out what the truth is example – “I’m a great player, I’m a goal scorer, I’m a great passer, I’m a hard worker, I’m a fast player, I win battles on the boards, etc, etc” (use what applies to you). Write them out, repeat them, record them and put it to music, listen to it on your ipod, GET IT IN YOUR HEAD so you can consciously change what is subconsciously holding you back! Once you get that right, a lot of things start to become easier.
• Visualization – If you can visualize with enough detail you can really help your performance and chances of success. You can replicate game situations to train your brain
  • Mental Rehearsal – Visualize in detail the key things you need to do in the game (whatever your role is)
  • Mental Movies – Imagine yourself on a big screen, imagine everything, the feel, the smell, the sound. When game time comes it’s already happened 100 times in your brain and you’ve got the confidence to do it again.
• Goal Setting (Video 30:27)
  • We all want things, but are they actually goals, or are they just wishes?
  • Most people would like to have success, most people would like to win. Others desperately need to do it and they are willing to do anything to make it happen
  • It’s too easy to get comfortable, it’s too easy to just be good that we don’t force ourselves to be great. It’s natural to want to be comfortable, our mind doesn’t want to work harder, but if you desperately want it and build up reasons to succeed and reasons not to fail you can make it happen.
  • You need to plan your goals in detail. You need to know everything in detail what you need to do to succeed.
  • If you plan your path to success in enough detail your chances of reaching success is much higher
  • You must have the self-image of a person who can achieve that goal. If your self-image does not believe that it’s possible for you to achieve that goal then nothing will help you succeed.

Bucket Filling (Video 36:15)

On the team you coach you have many team members and every team member has a “bucket”. Positive players who are having success on and off the ice with loads of confidence have a “full bucket”. There are also players who have low confidence, they aren’t playing that well, maybe they have some personal problems at the moment, those players have an almost empty bucket.

To get the environment you want and get the most chances of success you need to “fill those buckets”. When you do that you have a better chance of enjoying yourself and succeeding.

When you cut down players and always tell people what they can’t do or have done wrong and highlighting their faults you are emptying their bucket.

If you are pointing out the positive things, and get your other staff members to do the same, and get players to do the same you will start to see that people are good at giving encouragement and thrive on it. Get in the habit of encouraging players, saying positive things, pointing out a few things they do well and focus on their strengths.

Encourage people to be the best!

Attempt to create an environment where players do not say negative things about other players behind their backs. If there is a problem you can say it to the player or coach, but avoid speaking negatively of players in groups when the player is not there. This does nothing for the team.

Create a culture where everyone builds the other players and staff up. Instead of complaining behind the players back, mention it constructively to the player to help them succeed.

I hope you have taken away a few positive points from this article. If you enjoyed reading all of these points I encourage you to watch the video. Martin does a much better job of delivering the points and driving them home in the video. Set aside an hour to watch the video and then work on implementing the points that are made. I think they will help you become a better player and a better person.

Thanks to the Coaches Site

I have recently discovered the coaches site and have been reading a lot of the articles and watching all of the videos. I will be sharing some of the videos here on How To Hockey and breaking down the key concepts within the video (in case you don’t want to watch the entire seminar). If you are a coach or player who wants to study the game of hockey I recommend checking out the coaches site, there are detailed seminars from many professional coaches and you can learn a lot.

The Datsyukian deke is probably the most magnificent feat I have ever seen a hockey player perform on more than one occasion. When performed properly this move sends the goalie to the OTHER SIDE of the net, giving the player a completely empty net to score on and with Datsyuk behind the wheel he usually shelfs the puck just for extra style points. Before showing you the video on how to do the Datsyukian deke I will show you the move in all it’s glory below.

Thee Datsyukian Deke

This is the first time he pulled this beauty off, sorry not available in HD.

What Pavel Datsyuk is doing in this deke

The trick to this deke is doing everything very quickly, and at the last possible moment. This forces the goalie to react to your fake, because if he doesn’t react you could score (if of course you were not faking the shot)

1. Skate with the puck IN FRONT of your body, this tells the goalie you have to either deke left or deke right and keeps him in the center of the net
2. When you get to about the hash marks you move the puck to your shooting side. This tells the goalie you are probably going to shoot, he moves over a bit to your shooting side to line up with the puck
3. Show some blade and push the puck towards the side (whatever your shooting side is) of the net. This forces the goalie to attempt to save the potential shot
4. At the very last second roll the blade over and catch the puck with the back of your blade while simultaneously turning your front skate
5. Now with the puck on the back of the blade of your stick, and your skate turned across the crease you pull the puck back, cut across the top of the crease and watch the goalie sprawl out with no chance in H-E double hockey sticks to stop you
6. Score on empty net
7. Sounds complicated, so watch the video below

How to do the Datsyukian Deke

This video explains the Datsyukian deke, he does have quite a few moves up his sleeve so if you want to learn them all (and about 20 moves in total) check out my Goalie Buster course (link at the bottom of this article)

More examples of the Datsyukian Deke

Claude Giroux does a great rendition against the Maple Leafs

Ryan Getzlaf also pulled this move in 2006 (also not in HD)

If you’ve got some questions you can ask below or on the Pavel Datsyuk – datsyukian deke video page on Youtube or in the comments below.

Want to learn more dekes

I recently released the Goalie Buster breakaway course and have gotten a great response so far. If you become a member you will learn about 20 moves, where and when to use them, plus lots of other great tips for scoring on the goalie. Plus I’m selling it for $10 off for the Spring / Summer.

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In this article we have three hockey tips from George Parros of the Florida Panthers. Parros has played over 400 games in the in NHL, won a Stanley Cup with the Ducks and has a great Mustache! In the videos Parros teaches a trick shot, how to take a snapshot, and shares some tips for the forwards crossovers.

Thanks to H20 Overdrive for setting up this opportunity with George Parros, although I would have liked to see some tips geared towards his physical style of play, maybe later we can do a video with tips for intimidation and dropping the mitts.

How to take a snapshot with George Parros

In this video Parros teaches his style of the snapshot which many NHL players use. This is a great shot to use to incorporate a lot of power and a deceptive release. This snapshot is a hybrid between the full wrist shot and the quick release snapshot that I taught in another article and video.

Forward Crossover Tips with George Parros

Parros has some great tips in this video. His advice will help you make a tight turn while using crossovers but also maintain good body position and balance. Once you have mastered the forwards crossovers you can start working on your backwards crossovers

Trick Shot

In this video Parros teaches you how to pull the puck back and then flip it up in the air. If you are looking for some more trick shots you might like our video on how to do the scoopy puck move

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Hockey sense is the most elusive skill to learn and teach. Many people hold the false belief that players either have hockey sense or they don’t. These are the people that will tell you that Wayne Gretzky was just born to be great and he had a natural gift to see the ice like no one else could. I think this is bull.

I have read Wayne Gretky’s autobiography and I would argue that his hockey sense came from an obsession for every minor detail of the game, it came from spending every free hour he had playing hockey before school and after school on his outdoor rink (during the winter) and with multiple hockey teams. It also came from sitting in front of the t.v and following plays that the pro’s were making and trying to figure out where they were going, what they were doing, and why. Gretzky (and many other players) learned to be great, and so can you!

Teaching Hockey Sense – What Hockey Coaches Have to Say

In this article I have asked a number of reputable hockey coaches to weigh in on their thoughts about developing and teaching hockey sense. I have devoted a section of this article to each of the coaches so you can read what their philosophy is. I will also weigh in with my thoughts at the bottom of this post. First lets start off with a short definition of hockey sense. In my opinion hockey sense consists of

• Experience – The better you understand the game the more effective you will be
• Habits – Recognizing cues allows your habits to kick in, allowing you to perform tasks with very little hesitation
• Anticipation – Anticipating the moves of your team mates and opponents allows you make better decisions
• Decision Making – You always have multiple options on the ice, good decision making will make you more effective
• Pattern Recognition – Hockey is a game of patterns and plays, when you recognize a pattern you can predict where your team mates will be (according to plays you work on at practice)
• Influence – You can influence plays with or without the puck, your position, actions, and amount of pressure will influence the opponents next move.

In short, hockey sense means being one step ahead of the play. It’s about going to where the puck will be, and reading where your team mates and opponents will be. Now that we have a better understanding of hockey sense, lets learn how we can develop it.

Good hockey sense also comes from smart hockey players so we will touch on a few smart plays as well

Read the coaches feedback below for more on all of the topics I mentioned above.

Jeremy Weiss – Weiss Tech Hockey

Playing “smart hockey” can mean a lot of things. In my opinion, it can be broken down into three main areas; understanding your individual style, positional vs tactical play, and learning the patterns of the game.

1. Understanding Your Individual Style

Being a smart player starts with understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, then structuring your style of play around those. For example, I’m a fast player, and a good playmaker. I’m an okay stickhandler, but it’s not my forte. So, if I get the puck I’m not going to try to dangle through everyone… I’m going to drive wide with speed, and either cut to the net hard, or look to pull the defenseman deep, then find an open player filling that lane.

Knowing my strengths and weaknesses also helps me understand which types of players make good line mates for me. Typically, my favorite type of line mate is one who has nice hands, good finish around the net, and is a little slower than me. Playing with guys who fit this profile are great for me, because I can be the set-up man, and they have the hands and the scoring touch to convert.

2. Positional vs Tactical

I talk about this one a lot. It’s not that hard to understand proper positioning… just memorize the X’s and O’s how ever your coach wants you to set up. However, there’s a BIG difference between being in the proper position at the right time, and doing the right thing, while in the proper position at the right time. This is where tactical hockey comes into play. For example, in our team’s defensive zone coverage, we have our weak side defenseman cover the player on the back door. Standing next to a guy on the back door is an okay start… and that’s the proper position… but what’s more important is that he neutralize the back door man’s stick. If he doesn’t neutralize his stick, then that player is still a scoring threat. Other examples of tactical play could be force vs contain, gap control, shot selection, etc. Players who DO the right thing, while in the right position at the right time are much more effective!

3. Learning the Patterns of the Game

Hockey is a game of recurring patterns. Players who can recognize these patterns quickly, and react properly, operate at a much faster pace than players who don’t. For example, a defenseman breaking out of the zone sees similar forechecking pressure every time. Either the pressure will be hard on his inside shoulder, in which case he can execute a quick turn-back (or misdirection) and come out the strong side; or the pressure could be directly behind him, in which case he will skate it behind the net, cut tight, and hang the forechecker up on the net; if the pressure is inside out, a D to D pass behind the net is a great option. This idea of recognizing recurring patterns can be applied to many different areas of the game such as offensive attack options, regroups, power play and penalty kill, etc.

What Now? Action Items to do on Your Own
So, how do you actually implement these concepts into your own game? Start by analyzing your own game.

• How would you describe your style? Some descriptive words could be speed, finesse, gritty, tough, smooth, hands, defensive.
• What would you say your typical role is on your teams? Some possible roles could be goal scorer, playmaker, digger, enforcer, stabilizer, spark plug.
• What type of player do you play best with? Describe him or her.

Now that you understand your strengths and weaknesses, focus on playing to your strengths, and developing your weaknesses to the point where they don’t hinder your strengths. Remember I said speed was my main thing, but stickhandling wasn’t? Well, my stickhandling is still good enough that it doesn’t hinder my ability to skate full speed with the puck. That’s what you need to do to get the most out of your game.

Next, sit down with your team’s playbook, and learn where your coach wants you to be in every possible situation. If your team doesn’t have a playbook, check out our free Coaches’ Training Course that covers positional play for many different game situations: http://weisstechhockey.com/blog/coaches-training-course/ Learn your position, and learn the tactical expectations in each scenario, then practice it! Here’s another quick tip: Once you’ve got your own position nailed down, learn another position. There’s nothing more useful to a coach than a “utility player” who can bounce back and forth to different positions depending on the needs of the team!

Lastly, start watching game film, both of your own games, as well as the NHL games. Watch for the positional situations your coach has taught you. Watch for the recurring patterns that happen over and over. Watch for the times when you made the right decision, and watch for the times when you messed up. Think about how you’ll fix your mistakes. Watch how the pros play certain situations. See if you can see any of your teams’ systems being used by the NHL teams. In short… BECOME A STUDENT OF THE GAME.

Players who study the game away from the rink make better decisions come game time, because they’ve rehearsed their actions over and over in their minds. They already know what they’ll do when a certain situation presents itself. Instead of reading and reacting, the top players are constantly recognizing and reacting.

You can visit Jeremy Weiss blog Weiss Tech Hockey for lots of great hockey drills and articles

Coach Nielsen – Coach Nielsens Drills

Coach Nielsen has been coaching hockey at all levels for the past 27 years. He currently coaches a Midget 16 AAA team. Coach nielsen describes the importants of playing smart hockey and discusses a few smart plays that he likes to see.
Coach Nielsen is responding to an email and I mentioned teaching players to beat the defense with their speed rather than a deke.

You already mentioned one that I tell my players all the time and that is to use your speed and stay outside instead of always trying to go between defenders legs. Too many players try that same move over and over and don’t realize how much better it is to go hard to the outside and open up the ice for your teammates. Every season if I can get just one of my players to change their game away from that deke to a hard outside rush I feel like I accomplished something.

Another one I drill into their heads is on the penalty kill. Too many players are trying to score a shorthanded goal instead of just trying to prevent one against us. I tell my players to concentrate on clearing the zone first and don’t blow the zone defensively until the puck is out of the defensive zone. Too often a five on four becomes a five on three because a player blows the zone looking for the breakaway pass instead of playing his position.
Don’t be afraid to change out of the offensive zone. Too many players want to play when the puck is in the offensive zone and then are too tired to backcheck and cause the team to play against odd man rushes. I work on my guys to understand how long a shift should be and when they should exit the ice no matter what area of the ice they are in.

Don’t be shy; make sure you talk on the ice. All players need to talk while on the ice. Goaltenders need to let defenseman know what’s happening. Forwards need to talk to the defensemen when looking for a pass breaking out of the zone. Defensemen need to talk to each other and the forwards to know who to pick up on the zone entries by the opponent. Too many players are too quiet and don’t let their teammates know what’s going on behind them and around them.

Play without the puck. A good player understands open ice concepts and passing lanes. Don’t stand still when you don’t have the puck. Keep your feet moving and look for open areas on the ice where your teammate can get you the puck. Be aware of the passing lanes that your teammate needs to use to get you the puck. Don’t stand behind a defender and think you are going to get the puck. Move to open ice and keep moving until you find the right spot to receive a pass.

I hope these few items help you out and please feel free to contact me any time. Thanks for the opportunity to let me contribute in some small way. Really like your site, keep up the great work.

Coach Nielsen adds hockey drills on a regular basis to his website. Visit Coach Nielsens website for a great collection of drills

Kevin Muller – Hockey Share

Kevin is the founder of HockeyShare.com and has been involved in coaching since 2002.  He is currently coaching for the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals AAA at the midget and bantam levels.
What should players be thinking about when on the ice?: One of the easiest and most beneficial things for a player to think about when they’re on the ice is “am I in position?”.  This single question allows players to give themselves an opportunity to continually correct any positional mistakes they may be making. Players who are in proper position will often find themselves with better opportunities to “make plays.”

A couple simple examples of positional thoughts:

Defense: on the offensive blue line, a D can continually ask him/herself “how many opposing players are in front of me?”.  This simple question / process allows the player to determine if someone is or may be behind them.
Defense: when your partner has full control of the puck, the simple question to ask yourself is: “am I in a good support position?”.  If you ask this, a player can determine if 1) he/she is a viable support pass option 2) he/she is a proper “safety valve” if the partner makes a mistake.
Forwards: in the offensive zone ask the simple question: “do we have a third man high?”.  This will prevent wandering toward the puck without a purpose.
Forwards: in the offensive zone ask the simple question: “am I an option?“. This will help players understand the difference between “being open” and simply “being unguarded”.  If you’re “open”, you can receive a pass.  If you’re “unguarded”, it just means nobody is around you, but it does NOT mean you’re an option.

Note: These thought processes will eventually become second nature. To help yourself think like this on the ice you can copy this article to your phone and read them before you play to remind yourself. 

How can a coach train players to be smarter on the ice?: I believe this is a two-part process. The first part is to put players into specific game situations during practice. This begins with a very specific execution of a skill, sometimes un-defended so players can develop technical proficiency in the skill set.  Next, move to a pressured version of the situation.  Next, add another option to the same situation and practice it with and without pressure. The final step here is to then run the same game situation and allow players to decide which of the skills you’ve taught to execute in particular situations.  Give them immediate feedback good or bad on their decisions.

The second, and perhaps most important part, is to be sure you are telling the players WHY you are executing specific options in different situations.  When players understand why they’re doing something, they develop a deeper understanding of the situation overall, which gives them a greater ability to make the correct decision next time through.

What small mental tips will help hockey players become more effective on the ice?: The best mental tip I ever received as a player was to visualize situations before the game.  Picture yourself executing very specific scenarios in your head and succeeding.
Another tip is to pay close attention to the next game you watch on TV.  Watch the pros execute (and make mistakes) at a high level, and focus on specific parts of the game that you’re learning in practice.  If you’re a D who is struggling to make a clean first breakout pass, watch some of the top athletes execute it time and time again, and see if you can pick up one or two things you can apply to your game.
Note: With the NHL highlight center you can easily watch and re-watch highlight videos and study the pro’s!
Sincerely,
-Kevin Muller

Kevin runs Hockey Share, a great hockey resource with lots of great hockey articles, videos and drills.

Brett Henning – 7 Pre-Game Habits

Hockey is a fast and fluid game but many of the same situations happen over and over in a predictable way. (For instance if you’re a forward on a 3-on-2 then the middle guy will most likely drive to the net and weak side winger will move high.)  If you’re a D on the pp, you have more time then you think. A forward on the pp getting pressured hard along the wall can reverse it and know that his weakside D will be there. Don’t just play . Pay attention to the details of the game.

Really practice your skating and stickhandling skills on your own time. You have a certain mental capacity. If you can only stickhandle at 80% or can’t cross over to you’re left then you’re concentrating on completing these skills when pushed outside of you’re comfort zone instead of being aware of you’re on-ice situation.Think about it from a different perspective. If Steve Nash was focusing on dribbling then he wouldn’t be able to make those amazing passes.

Brett came very close to playing in the NHL and has since written 7 pre-game habits of pro hockey players. The book helps player prepare themselves mentally for games.

Darryl Belfry – Pro Playmakers

Darryl runs a hockey development center in St. Catherines Ontario. His training focuses on the three speeds of hockey: speed of mind, speed of hand and speed of foot. He has worked with NHL players such as Patrick Kane, John Tavares, Matt Duchene and many more.

Hockey sense is long mis-characterized as a skill set that can’t be influenced.  The rhetoric is you either have it or you don’t.  While it is true that reading and anticipating the game at a high level comes easier to some than others.  To say that it can’t be influenced or dramatically improved is just not true.  

Most of hockey anticipation comes from pattern recognition.  In every game, whether it is peewee or the NHL, there are certain patterns that occur, understanding and learning to recognize these basic patterns is a very powerful influencer of one’s hockey sense.  Take triangles for example the entire game is played in triangles, so if you can recognize when you are in a triangle and how it rotates you will always be in great puck support.

Don’t let anyone tell you that hockey sense can’t be influenced because I do it every day.

Drill to help influence hockey sense

Visit Pro Playmakers to learn more about Darryl and see videos of him working with some NHL players.

Take Away from this Article

Some hockey players are naturally more gifted than others, however this does not mean you can not improve your hockey sense. Improving your hockey sense starts with understanding the game and understanding the naturally re-occurring patterns.

Hockey sense comes from predicting where the other team will move the puck, and where your players will be moving while your team (or you) has the puck. As a player, you should also maintain a good position on the ice so that your players will know where you will be!

In order to begin predicting where players will be you should have a good understanding of basic hockey positions. Knowing basic hockey positions and plays will help shave time off your decision making and allow you to make quicker and smarter plays. If you are looking for information on positions you can read my article on the role of a winger and the role of a centermen. I also have an article on 5 breakouts every hockey player should know. If you are looking for more detailed information on hockey systems I strongly recommend Hockey plays and strategies (Amazon.ca link for Canadians), I have been reading this book for a while and have found a lot of great information in it.

How to improve hockey sense at home

A great way to hone your hockey sense at home is to work that pause button! If you visit the NHL video center you can find highlights from every game for the entire season. You can watch as many as you like and each segment is about 6 minutes long. While watching the highlights hit the pause button before each player makes a decision. This allows you to quickly read the play and make a decision, now hit play and see if you made the same decision as the pro player. You can also pause the clip and notice where each player is on the ice. Look for good decisions and mistakes (remember even pro’s mess up). While watching the highlights also look for smart plays or moves that the players are using and try to incorporate them into your game, you will notice small things like protecting the puck in certain areas, effective methods for battling for the puck on the boards, when to run a delay, etc. You can use all of these simple and effective moves to become a smarter hockey player and improve your hockey sense.

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