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5 Drills for Defensemen
Developing defensemen can be a difficult task. The skill sets required to be a solid defenseman are unique and require years of practice. One of the biggest things to work on with defenders is lateral movement. Here are some drills I like to use to improve my defensemen's footwork:
How to Watch a Professional Game
I think if most coaches went around their locker room and asked how many player watch NHL games, a good number of kids (generally speaking) would raise their hands. I would venture to guess if you asked who watches a game without texting their friends, updating Facebook, or Tweeting - the number of hands raised would be drastically decreased. Players (and coaches) who watch professional hockey have tons of opportunities to learn from the best in the game every time a game is televised.
Learn from the Pros - Week 5
Playoff hockey this year has certainly delivered excitement as expected. One series not short on rivalry is the Boston vs. Philly match-up. In this week's Learn from the Pros posting, we'll take a look at a Boston goal scored off a blocked shot and a big hit.
Defensive Shadow Drill [Video]
This week's video from M2 Hockey and HockeyShare.com features a great drill to work on defensive player mobility, footwork, and quick reaction. The drill requires two players and 4 cones and only takes a minute to set up.
Gap Control Basics
Gap control is one of the most important skills/concepts for defensemen to learn. Simply stated, a defenseman's gap is the distance between the puck carrying forward and the defender. Making a play at the right time, and knowing how and when to make the commitment can be the difference between a defender making a great play or getting beat.
Learn from the Pros - Week 4
This week's Learn from the Pros clip features Marian Hossa's goal against Nashville on 4/24/10 to put the Blackhawks up 3 games to 2 in their first round series. Hossa, who was serving a 5-minute penalty for boarding comes out of the box, finds a break in Nashville's coverage and puts home a rebound.
Taking a Lesson from the Capitals
If you're a Washington Capitals fan, the last couple days have probably been pretty tough to handle after their first-round exit from the playoffs after being up three games to one in the series. While surfing through the latest hockey headlines online, I came across a question from Dave Hodge on TSN.ca titled Does the Caps' Loss Make Mockery of Regular Season. The question is an interesting one - one which I'm sure will stir up some debate and emotional responses (especially from the Caps' fans).
Defensive Escape Turns w/ Shooting [Video]
This week's video expands on one of our most popular past videos. When we posted the original Defensive Escape Turns video, we got lots of positive feedback from the community, so we wanted to expand on the drill. The expansion of the drill adds two shots. While this addition may seem small, when incorporating them into this drill, you'll quickly see how much more challenging the drill becomes.
2 on 1 Dissected (Part 2)
Back in December, we broke down the offensive side of a 2 on 1 rush in our 2 on 1 Dissected (Part 1) post. In part 2, we will be discussing the strategies and common mistakes made while defending a 2 on 1 rush. The general rule of thumb for defending a 2 on 1 rush is: the goaltender should take the shot and the defender should eliminate the pass across. While this is a good general rule, there are more instances to look into and a couple key additions to be made.
Learn from the Pros - Week 3
This week's Learn from the Pros segment look at one of Alex Ovechkin's goals against Montreal on April 21st, 2010. The goal is scored on a power play rush started by Capital's Norris Trophy finalist Mike Green. Some subtle plays and a great shot lead to Ovechkin's first of the night.
Bench Management - Lineup Card [Download]
Managing the bench during game situations can be difficult at best. Players get hurt, equipment fails, penalties are called - you name it, it changes your game plan. Good coaches are able to react and make decisions quickly. One of the tools I've found most useful over the years has been the lineup card.
Top Shelf Shooting Drill
This week's video shows a very simple shooting drill to work on "roofing" the puck in close. For this video we took the same foam rink dividers we used in the jumping video last week, and stacked them in front of the net so only a small top-shelf area was open.