http://drylandtraining.us/index.php/news/ en louis@drylandtraining.us Copyright 2010 2010-01-01T01:01:05+00:00 http://www.drylandtraining.us/index.php/site/news/tip_of_the_week_passing/ http://www.drylandtraining.us/index.php/site/tip_of_the_week_passing/#When:01:01:05Z Tip of the week: Passing- In the game of hockey, the team that can control the puck for the majority of the game has a greater chance of success. By understanding passing concepts and mastering the many different types of passes you will be on your way to winning the “possession game”. The first thing you need to learn is how to receive a pass, here a few keys: Present a good target –Show your teammate exactly where you want the puck and keep your stick on the ice. Just by giving him a visual target to aim for the odds are you will get a more accurate pass and it will come to you faster. Call for the puck- Communication is key in the game of hockey. By calling for the puck you will let the passer know you are ready to receive the pass and it will also speed things up. Keep your eye on the puck- don’t take your eyes of a pass that’s coming to you if you expect to catch it. Cushion the pass- By absorbing the impact of the puck on your blade and by keeping the blade turned down or “cupped” you can prevent the puck from bouncing off your stick. To make a pass you first need to know what type of pass you should attempt. Is the player moving away from you? Towards you? Are they moving fast or slow? Is it a long pass or a short pass? Do you need to pass over someone else’s stick? Around someone? All of these situations call for different types of passes. Knowing which one to use and how to perform it is crucial. Flat Pass- In order to keep the puck flat on the ice it is important that you make the pass with your blade closed or cupped. In order to do this push your hands forward away from your body and out in front of the puck. Make sure your follow thorough points towards your target. Saucer Pass- A saucer pass is a pass that travels off the ice to pass over opponents sticks in order to make interceptions more difficult. In order to do this you have to create a lot of spin on the puck. Start with the puck on the heel of your blade and roll it to the toe as you follow through. Keep the blade of your stick open and aim the heel of your stick towards your target rather than the toe. Area or Lead Pass- Not all passes are aimed directly at your target. The faster your target is moving the more you have to put the puck in front of them or lead them. This takes some practice to develop and you will notice that the faster your pass the less you will have to lead them. One-Touch Pass- Making a one touch pass is a difficult skill because the puck is harder to control, it is important that your blade is closed so that the puck stays flat. Remember, to close the blade push your hands out away from your body and in front of your blade. It’s also important to think ahead and know your next pass before you receive the puck. Backhand Pass- Backhand passing and shooting is a common weakness in hockey because players are afraid to make mistakes or practice something they aren’t good at. Practice should be great time to develop this skill without any fear of failure.  The key is to bring the puck back and spin the puck from heel to toe as you shift your weight into the pass. On the follow through the stick blade should be kept low to the ice and pointed in the direction of the intended target. Dump Pass- When the other teams defenders do a good job of keeping their gaps tight on zone entry it can be tough to complete a direct pass. A good option is to make an indirect pass with a cross-corner dump, a hard wrap or rim, or a soft chip. Just be sure to keep the puck away from the opposing goalie. Bank Pass- When a direct pass isn’t available you can use the boards like an extra teammate. Just know your angles. Shot Pass- This is a great skill for defensemen to master. By aiming a slapshot or a wristshot at a teammates stick on the ice for a deflection you can give goalies fits. Its important to keep your head up. Long Pass- When making long outlet or cross-ice passes it’s important to realize that long passes are easy to pick off. Try not to telegraph or signal your intentions for too long and pass the puck hard or in the air if possible. 2010-01-01T01:01:05+00:00 http://www.drylandtraining.us/index.php/site/news/the_principle_of_time_and_space/ http://www.drylandtraining.us/index.php/site/the_principle_of_time_and_space/#When:18:13:41Z Understanding this important concept can make you a much better hockey player whether you are defending or on the attack. If you are on offense you will need both time and space to successfully get the puck to the prime scoring area.  To create time and space the puck carrier must get their head up and either skate to open space or pass to a player who has open space available.  This will decrease the amount of pressure the defenders can put on you and your teammates and give you easier opportunities to make good plays. The best place to control the puck in is the middle of the rink, that will give you the most attack options and will make you tougher to defend. If you are on defense your goal should be to limit the offensive team’s time and space. Any player can make a good play if given enough time and space. Your goal should be to defend from the inside out and force the offensive team to play in a smaller area. If you do this quickly you will also decrease the amount of time the puck carrier has to make a decision. By applying this principle when defending your team will spend much more time with the puck and have a better chance to win. 2009-12-21T18:13:41+00:00 http://www.drylandtraining.us/index.php/site/news/10_tips_for_scoring_goals_with_nate_thompson/ http://www.drylandtraining.us/index.php/site/10_tips_for_scoring_goals_with_nate_thompson/#When:20:04:15Z 1. Practice, Practice, Practice: The best way to master shooting skills is quality repetition, day after day, throughout the season. And try to work on a variety of shots (wrist, snap, slap, forehand, backhand, tips/deflections, one-timers, breakaways, etc.) 2. Crash the Net: Most goals are scored within 10 ft of the net.  Goal scorers find ways to get the puck to the net rather than playing on the perimeter. Driving the net when you don’t have the puck can create great goal scoring opportunities as well.  You can screen for a teammate, put the other teams defensemen under pressure and hopefully be there to bang in any loose pucks. 3. Shoot the Puck! A pretty good hockey player (Wayne Gretzky) once said “you miss 100% of the shots you never take”. Don’t pass up good shots looking for that back door pass over a stick and through 2 players legs. It’s no coincidence that most teams’ leading goal scorers also lead the team in shots. 4. Bear Down at Practice: Too many young players work their way through drills and when they get to the net they just duff one at the goalies chest and hop back in line. Practice is where good or bad habits are formed so don’t waste any opportunities to work on scoring.  If you can score in practice you’ll score in games. 5. Get Your Head Up: Being able to recognize what a goalie is giving up or taking away is key to scoring goals. Getting your head up when you are shooting will not only help to find the holes but to hit them as well. 6. Get it Off Quick: The more time it takes to get a shot off, the better a goalie’s chances of closing down your angle and taking away net. It is important to practice your release (snap shots) as well as mastering one-timers in order to catch goalies by surprise, giving you more net to shoot at. 7. Shoot Through Screens: Most goalies are able to tell where a puck is going the second it comes off your stick and are able to react accordingly and make the save. If you use another player as a screen you can obscure the shot release and a goalie might not see the puck until it is too late. If at all… 8. Move Your Feet: Any goalie will tell you that as soon as a shooter brings the puck back and stops skating they are about to shoot. This allows a goalie to ready themselves for the shot. If you keep your feet moving and shoot off your front foot in stride you can keep goalies guessing. Also when you carry the puck to the net with speed a goalie has to continue to move as well, making it easier to pull them off their angles. Watch a player like Alex Ovechkin, he’s a master at this. 9. Shoot High When You’re In Close: Most goalies these days play a butterfly style which focuses on dropping to the ice to take away the bottom of the net so when you’re in close get the puck upstairs to light light the lamp. 10. Train For Strength and Power: The most important thing you can do to increase shot power is to strengthen your core and your forearms. Put a little extra time into sport-specific strength training in the off season and you’ll be surprised at the difference come fall, and goalies will too. 2009-03-26T20:04:15+00:00