Work Smarter, Not Harder, on Your Backyard Drills

Wayne Gretzky once said that he spent all day playing on the pond or backyard rink when he was a kid. I read this when I was younger and decided I needed to do the same thing. But when your friends go home and you’re still tooling around only because that’s what Gretzky would do, you’re wasting your time.

When it comes to practice outside the rink, there should be a reason behind everything you do. Are you shooting pucks from 20 feet out directly in front of the net to improve your accuracy? Your release quickness? Or are you shooting just to shoot because that’s what Brett Hull did?

A solid approach is to work backwards from a specific area at which you want to excel. For example, in a game situation, there are basically five different ways you can get the puck in the slot for a scoring opportunity. You’ll get more out of practicing these specific moves.

1. A pass from the corner on your strong side.

The ideal way to practice this shot is by taking passes on the ice. One option is a training product such as Tape-2-Tape to simulate catching or one-timing a moving puck. Your aim should be the quickest possible release to catch the goalie while he’s moving. Think about how the goalie plays this corner-to-slot pass. Frequently, the goalie is moving side to side and the five hole is open. Work on quick release and shooting specifically to the five-hole area.

2. A pass from the corner on your weak side.

Again, I am thinking about quick release and, optimally, getting passes from the corner to simulate game opportunities. In this instance, I have to work on my feet and body control to turn and get into a shooting position.

3. Skating across the slot on your forehand.

Here you have to shoot back across your body. The goalie is moving with the puck and the shooter, so the five hole again will be open as is the post he is moving away from. Practice shooting across your body and off the near post.

4. Skating across the slot on your backhand.

In this instance, practice turning and pulling the puck into your body away from the defenseman’s stick while changing the shooting angle on the goalie to shot release (Pavel Datsyuk is a master). Because this is hard to control, I would concentrate on pure shot velocity. You can use a shooting pad and position it diagonally so you have room to pull the puck into your body.

5. Moving north to south into the slot on a rush.

Again, practice changing the angle and imagine shooting through a defenseman’s legs as a screen. Ryan Kesler is the best in the league at this.

Most of your on-ice moves—tight rebounds, breakaways, tip-ins, backhands, passing, stickhandling—can be broken down into smaller pieces and practiced in this way.

• Choose an aspect of the game.


• Decide what type of player you want to be.


• Analyze the types of game situations that player gets into.


• Work backwards from there to develop specific training exercises, and you will get much more out of your practice time.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Brett Henning of Score100Goals.com for this story. Henning is the author of 7 Pre-Game Habits of Pro Hockey Players, and was a member of the Inaugural National Team Development Program and 2000 World Junior Team with USA Hockey. He played Junior Hockey in Canada and at the collegiate level for the University of Notre Dame. He was drafted by the New York Islanders before a back injury ended his on-ice career.

How to Handle a Player Who Won’t Pass

Q: I coach a Squirt team and have a player who won’t pass, no matter what. The other parents are getting very frustrated. What is the best way to handle this?

A: A coach will almost always have to deal with a player or two who will not move the puck. When dealing with younger players (U8 and U10), try the following:

• Use the teaching terms “puck movement” and “head man the puck.” These terms are imperative.


• Demonstrate and emphasize to all players that nobody can outskate a pass. The other team, however, sure has the possibility of catching a player who does not pass.


• Stress that holding the puck too long makes it easy on the defender.

• Sit with the player at the rink and watch a game together. Point out examples of good puck movement and poor puck movement.


• Review video with the team and show players the different results when passing and not passing the puck.

As you get to the U12, U14, U16 and U18 levels, be stern while continuing to stress the importance of teamwork and moving the puck. Try the following, in order:

• If a player at this age does not pass, the greatest card a coach holds is playing time.


• If it reaches a point where the player just will not listen, the coach must take away ice time.


• If that does not eventually work, have that player watch a game from the stands and write a paragraph or two on why it is important to pass the puck.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Angelo Ricci for sharing his 15 years of expertise as a hockey director in this article. Ricci is founder, head instructor and consultant for Ricci Hockey Consulting. With 20+ years experience as a skills and stickhandling coach, he conducts/oversees more than 40 programs year-round that develop over 1,000 players each year.

Common Sense is the Foundation of High Performance

Champions usually believe the essentials of life were learned in kindergarten. Their world view is that success is simple and constructed fundamentally from common sense. While average people search for complex answers to their problems, the world class looks for the simple solution first—and usually finds it. They solve more complex challenges by looking at the situation as an outsider viewing it for the first time. Larry Wilson, the famous speaker and author, says the great ones get out of their own way by viewing the problem from ten thousand feet in order to gain a new perspective. They separate themselves from the everyday details and gain a three-dimensional view of the problem. While average people strain to create a solution, champions think for a while then create a mental distance to take their direct focus off the problem. Many times the answers come to them in the shower, in the middle of the night, or at the health club while they’re working out. The law of indirect effort is one of the most powerful problem-solving processes known to man. Champions realize the secret to tapping their true genius is sometimes hidden in the act of not trying so hard.

Action Step for Today: Write down your five most pressing problems and ask: “Is there a kindergarten answers to this seemingly complex problem?” Let your mind revert to childlike thinking and write down the first answers that come to mind.

“Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.”
—Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811–1896, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Steve Siebold’s book, 77 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class: The Thought Processes, Habits and Philosophies of the Great Ones.

Elements of Power in Hockey Skating: The Windup

In this continuing series on the Elements of Power Skating, Laura Stamm explains the concept of the windup, which involves attention to the edges, knees, body weight, balance and center of gravity. For the windup:

Edges

Every push must be executed against an edge. Some pushes, as in the forward and backward stride, are executed against the inside edge. Others, as in the second push of forward and backward crossovers, are executed against the outside edge. An effective pushing edge requires that the edge of the pushing skate grips the ice at a 45 degree angle. It is impossible to push against the flat of the blade or against a shallow (weakly angled) edge.

Bent Knees

The knee of both the pushing leg and the gliding leg must be strongly bent. I teach players to bend far enough so that their knees are bent 90 degrees (a 90 degree angle between the thigh and the shin). In hockey, it is important to have a strong knee bend of both the pushing leg and the gliding leg at all times. Popping up, or jumping up, destroys the push, as well as forward (or backward) motion.

Body Weight and Balance

The skater’s total body weight—100 percent—must be directly above and balanced over the edge of the pushing skate. At approximately the midpoint of the push, the body weight shifts from the pushing skate to the gliding skate.

Center of Gravity

When players push, they are actually pushing their body weight. While the pushing leg does the work, skaters really push themselves (forward or backward). In order to push yourself, each push must be initiated from directly under the center of gravity (I call this the “battery pack” or “power source”). The center of gravity is an imaginary circle, approximately 3 inches in diameter, located in the midsection of the body (the belly button area). To push effectively, the pushing skate must be directly under the center of gravity. To achieve this, the skates must be fairly close together at the initiation of each push (no further than 3 inches apart).

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Laura Stamm of Laura Stamm Power Skating for this story. Kelly Anton, managing editor of the Grow the Game initiative, edited this story.

Elements of Power in Hockey Skating

In my 40 years of teaching experience, I have too often watched (in amazement) coaches stressing quick feet while overlooking power generation. Of course quickness is vital—but so is power! And in order to achieve power, players need to push correctly!

Hockey is comprised of numerous intricate and complicated skating maneuvers such as the forward stride, backward stride, crossovers, starts, stops, turns, transitional moves, pivots and angling. All these maneuvers are comprised of numerous strides (or steps). Because there is no such thing in hockey skating as taking a stride without using an accompanying push, players need to know which push to use and how to execute that push correctly. Each hockey skating push is specific to that stride or maneuver and its purpose is to generate power on that specific stride. The totality of all the pushes in any skating maneuver—performed correctly, powerfully and quickly—results in speed.

Whether skating straight forward, straight backward, crossing over (forward or backward), weaving, starting, or turning, all pushes must adhere to the four elements of power generation. I call these elements the Windup, Release, Follow-through and Return.

• The Windup: The windup is a coiling action. It is necessary to prepare the skater for power generation on the upcoming push. Its function can be compared to the backswing of a baseball bat, tennis racquet or golf club.


• The Release and Follow-through: The release and follow-through are the actual work done by the pushing skate and leg during each push.


• The Return: The recovery of the pushing skate and leg. The return prepares the skater for power generation (speed) on the next push.

For details on Windup, Release, Follow-through, and Return, click here and download The Importance of Pushing Correctly.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Laura Stamm of Laura Stamm Power Skating for this story. Kelly Anton, managing editor of the Grow the Game initiative, edited this story.

Champions Are Driven By Fun

One of the most closely held secrets of world-class performers is how much fun they have in what they do. Outsiders see big-time performers as super self-disciplined, self-sacrificing, success-and-achievement machines. Yet a closer look gives a more accurate portrayal of what really drives these people: fun. Champions have more fun in their work than any other group. They take whatever time is necessary to choose a career path that encompasses their natural talents, abilities, and most of all, their passions. Amateurs have a difficult time competing with pros because most amateurs hate their jobs—one of the primary reasons they’re amateurs in the first place! Professional performers are highly disciplined, of course, yet their core drive and mental fortitude seem to come from the pure fun, excitement, enjoyment, and exhilaration of their work. Average people go to work and plod through the day; champions go to work and have fun. This is one of the reasons amateurs cannot compete with pros—it’s a mismatch from the start. One is focused on surviving, while the other is just playing a game and having fun.

“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun, and when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”
—Joe Namath, Professional Football Player

Action Step for Today: How much fun are you having in your life? One a scale of 1 to 7, 7 being the most fun, give yourself a rating in each area of your life. Next, ask this critical thinking question: “Can I eliminate doing things that aren’t fun?” Really think about your answer. Life is short and unpredictable. Why do things you don’t enjoy unless it is impossible to escape them?

Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Steve Siebold’s book, 77 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class: The Thought Processes, Habits and Philosophies of the Great Ones.

Do You Have to Play Your Age?

If you’re new to hockey, you might think that hockey parents’ habit of talking about 1996s and 2002s rather than 14-year-olds and 9-year-olds is just a quirk. But in fact, it’s significant because almost all players are strictly assigned to play U8, Squirt, PeeWee, Bantam or Midget by birth year. This, however, doesn’t stop parents from constantly asking hockey association administrators questions such as:

1. My son is very small for his age, a late bloomer when it comes to athletics, and has a “bad hockey birthday.” Should I ask the association to let him “play down” with the younger age group?


2. My daughter is big for her age, consistently rated the top player, and has a “good hockey birthday.” Should I ask the association to let her “play up” with the older kids?

The answer to the first question about playing down is easy: USA Hockey’s rules and insurance do not allow players to play down except in special circumstances (involving an appeals process). In my 15 years as a director I have not been aware of anyone playing down a level.

Deciding whether a player should play up, on the other hand, is a whole different scenario. Yes, there are times when a special talent does have the ability to play up and develop his or her game. Issues to consider include:

• Being big for your age is not a good enough reason to play up. Parents need to ask the director or coach if playing up is best for the child’s development.

• The parents and association leaders need to consider the maturity level of the child who wants to play up.

• Finally and obviously, the player’s ability and skill level need to be considered. It helps to find out where the child fits on the depth chart of a team.

If a player is a top three forward, top two defenseman or number one goalie, it is worth considering playing up.

However, I do not see anything wrong in the developmental process of a player remaining with his or her true birth year. There is nothing wrong with a player dominating at a specific level. In fact, it allows players to gain enormous confidence, which only helps them as they advance in their development each season.

Don’t rush the process. It is a marathon not a sprint!

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Angelo Ricci for sharing his 15 years of expertise as a hockey director in this article. Ricci is founder, head instructor and consultant for Ricci Hockey Consulting. With 20+ years experience as a skills and stickhandling coach, he conducts/oversees more than 40 programs year-round that develop over 1,000 players each year.

The Summer Hockey Growth Spurt

Summer is an integral part of the hockey season. Though it is the off season, it can also be a time for a hockey growth spurt. Summer is a time to recharge your batteries after the long hockey season of early mornings and late nights in the height of cold and flu season. A time to let the sun shine and repair all the battle wounds, both physical and mental. The same set or sets of critical eyes watching your child’s play can be very difficult some seasons and truly amazing other seasons. Give your child a new set of eyes to take an honest look and train him or her over the summer—unbiased eyes that have no interest in town politics, team politics, or parental coach preferential treatment. Give him or her that summer hockey growth spurt.

Investing in a summer hockey camp is investing in his or her future in the sport while giving the gift of summer camp FUN and lifelong memories. Different from the regular season, a great summer hockey camp experience should be a mix of fun and serious training without the pressures of the season. Investigative work is essential in choosing the right camp for your child. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for.

• The top camps should have top-flight instructors and low coach-to-student ratios.


• Find out how many hours of ice daily.


• Ask about the credentials of the instructors.


• Ask about the curriculum.


• Find out what happens on a typical day of camp.

It is a waste of time to go to a camp with marginal instruction. Your child will not leave a better player and will miss the summer hockey growth spurt. Just like the first day of school, when friends and school faculty notice how much kids grew over the summer, coaches also notice who grew as a player over the summer. A new season is a clean slate. At tryouts and the first practices of the season, you want to be rested, well conditioned and ready to put your best foot forward and give a great first impression. Come prepared in the fall. That does not mean skating all summer—it means investing in a camp or camps where you are going to truly learn and improve your skills and game play.

The other key ingredient to a hockey summer growth spurt is conditioning. When I was 10, my youth coach gave me the best piece of hockey advice I ever received, and it was about the importance of dryland training. He told me that if I want to succeed in hockey, I must hone my skills off the ice as well as on the ice. I believe that this invaluable lesson helped pave my way to the NHL.

I come across thousands of young players a year through my hockey camps. I stress the importance of dryland training and conditioning to players as well as parents. As parents can fully attest, hockey is an extremely expensive and all-consuming sport due to the nature of the expense and limited availability of ice time. If your child is really dedicated to hockey, there is much hockey homework that can be done at home. In the summer kids have the time, energy and the beautiful sunshine to encourage them to get out onto the driveway and shoot pucks, stickhandle and go for a jog around the block.

After playing with many of the great European NHL players I found it very interesting to discuss with them the emphasis on dryland skill development. Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev and Martin Straka told me that they were instructed to work on their hands via stickhandling, shooting and plyometrics for hours daily. Jagr, for example, stickhandles daily after practice with a 45 lb. weight at the bottom of his shaft of his stick. Typically, European hockey players are stereotyped as being finesse players. This may ring true due to the dedication and amount of off ice training that is expected of them as young players.

Over the years I have come to realize that anything in life that is good is hard. Motivation is the biggest key to success when working off ice. If a player is not into it and works at hockey half-heartedly or not at all, he or she will never see results on the ice. Ice time should be treated as a gift. Unlike other sports, one cannot just jump on the ice at will to practice. Do the little things off the ice and really make the most of your ice time.

In closing, talk to your son or daughter about a hockey camp experience. Get them involved in choosing the right camp for them. Some children are comfortable with going to an overnight camp while others feel more comfortable going to a day camp. Explain to them that this is an opportunity for specialized instruction and training. Encourage them to make the most of the awesome opportunity for growth in their game while having fun without the pressures of the regular hockey season. A hockey career is a marathon not a sprint. Hockey camp is another part of the amazing race.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Jeff Serowik, a former NHL player and founder/president of Pro Ambitions Hockey, for this story. This story first appeared in the April/May 2010 issue of USA Hockey Magazine.