Drills

Rope Skipping Benefits for Hockey Players

By | October 24, 2023

I think it best that I show you a very short video before we get into a discussion on the benefits of rope skipping, this to act as sort of a frame of reference…

Crosby Sets Up Letang

By | October 21, 2023

Every so often I like to dig back into my video vault for something that offers some solid teaching principles. And for today, I have a doosy from way, way back

First Things First in Hockey Skills Work

By | October 7, 2023

As I reflect back on the hundreds of outstanding players I’ve had through the years, I’ve always found they had a few things in common.  Oh, I’m not talking about great genetics here; actually, I think most of my best players overcame some shortcomings to achieve what they did…

Troubleshooting Hockey Backchecking

By | September 24, 2023

A Pee Wee level coach was looking for help in a hockey forum. And, after noticing few others offered him anything that would really work, I decided to step in, troubleshooting the problem his kids seemed to be having with their backchecking…

Top Tasks for New Hockey Coaches: Teaching Skills and Earning Respect

By | September 13, 2023

The exhilarating moment has arrived. You’ve just been named a youth hockey coach, and now find yourself standing at center ice before your very first practice…

Addressing the Hockey Skating Posture

By | August 31, 2023

I want to introduce something I doubt many members have ever seen before.   Yes, it’s a training device that was long ago developed by a Canadian speed skating coach.

Do Today’s Hockey Players Not Shoot Very Well?

By | August 29, 2023

Coach Jim wrote me recently with the title question.  And, he might find it interesting that my staff and I have made much the same general observation over recent years, about kids in our camps and other programs — in that young players today just don’t seem to shoot all that well…

A Few Off-season Training Thoughts

By | August 17, 2023

Of course, amateur players approach hockey with varying degrees of devotion. Working mostly with pretty dedicated kids, I’ve designed a very long-range, off-season plan to include age-specific speed, agility and strength work…

The Merits of a Family Slideboard

By | August 12, 2023

How about the merits of having a slideboard around this lady’s house?  Ha…  What do you think I had to say about that?

One Aspect of Passing and Receiving That Hockey Coaches Find Most Challenging to Teach

By | July 25, 2023

While coaches can teach the technical aspects of passing and receiving, such as proper hand positioning and stick-to-puck contact, there are other areas that represent a greater coaching challenge.