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Position Specific Individual and Team Skills Instruction

New 10 week Hockey Individual and Team (Game Situation Instruction) Skills Programs concentrating solely on Defensemen and Forwards in separate groups are now being scheduled !!

After running well attended and successful Skills Programs in every age group from Timbits to Bantam, I now find myself wanting and having to get more POSITION specific in these Programs. I will begin splitting the Programs (except Timbit and Novice) into Forward specific groups and Defense specific groups.

During the planning of my Sessions over the last few months, it has become obvious that much more can be taught and accomplished in a Position Specific session/program. Individual Skills such as Skating: edge work, explosive starts etc. Puck Control:stick handling technique, skating with puck, puck protection, 1-1 escape and chaos techniques etc. Shooting: wrist/slap shot techniques, shooting on stride, various shot fakes to shooting on stride etc. Passing: fore/backhand and saucer techniques etc., will still be incorporated into each session whether Forward or Defensemen, however the game situation drills will of course be different and focus on totally different heavy points of the game.

In the case of Defensemen, in this new era of hockey, it is imperative that one have mobility, gap control, offensive creativity, vision, quick decision making skills, impeccable timing for head manning the puck or jumping into the play, be solid one on one and in odd man rushes against, and dominate in his own zone. He must also learn to take a hit to make a play and give a hit to stop one.

In the case of Forwards, in this new era of hockey, it is imperative that one have mobility, not just North-South awareness, but also East-west awareness and capabilities. One must be able to create separation from defenders in all zones of the ice, offensive creativity especially in one on one situations, vision with and without the puck, quick decision making skills, impeccable timing and play without puck to ensure being in proper passing lanes at the proper time, Defensively responsible in all zones, and be able to make and escape hits to make plays.

......and be able to do all that with an opponent in his face......

As I have learned, and am still learning, how to properly use McKinley's Open Ice Facility to develop players, I have developed and adapted "Chaos" drills used in Europe (especially the Czech Republic) to this Facility. These drills, with Instructor Creativity, will improve all aspects above. The players need only to translate these Game Situational Skills on to the ice during a game.

These groups will be kept to a Maximum of 6 players. Eventually I will have these split groups running in each age group. Combining age groups, for example high end Atoms with Peewees etc. is also an option as the skills being taught are the same. Although the difficulty level will increase/decrease depending on age group, this can be done simply by adding or subtracting an element in a drill, which takes no time at all and allows for mixed ages in one group. Again though, in the future I plan to have age and position specific groups running simultaneously. This will also roll over into the Summer Preparation Programs as well.To register click here

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