Introduction: Four Hockey Drills
Isaropen – Hockey is a fast-paced sport that demands skill, agility, and quick decision-making. To help players enhance their performance on the ice, specific drills are essential for developing key abilities such as puck handling, passing, and positioning. In this article, we will explore four effective hockey drills designed to improve different aspects of a player’s game. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, these drills can help refine your skills and boost your overall performance in practice and during competition.
Puck Cycling Drills
Keeping the puck is important for creating goal chances. One of the best ways for teams to keep control of the puck is to cycle it, which is also called “puck cycling.” The strategy aims to keep offensive players moving, making it harder for the defense to stay organized and ready.
The Benefits of the Hockey Cycle
When attacking players cycle the puck, they skate in a way that confuses the defense by always moving. This makes it impossible for defenses to get into a good position to stop a single attacker. At some point, a shooter should be able to get a shot on goal.
The defense is also always under pressure from cycling. Even though the attack is always moving, it is well-coordinated, with each player looking for a chance to shoot. If there isn’t a good chance, the cycle keeps going until there is one, while the defense tries to stay up.
Hockey Drills: Cycling the Puck
1. The Low Cycle
There are different ways for offensive players to move the puck around. The “low cycle” is probably the most common. In this move, two or three forwards move around one of the offensive circles, passing the puck and looking for open shooting chances as they go clockwise or counterclockwise, based on the side of the ice.
First, skater A, positioned at the top of the offensive circle, makes a spot pass off the half-board. Skater A then skates forward to the close side of the goal. From the near side of the goal, skater B cycles around the far side of the circle. Skater B reaches the half-board to get the pass and bring the puck back to the top. Afterward, skater B can pass the puck across the ice or drop it on the boards. Alternatively, skater B can shoot the puck for another turn.
When there are three skaters on the ice, skater A starts on the far side of the attacking circle and dumps the puck into the corner. Above the crease, skater C is on the near side of the circle. He skates behind the net to get the puck and take it to the far side of the offensive circle.
This time, there is a third skater, B, at the top of the offensive circle. After the first pass, B skates toward the crease, taking the room left by skater C, who is getting the first pass. The skaters move in the opposite direction of the puck, either passing behind them or looking for open shots.
Creative pedaling drills during practice can enhance the low cycle, making it a great and useful basic move.
2. The Cycle That Never Ends
This drill needs at least three skaters, and it extends the low cycle around each attacking circle. This makes the skaters move in a “figure eight” pattern across the ice, going from side to side without stopping. The coach stands at the blue line and throws pucks into each corner. Alternatively, several pucks can be put in each corner so that skaters can pick them up as if they were getting a pass.
At first, the players are lined up in a single row facing the net, with the last person in line on or near the blue line. The drill starts with skater A going into the corner and getting a puck (or a “pass” from the coach). Behind skater A, skater B waits to get the drop pass on the cycle. After going around the top of the circle again, skater A gets a pass from skater B for a shot. After that, skater A goes back to the front of the line. While this is going on, skater B goes around the circle, picks up a puck in the opposite corner, and drops it to skater C.
3. The Cycling of Two People with Problems
In this version of the continuous cycle, we add obstacles and/or pushback to make it more defensive, and we need a goalie to make the conditions more game-like.
A pair of lines of skaters form in the high slot, which is above the attack circles. From between the lines, the coach throws the puck into a corner. If skater A moves in to get the puck, skater B from line two will follow skater A into the corner. At the top of the boards, skater A sends a pass off to skater B. Skater B then moves to the net to receive a pass back from skater A and take a quick shot on goal. Skater B goes after the shot and looks for a bounce that can be played. The drill then moves to the other side, where the coach throws the puck into the other corner.
The coach can get in the way of skater B’s move to the net, giving them something to fight through. You can also add more people to the cycle; just make one or more passes off the boards before the shot.
The goalie tries to get rid of any shots that bounce back.
4. The Three-Man Cycle with Pressure
This easy but useful drill helps improve Skater A’s instincts and passing skills.
Skaters A and B are in the high slot on the strong side. The skater C is in the weak-side high slot. To start the drill, the teacher throws the puck into the corner on the strong side and does the same thing right away. Entering the corner, Skater A retrieves the puck and looks over his shoulder to assess the coach’s pressure. Following Skater A, Skater B stays on the boards and stops at the circle. Ahead of the fold, Skater C moves forward. Coach A might exert pressure on skater A to either pass the puck to skater B or to skater C in front of the net, who is prepared for a swift shot on goal.
Cycling is an important idea in today’s game, where it’s hard to get chances to score. Skaters will learn a basic strategy through these four cycling drills that will help offensive players keep the puck, make quick choices in the offensive zone, and improve their passing skills and overall awareness of the ice. During every hockey team drill, the players and coach should talk about which choices worked and which ones didn’t.
Conclusion: Four Hockey Drills
In conclusion, these four hockey drills are valuable tools for enhancing a player’s puck cycling, passing, and decision-making skills. By practicing drills like the low cycle, the continuous cycle, the cycling with obstacles, and the three-man cycle with pressure, players can improve their offensive strategies and adapt to fast-paced game situations. These drills not only help develop technical abilities but also encourage better communication and teamwork on the ice. Regular practice and reflection on each drill will allow players to refine their skills and gain a competitive edge during games.