End of the Year Post

As 2010 closes, I thought it was important to post a recap of what this site has become.  Back on July 26th, I posted my first thoughts about this site and what my intentions were.  I wanted to provide a place for Coaches of Inline Hockey to find easy to use drills and provide some of their own.  In all honesty, I never thought it would have the success it has. 

There are currently 58 drills and articles on the site.  Many have been provided by you, the reader.  In just 5 months, I've experienced over 3,240 page views, averaging about 650 per month the last three months.    As we go forward,  I'll continue to provide the same types of drills as well as some articles on how to coach 'situations' in hockey.  I'm hoping to provide some product reviews and am even working on some contests around Drill Submission.

As you visit this site, feel free to provide feedback.  I want to know what you the viewer wants.
 - Do the drills provide the details you need?
 - Would you like a way to download the dirlls?
 - What else could I provide that you would read?

Looking forward to a fun 2011 for the site.  Thanks again to all my readers and fellow coaches.

Denny
"Get your game in-line!"

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Wing Pass 2-0

Drill:

1. Player 1 starts skating and breaks up rink
2. Player 2 skates and then makes the long across rink pass to open things up
3. Player 1 carries the puck in toward the net while Player 2 goes for the net looking for pass/rebound

Focus:
1. Passing is key here to open up the rink
2. Player 1 should focus on the shot or looking to get the pass back to Player 2

Notes:
Add a coach or Defensive player in here after a few rounds to make them work against a player.

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Half-rink Back-checking

Drill:

1. Player 1 starts with the puck and skates up around the closest cone
2. Player 2 has to skate around the top cone and chase down the player with the puck

Focus:
1. Player with the puck should focus on speed, stickhandling and protecting the puck
2. Backchecking player should focus on getting their stick under the other players stick or creating a disruption

Notes:
This is a great drill for a competition during practice. Gives the kids something to play for as they don’t want to get chased down.

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Goalie Warm-up

Drill:

1. Line players in front of goalie in semi-circle
2. Alternate shots on goal
3. After everyone shoots, rotate players down the line

Focus:
1. Shooter – Pick a spot and shoot
2. Goalie – Work angles
3. Goalie – Quick recovery for next shot

Notes:
This is intense for the Goalies as they should be up and down, sliding left to right.
You can fire down the line or skip every other one or any variation.

Related Drills:
3 Shot Drill Variation
3 Shot Drill

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Why Dumping the Puck is SO Important

If you've ever watched Hockey at any level, you will see players get to the center rink, dump the puck to the corner and chase it down.  Did you ever ask yourself, 'Why?'

Or more importantly, 'Did I ever teach my players why?'

If you haven't, you really should think about it.  It's one of the most important plays in hockey. If you don't teach your players how to do it properly, it WILL cost you goals and possibly the game.  Think about it.  When do you dump the puck?

1. When you want a line change - If you don't get the puck deep enough, there is a charge of the opposition as your players are coming on/off the bench.
2. When you can't beat the other team through the neutral zone - If you don't have a play, dump it.  If you don't and you lose it (because you just tried to go around/thru 3 players) suddenly, your team is heading North and the puck and opposition is going South.

Both scenarios will cost you goals and/or a really irritated Goalie. Smart play will win you hockey games and teaching your players to play smart will only make them better players.

2 Drills I've found to help with this are:

Dump and Chase: http://www.inlinehockeydrills.com/2010/10/dump-and-chase.html
Using the Wall: http://www.inlinehockeydrills.com/2010/10/using-wall.html

Both of these drills are better when you have a full rink but can be worked from center red in, if you only have half a rink.

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Down-Low Give and Go

Drill:

1. Player 1 (O1) starts on one side with the puck
2. They make a quick pass below the goal line and skate
3. Coach (X1 & 2) below the line returns the puck to Player 1
4. Shoots on net and continues across
5. Player 1 stops at far wall and picks up a puck repeating process across.

Focus:
1. Quick passes back and forth
2. Pass the puck low and skate toward the net looking for a return pass
3. Key for downlow player is a good quick pass back to the player

Notes:
Replace Coaches with players to make the pass

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O-Zone Decoy

Drill:

1. Defenseman makes a pass to Center in neutral zone. Both Defensemen setup in the zone for the offensive rush. Their job is to breakup the play and clear the zone.
2. Once Center has puck, C,LW & RW start to enter the zone.
3. Center makes the first pass to either Winger, then the Center bursts directly to the front of the net.
4. The Winger that received the pass should skate further into the zone on his side and 1.) curl up at the middle of the circle and look to pass to the Off-Winger in the high middle slot, then cut to the net or 2.) If he has a lane to the net to skate hard an shoot.
5. The Off-Winger, should setup in the high middle slot looking for a pass from the other winger.
6. The Off-Winger should take the shot and all should look for a tip-in or rebound.

Focus:
1. Defensemen: This practices position discipline. It exercises making decisions on either playing the pass or taking the man.
2. Offensemen: This practices position discipline and teamwork with passes.
This strategy could be implemented during game play.

Notes:
This drill should happen quickly, passes and shots should be quick. This requires good positional knowledge.
It's important that the players without the puck get to the net. This pulls the defensemen away from the player in the high middle slot, given him a clear passing lane or shooting lane.
Mix up the drill by having the Defensive pass go to one of the Wingers. This causes each player to rethink their role in the drill.

As a variation, add a second line in the corner to play a Defensive role. This role should focus on watching the player in front of the net.

Thanks to Ducky Restauri for submitting this drill.

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Pointman Movement

Drill:

1. Have Defensemen line up at the Blueline. Offensemen line up in corner with Pucks
2. OFF passes to DEF
3. DEF passes back to OFF
4. OFF carries puck behind the net. DEF shifts to the high middle slot
5. OFF passes to DEF and gets in front of net
6. DEF takes shot from high slot
7. OFF looks for tip-in/rebound

Focus:
1. Active passing with DEF in the high zone
2. Puck movement
3. Hard, outside shots
4. Presence in front of the net
5. Tip-ins/rebound reaction

Notes:
Drill should be run quickly - Game Speed
Shots should be SlapShots and kept low for tips.

As a variation, add a second line in the corner to play a Defensive role. This role should focus on watching the player in front of the net.

Special thanks to Ducky Restauri for submitting this drill.

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3 on 2 Breakout

Drill:

1. Player 1 skates behind the net and picks up a puck
2. Once Player 1 makes a decision of which way to go, player 2 and 3 move into position
3. D1 and 2 will start skating backward once Player 1 picks up the puck
4. O players focus on moving the puck down the rink
5. Play until goal, puck frozen or D clears the puck

Focus:
1. Setting up a play out of their own end
2. Player position – If Player 1 goes to the right, then Player on far boards moves to the middle
3. D should focus on filling their gaps and moving into good D position once puck is moved into zone

Notes:
Whistle play dead at any point you need to make corrections of show correct positions. Tell players to freeze on whistle.

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Shoot and Break

Drill:

1. Player 1 will skate around the circle and then look for a pass from Player 2
2. After the shot, Player one breaks up the rink looking for a pass from Player 3
3. Player 1 picks up the pass and takes it on a breakaway
4. Next player starts after first player receives long pass

Focus:
1. Good passes, both the short quick pass and then the long lead pass
2. Player breaking up rink must skate with head turned looking for a pass

Notes:
Have kids rotate thru positions so they can perform all skills.

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Stickhandle and Decide

Drill:

1. Have coaches stand between the circles
2. Player starts in the middle and skates thru the cones with a puck
3. Coach will move stick to one side and the player must adjust and go around the other way

Focus:
1. Head up skating to see which side the player should go to
2. Stickhandling is a big focus here

Notes:
Can be done with or without a goalie. Focus is really on stickhandling and having their head up to make the right decision.

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3 Shot Drill

Drill:

1. Have coaches with pucks on either side of the net
2. Player starts in the middle and skates in and shoots (wrist or slapshot) from between circles
3. They they take a pass from one side of the net and then the other

Focus:
1. These are quick shots to make the goalie work on movement up and down and left and right
2. Goalie also needs to focus on pucks coming from behind the net
3. O player should focus on quick release. If the puck comes on his forehand side, shot it quickly. Same with the backhand side. Get it on the backhand and shot

Notes:
Great drill to focus on quick shots from both forehand and backhand. Make sure on their backhand side they are shooting backhand shots.

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4 Corners – D vs. O

Drill:

1. Place O in each corner with a puck
2. D starts in front of net and skates toward one of the O
3. When he stops and transitions, the O drives the net and they play 1 on 1 until a score, puck freeze or D clears the puck
4. D then picks another O and repeats until all 4 O have played

Focus:
1. 1 on 1 work both for O and D
2. Backward skating and Defensive play
3. Stickwork and beating D

Notes:
This drill is good Defensive work and will help them develop their backward skating and 1 on 1 play.

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Tight turns out of the corner

Drill:

1. Line players in 2 lines
2. Coach throws a puck to the corner and player on that side chase the puck
3. Make a quick/tight turn out of the corner and back to the net looking for a shot/pass
4. After player gets rid of puck, they go to the front of the net looking for a pass/rebound from next player

Focus:
1. Quick turns back to the net
2. Look for shot (if goalie is not hugging post) or pass to guy in front

Notes:

Thanks to Coach Dan DeDionisio for this drill.

Related Drills:
1 on 1 Corner Dump
2 on 1 Corner Dump

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Breakaway to 2-1 Drill

Drill:

1. Start off as a simple breakaway drill with one Offensive player
2. Next, add a Defensive player about 4-5 steps behind the shooter
3. Last, add in a trailing Offensive player crashing the net looking for rebounds
4. If no goal scored or save made, play 2-1 until a goal, puck is frozen or cleared by D

Focus:
1. Player with the puck should focus on good stick work to beat the goalie and protect the puck from the D
2. Adding the D will focus on their backchecking skills
3. The D will also force the O to skate faster
4. Adding the trailing O player will force the D to clear the puck if there is a rebound. Trailing O should look for rebounds

Notes:
Good for focusing on Fast play on breakaways and good backchecking

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Side of the Net Tip-ins

Drill:

1. Position 1 player to each side of the net
2. Coach stands between the circles with a pile of pucks and passes to either side of the net
3. Players work on redirecting the puck into the goal
4. Goalie must react to the puck

Focus:
1. Good position beside the net
2. Players must be leaning hard on stick and ‘pushing’ it toward the net
3. Reinforce this is not a shot but a redirect/push of the puck
4. Goalie must work on side to side movement
5. If goalie starts to cheat one way, shoot for open net, reminding them their first responsibility is the shooter

Notes:
You can have a player making passes in front of the net to help with making decisions of what to do with the puck.

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1 Timer-Slapshot drill

Drill:

1. Position 2 players at a comfortable distance, each with a pile of pucks
2. Player 1 passes to Player 2 who takes a 1 timer
3. Player 2 now passes to Player 1 who takes a 1 timer
4. This is a fast paced drill. Pass-shoot, pass-shoot, etc.

Focus:
1. Good solid passes to the players shot area
2. Focus by the shooter to take the 1 timer
3. Quick puck movement
4. Goalie movement side to side as this should be a fast paced drill.

Notes:
This drill is great for Defensive players as you are working on another area of the rink with the Offense.
Variation 1: Add in a forward in front of the net for deflections and rebounds.
Variation 2: Make the players  make 3 passes before shooting to encourage puck movement.

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Pass it low and go

Drill:

1. Player 1 starts backward skating to blue line with puck
2. Stops at cone and passes to Player 2 in line
3. Player 1 crashes the net looking for a return pass from Player 2
4. Player 2 starts their backward skating after they make the pass

Focus:
1. Skating backward while carrying the puck
2. Good hard passes to the corner
3. Crashing the net looking for a pass, deflection or tip

Notes:
Run from each side to keep the drill going quicker

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3-0 Pass, Shoot and Crash Game

Drill:

1. This is a battle between the 2 teams
2. Players 1-3 will be skaters, Player 4 is the passer
3. Player 1 will skate past closest cone and look for pass. Shoot and then crash net
4. Player 2 will then skate past middle cone and look for pass. Shoot and then crash net
5. Player 3 will follow-up by skating past furthest cone and shoot.

Game Rules:
1. Any shot that goes in is a point for the team
2. Players in front may tip/deflect the shot
3. Players in front may NOT shoot in rebounds
4. Game goes 4 rounds
5. Variation: Add Goalie Saves in as a point for the Goalie and let him compete.

Focus:
1. Good passes by the last player in the group
2. Head up while shooting to find an opening or pass to open player
3. Work on deflections/tips for the players in front

Notes:
This is a fun game for the kids and it focuses on many good skills

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1 on 1 Stick Handling Battle

Drill:

1. Place puck in middle of the circle, Players start on opposite side of the circle
2. On whistle, players race to puck
3. First player to puck must try to keep possession
4. 2nd player must work to get possession of the puck
5. Players battle until one keeps puck for a 10 count

Focus:
1. Players must stay within the circle
2. Player with puck needs to focus on stick work and keeping the puck
3. Player without puck must work on defensive skills to get puck off Offensive player

Notes:
Use multiple circles and make it a competition
You can extend the count longer or shorter depending on your players

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Drop and Go

Drill:

1. Players work in groups of 2
2. Player 1 skates down the wall to the goal line and drops the puck to player 2 who is trailing him
3. Player 1 goes to the Net and looks for a pass, deflection or rebound
4. Player 1 then skates up around the opposite circle to the pucks
5. Player 2 now gets to the front of the net looking for a pass, deflection or rebound from Player 1

Focus:
1. Working together as line mates
2. Good passing/shooting
3. Deflections or rebounds in front of the net
4. Getting good position in front of the goalie

Notes:
This helps the players understand positions and working together with their linemates

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Dump and Chase

Drill:
1. Coach stands in front of player with the puck
2. Have 3 lines of Players. 2 O and 1 D
3. Player with puck needs to decide what corner to get the puck to based on where the coach is standing
4. All players must then chase the puck and get into position

Focus:
1. Player with the puck needs to skate with head up and make good decisions as to where to go with the puck
2. Other players must decide to either chase the puck or get into correct position
3. Once the puck is secured, work the puck around into position and take a shot, with guy in front of the net looking for a deflection or rebound

Notes:
Use an additional coach in the D zone so they have to make good decisions where to dump
You can add players in to play defense, but I see the problem with them is they chase the puck and get it out and don’t allow the O to set up the play

Related Drills:
4 on 2 Forecheck
1 on 1 Corner Dump

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Defensive Help

Drill

1. Forward starts at blue line, builds speed, picks up puck at far blue line and carries it into the zone with speed. Can also start at far end if using the whole deck.
2. Defense converge to stop the puck carrier.
3. 1st defender (player closet to puckcarrier) stops the forward (plays the man) and tries to force him into the HELP D while tying him up.
4. 2nd defender (HELP D) prevents F escape and steals the puck.

Keys:
-Forward must enter the Zone with speed.
-D need to focus on slowing down the F.
-D should focus on the F logo, not the stick/puck.
-1st defender job is to slow the man down and force him into HELP D.
-2nd defender cannot let the F escape w/the puck.

Thanks to Nino Febbraro for submitting this drill.

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Defense Reaction

Drill
1. Forward starts at blue line, builds speed, picks up puck at far blue line and carries it into the zone with speed along the wing. Can also start at far end if using the whole deck.
2. Defense read the play to stop the puck carrier.
3. 1st defender (player closest to F) moves out to take on the forward.
4. 2nd defender (Read D) reads the play and reacts to F’s move. If inside, challenge and steal, if outside, move to front of net to support.

Keys:
-Forward must enter the Zone with speed.
-1st defender job is to force F right or left.
-2nd defender needs to read play, if left, challenge to stop, if right, provide support and not allow shot.

Thanks to Nino Febbraro for submitting this drill.

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Pass, Sk8 and Go

Drill:

1. Line 2 players up at the blue line on each dot
2. Player 1 makes a long pass out to the blue line and skates an 8 around the 2 players
3. The 2 players at the blue line each pass back and forth
4. Pass is then made into player 1 breaking down the middle

Focus:
1. Hard Pass out to the point
2. Point players work on moving the puck laterally across the ice (as Defenseman should be able to do)
3. Player 1 then looks for a return pass as they are streaking down the middle

Notes:
The sk8 play on words is because player 1 is essentially skating an 8 around the Point men and I couldn’t come up with a better name.

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Start Stop Races

Drill:

1. Split players into 2 even teams
2. On whistle, first player picks up a puck and skates to first cone.
3. Picks up the puck on the cone and sets the puck they were carrying on the cone
4. This continues thru each cone
5. Next player starts when first player stops at last cone and sets the puck down

Focus:
1. Hard stops
2. Direction change
3. Quick starts

Notes:
My players are over skating plays and I need to teach them to stop quickly and change directions. Because they have to pick up a puck and place the puck on the cone, they can’t loop around . The race will make them go faster.

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Pass and Crash

Drill:
1. Player 1 starts backward skating to blue line with puck
2. Stops at cone and passes to next player in line
3. Player 1 crashes the net looking for a pass from behind the net
4. Player 2 starts their backward skating once they receive the pass

Focus:
1. Skating backward while carrying the puck
2. Good hard passes to the corner
3. Crashing the net looking for a pass, deflection or tip

Notes:
Replace the coach with a player to make the passes from behind the net
Switch to other side to get used to working this from both sides

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Backward to Forward Transitions

Drill:

1. Players start facing the wall and backward skate to the top of circle
2. Transition to forward to the bottom of the circle
3. Repeat at each circle, always facing the same wall
4. Mid circle face other direction and complete circles facing other wall

Focus:
1. Transitioning between forward and backward going both direction
2. Focusing on one wall will make them be able to transition both ways.

Notes:
This can be done half rink with full skating circles

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Skate and Tip

Drill:
1. Players start at blue line and skate toward puck
2. Once they get to the puck and the take a slap slot (SS)
3. Next they skate to the front of the net looking and get position
4. Look for a deflection or rebound of shot from the Coach (C)

Focus:
1. Taking a slap shot while skating up to a puck
2. Getting position and working on deflection and rebounds
3. Goalie works on lateral movement
4. Goalie works on getting clear view of puck from player standing in front

Notes:
Run the drill from one side and then the other so they get used to shooting and moving from both sides.
Also, you have player move out to point and take shot on goal (after they have tried deflection/rebound.)

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Using the Wall

Drill:
1. Player 1 skates toward Defender (Coach (C)) on the blue line
2. Player 2 in the middle skates toward the middle
3. Player 1 passes the puck off the wall and steps around the coach
4. After getting control of the puck, Player 1 looks for Player 2 heading down the middle

Focus:
1. Getting around defenders
2. Using the boards/glass to make a play
3. Getting control of the puck and looking for the player breaking down the middle

Notes:
You could add 2 trailing players. 1st would establish position in front of the net while 2nd would float top of the circles. This would give Player with the puck another option.

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Skate, Pass, Shoot

Drill:
1. Players start at blue line and skate laterally toward the wall
2. Next, they skate down the wall and pick up a puck and skate around the cone
3. Once around the cone, make a pass to the blue line to the Coach (C)

Next variation:
1. After #3, skate around the cone and look for a return pass
2. Shoot on net
3. Replace coach as the passer

Focus:
1. Lateral skating
2. Picking up a loose puck and skating/moving it along
3. Making good clearing passes
4. Shooting on net

Notes:
You can have them carry pucks behind the net and then make passes to the opposite wall. This will make them focus on having their head up as the cross behind the net.

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Slap and Go

Drill:
1. Players start at goal line and skate backward with a puck
2. Once they get to the cone, they make a hard pass to the next player in line
3. Next they skate to the double cones where a puck is waiting for them.
The Coach (C) will place a puck between the cones
4. Players skates up and takes a slap slot (SS)
5. Next they skate to the opposite cone, around and toward the net looking for a pass from the other Coach (C)
6. Player shoots and goes back in line.

Focus:
1. Backward skating while stick handling
2. Making a hard pass
3. Taking a slap shot while skating up to a puck
4. Accepting a pass from another player
5. Goalie works on sliding from side to side and they are taking rapid shots from both sides and multiple players

Notes:
Run the drill from one side and then the other so they get used to shooting and moving from both sides.

Thanks to Jake Bartos for drawing this one up.

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4 on 2 Drill

Drill:
1. X’s are Defense
2. O’s are Offense

Focus:
1. Defense should work on being in position and moving with the puck. 1 player should always be covering the front of the net
2. Offense should work on puck movement and players getting into open space

Notes:
This is a nice drill to focus on player positioning, team work and basic skills (skating, passing and shooting)

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Playing a Box Defense

Playing a box defense is one of the best ways to defend and to teach the kids.  Putting them in a position is the easy part.

Getting them to understand where to move with the puck is the challenging part. This picture may help you to diagram on your coaches board or to even send to the player to review on their own.

I've also built several slide shows that can be seen here that detail all of the player positions.

Left wing
Right wing
Left defense
Right Defense

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Breakaway Drill

Drill:

1. Line kids up on both sides of boards
2. Skate in and pick up puck from middle and stick handle and shoot
3. Change lines

Focus:
1. Picking puck up while skating
2. Stickhandling with head up, puck control
3. Making a move on the goalie
4. Picking a spot and shooting

Notes:
There are a lot of variations with this drill.
1. You could focus on backhand shots
2. A coach could play defense by chasing the player from behind to put pressure

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Stickhandling through the cones

Drill:

1. Line up players on each side of the rink (or net if you only have a half rink)
2. Players must pick up the puck and skate thru the cones
Note: have one set of cones in a straight line and the other spread apart
3. After completing the cones, skate in on the goalie and shoot.

Focus:
1. Builds stickhandling skills
2. Work on getting faster each time
3. Wide cones will focus on carrying the puck around tight turns

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What's in your Coach's Bag?

You do have a coach's bag, right?  If you don't, you need one.  It needs to be with you at all practices and games.  No exceptions. You can have anything you think you are going to need in there but there are a few essential items that should be in there (in no particular order):

1. Tape for pants, sticks, etc.
2. Coaching Board and markers
3. Extra parts (wheels, bolts/nuts, screws, laces etc)
4. Pens (for sign-in sheets)
5. Screw driver (multi-head) for fixing helmet
6. First-aid kit
7. Ice packs
8. Mouth guards
9. Whistle (for practice) 
10. AAU card (or any other association badge you need at the game)

 Having these extra items will save you the hassle during practice or a game.  Hopefully you never need any of the extra items but you probably will at some time.

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2-0 Breakout

Drill:

 1. Players line up in 2 lines on the blue line
2. Coach dumps puck into the corner
3. Players must communicate and get control of the puck
4. Player with puck must make a decision
5. Player without puck should get open looking for puck
6. Have a coach play Defense and make the puck carrier decide what to do

Focus:
1. Carry the puck to open space
2. Pass the puck to teammate
3. Shoot it up the boards to open space

Notes:

This drill really focuses on getting the puck out of their own end. Players learn to make decisions on whether to carry the puck or pass. This is a great drill to help players understand how to work out of their own zone and learn to make quick decisions.

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Give and Go

Drill:

1. Players start at one end of the rink, Coaches along the boards
2. Players make a pass to the coach and then get the pass back
3. Stick-handle and shoot on goal
Focus:
1. Making good passes
2. Continue to skate after making first pass
3. Accepting passes

Notes:
This could be lengthened to full rink.
You could also have a player or coach chase the player as they make and accept their passes.

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Getting into position in the offensive zone

This drill simply focuses on getting the players to the correct spot.

Player 1 carries the puck down a wing (most times they will be pushed outside by the defense).
Player 2 should go to the net.
Player 3 should be in the high slot.

This helps the players learn to go to the right spot and not stand and watch the others with the puck.

Variations would be to have players (or coaches) play defense to make them move the puck or go to different positions.

If you are looking for additional help with positioning, check out:

Related Drills:
Left Wing
Right Wing
4 on 2 forecheck
4 on 2 puck movement

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Russian Suicides (The Admiral)

Drill:

1. First Offensive player carries puck to other end and makes shot
2. At the shot, Offensive player in that zone takes off with a puck
3. First offensive player must transition after shot and chases next player trying to stop them from scoring

Focus:
1. Hard skating
2. Stickhandling and shooting
3. Quick transition from Offense to Defense
4. Chasing down a player from behind (backchecking)

Notes:
This is a great drill to get the kids going on a slow night. It really focuses on skating, stickhandling and shooting as quickly as possible.
One of my favorite drills to do in practice. Backchecking is a huge part of the game.

Related Drills:
Russian Suicides
Windmills

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Defending passes from behind the net

Drill:

1. Players line up in a semi-circle
2. Coaches are on either side of the net below the goal line
3. Coaches make passes to any of the players in front
4. Player settles puck and shoots or takes one-timers
5. Goalie needs to make save and react quickly for next shot

Focus:
1. Goalie: Make good save and even better recovery to be in place for rebound or for next pass
2. Players learn to shoot quickly.

Notes:
You can also set players up behind the net to make passes. This focuses them on making good passes.

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Left Wing

Helping the kids understand the positions they will be playing is key. These slides should be shared with your team and reviewed at practice.

Left wing on offense

View more documents from InlineHockeyDrills.

Left wing on offense

View more documents from InlineHockeyDrills.

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Right Wing

Helping the kids understand the positions they will be playing is key. These slides should be shared with your team and reviewed at practice.

Right wing on offense

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Right wing on offense

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Right defenseman

Helping the kids understand the positions they will be playing is key. These slides should be shared with your team and reviewed at practice.

Right defense on defense

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Right defense on defense

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Left Defenseman

Helping the kids understand the positions they will be playing is key. These slides should be shared with your team and reviewed at practice.

Left defense on defense

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Left defense on defense

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Horseshoe drill (Pregame warmups)

Drill:

1. Divide players into each corner with pucks

2. One players skates (no puck) up across the blue line and cuts back to the middle

3. Player on opposite side makes pass and then skates to blue line

4. Player receives puck and proceeds to net and shoots

5. Switch lines each turn

Focus:

1. Hard skating

2. Making and accepting passes

3. Stickhandling and shooting

4. Switching lines keeps them fresh from both sides of the rink

Notes:

This is a great warmup drill prior to the games. Gets the players legs moving and ready for the game.

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Game Day is Here

So you've spent a few weeks practicing and now game day has arrived.  Don't be nervous, it's a fun experience for you and the team.  Try to find a routine for yourself and it will help get the boys relaxed and ready to play as well.

Pre-game Locker Room:

1. Get to the rink well before the game and find a locker room.  Require that all the players get dressed and hang out together before the game.  They will want to skate and loosen up which is fine (have them leave the sticks in the locker room, there are too many people in the hall ways to be skating around with them.)
2. I try to talk to every kid as they enter or finish getting ready.  Just a few minutes of encouragement or areas to focus on.  Maybe even a tip on a way to win a face off or beat a goalie.
3. About 10 minutes before game time, round them up and make them sit down in the locker room.  Designate a parent to not allow anyone out.  I've always said, this time can be like 'herding cats', 1 goes in the door, 2 more out.
4. Make sure all kids have signed in the game day roster, you will need to turn this into the ref prior to the game.
5. This is the time to discuss the upcoming game and make sure all equipment is ready.  Have a coach or parent check wheels to see if they are loose or dirty (always bring a towel for the bench and locker room).  Use your whiteboard to draw out any plays you need to work on.  Keep it simple but stress the keys to the game.
6. With about a minute to go get them all on their feet and huddle up.  Pick a kid out to count out to break your huddle.  Kids may have encouraging words they want to share or come up with your own.  Mine is pretty simple.
   "Play hard, skate hard.  45 minutes of hockey. TEAM GAME on 3!"
   NOTE:  Never leave your room until all players are ready.  Enter the rink as a TEAM.

Warm-ups:

1. You may only get a few minutes (no more than 5 to loosen up.)  Skate the Horseshoe drill.
2. Let your other coach(es) handle this. You need to meet up with the other coach and check rosters and sign off.
3. Have a game day puck that you keep out of practice.  Give this to the ref and talk to them about any concerns you have.  If you have a new goalie, let them know that, they may tend to blow the whistle faster instead of letting kids bang away.

Line-ups:

1. Have a set lineup for a game (or do the best you can).  All kids want to play offense.  If you are lucky enough to have kids who want to play Defense only, work that into your lineup.
2. I've found that keeping kids consistent for a period or a game is better than switching up every shift.  It just confuses everyone. Over the course of your season, it will all even out.
3. Make adjustments when necessary, but make sure to explain to a kid why you are moving them around.  Kids get very sensitive to short shift or changes.
4. Don't forget to have a PK and a PP line (and make sure your kids know who is on it).

Game time:

1. Keep your shifts to a 1 1/2.  Long shifts can be game killers.
2. Coach the kids on the bench
3. Try not to yell at the kids on the floor.  This is a hard one because it's easy to want to yell to them to correct things. 
4. It's better to talk out loud for the benefit of the players on the bench.  They are watching the game and know what's going on.  So you talking about what to do with the puck or to push a player to the outside, helps them when they step on the rink.
5. Have a coach who is in charge of hydrating the players.  Kids will want drinks but tend to forget because they want back in or don't take the time.
   - NO Gatorade or water bottles with caps.
   - Only use water bottles with straw lids or squirt tops, it keeps it cleaner.
   - Sit the kids on the bench to get them water.  Unlike ice hockey, water on the wheels is not good for inline.
6. As players come off, offer encouragement or congratulations for plays made.  Help them understand what they could have done differently, but NEVER yell or degrade a player.
7. You have a Time-out, use it if you need it.
8. You can pull your goalie, do so if you need to.
9. NEVER show your disappointment to a play made or a goal given up or a penalty taken.
10. Congratulate every player after the game.
11. After the game, shake hands with the other team/players/refs and pack up your gear and head back to the locker room.

After the Game:

1. Round all the players up in the locker room.  It's tough because all the parents want to see their hockey player and talk to them. Ask for a few minutes to talk to your players.
2. Stay positive about the game and talk about areas to work on and focus on for next game.
3. Congratulate your goalie no matter what happens, he is the hardest working guy on the floor and at elementary age, it's a tough job.
4. I seldom call out individual players (other than the goalie) and remind them its a TEAM win (more on TEAM in a future post).
5. Get them on their feet, huddle up and break your huddle again.
6. Check for any injuries or other issues.

Note:  Don't be afraid to ask the parents to leave if you feel you need to 'TALK' to your players.  At younger ages, this is a tough situation and you have to know your players and team before trying this.

Going into the next to the last game of a season, I had my team go up 5-0 in the first period and ended up losing 8-6 because they quit.  After the game, we had a closed door meeting where I explained how unhappy I was they quit on the coaches, their teammates and their parents.  I challenged them because I  knew they were better.  Next morning, we beat the top team 5-1.  It was needed and called for.  No way could I have done that at the beginning of the season. You'll learn to read your players and know which ones you can challenge.

Team Emails:
After you've had time to reflect on the game, send a team email again telling them your thoughts on the game and how proud you are of their work.  Offer any drills or things they can work on at home before next practice.  Remind them when the next practice and game are.

These tips should help you better manage game day, until you get into a routine of your own. Just remember, hockey is the greatest game on earth.  Have fun with it.

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Cross overs enter the zone

Drill:

1. Outside skater carries puck into zone, starts toward goal at the blue line.
2. Drop passes to player 2 following the play who crosses inside at the blue line.
3. Player 2 shot/pass is based on defense reaction.

Focus:
1.  Teamwork entering the zone.
2.  Good passes
3.  Communication

Notes:

Drill submitted by Nino Febbraro

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Trailing the shooter

Drill:

1.  Kids will line up in pairs

2.  Player 1 carries the puck and takes a shot at goal 

3. Player 2 follows the puck into the crease anticipates a rebound.

Focus:

1.  Skating, stick handling and shooting by first player

2.  Following up shots by trailing player looking for rebounds

Notes:
Some additional passing could be added into here to mix up the drill.

Drill submitted by Nino Febbraro

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4 corner passing, skating and shooting

Drill:

1. Player 1 passes puck to the blue line player and then skates around cones
2. Players continue making passes (Across blue to red line)
3. Last player makes a pass to the middle to Player 1 skating down the middle
4. First player accepts pass and shoots
5. Player 1 fills in the first spot in the blue line and everyone else rotates around. Player who made last pass joins the line behind the net.

Focus:
1. Good, crisp passes
2. Hard skating
3. Quick passing and skating
4. Look for player breaking down the middle and getting them the puck

Notes:
This is a high tempo drill. If a player makes a bad pass, made them start all over again. Teaches them to be precise with what they need to do. Keep them moving quickly so there is no down time.

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Around the wall passing

Drill:
1. Players start at 1
2. 1 passes to 2
3. 2 passes to 3
4. 3 passes to 4
5. 4 passes to 5
6. 5 shoots
7. Players all rotate to where they passed. Player 5 goes to position 1

Focus:
1. Focus on making good passes
If they do not, make them start over
2. Allows players to communicate and call for the puck
3. Goalie should work on moving toward the puck with each pass
4. Last player shoot
They can make a move, shoot from slot, etc.

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Passing Relays

Drill

1. Players line up against the wall
2. First kid skates down the line passing back and forth to each player
3. At end, he turns and makes a pass to the next kid in line
4. Continue through the line until all kids have gone
5. Start at the opposite end. This way they will need to work on both forehand and backhand

Focus:
1. Crisp passes
2. Making/accepting passes quickly
3. Making/accepting passes on both the forehand and backhand

Notes:
This is a fun drill to hold a little competition during practice. Break the teams up so they are even skill levels. Give some kind of prize to the winning team.

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1 on 1 Offense vs Defense (Half Rink)

Drill:

1. The forwards line up in a corner with the pucks (circles)
2. The Defense line up near the goal (triangles).
3. On the whistle forward #1 skates with the puck to the farthest cone.
4. Defense #1 skates forward to the closest cone, transitions and skates backwards
5. Offense tries to get to the net, Defense tries to stop him
6. Goalies should be moving with the play

Focus:
1. Offense focus on Stickhandling, speed skating and shooting
2. Defense focus on transition to backward skating, speed and pushing player away from net. They should not allow the O to get to the net.
3. Goalie should be working on being in position and moving with the play.

Notes:
This drill can be changed up to be a 2 on 1 or 2 on 2. A lot of variations and the kids love competitive drills like this.
You could also just have the Offense skate up around and work on carrying the puck and making the turn.

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Back to Basics: Skating

My last few posts really focused on skating.  Obviously skating is a key part of the game.  If the kids do not have the fundamentals down, they will struggle in the game.  They need to feel comfortable on their skates.

Every practice should begin with some warm-up skating: (5 minutes)

1. Have them skate (clockwise) along the boards the entire way around the rink
2. Make sure to stop them and have them skate the other way (counter clockwise) so they get used to turning both ways.
3. As they hit a line, have them transition to backward to the next line and then transition forward.

Once they are loose, put them on the goal line and work on some speed/skill type skating: (10-15 minutes)

1. Skate hard to each line (blue, center, blue, far goal line) and make a hard stop
2. After a complete stop, make a quick start and onto the next line
3. Focus on good starts and stops

Reminders:

1. Review with them good techniques for each start and stop.   
2. This is a fast paced, quick direction change game.  The better they are at stopping quickly and getting their feet moving again, the more they will dominate the game.
3. It's OK to fall as you are learning. Just make sure you get up quickly and back in the play.
4. As they are working on stopping, give them a particular side to look at on every stop.  That way they get used to stopping in both directions.  If you don't, they will always stop in the same direction and this will put them out of the play at times.

With any drill make it fun.

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Skating - Tight Turns

Drill:

1. Starting in the corner
2. Players skate each dot then perform a tight turn around the dot
Focus:
1. Players should bend their knees and get low in the turns
2. Quick cross over when completing the turn to accelerate

Notes:
Add a puck to make players focus on stickhandling while making tight turns

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Skating – Race for the puck

Drill:

1. Split players into 2 groups in each and put in each corner
2. Players start by skating backwards to the first cone then forward to goal line (or cone) then backward to last cone.
3. Pick up puck and take it to the goal and shoot

Focus:
1. Skating skills both backward and forward
2. Transitions from forward to backward
3. Stickhandling & shooting

Notes:
This drill can be done 1 of 2 ways:
1. Individual to focus on skating, stick handling and shooting
2. Foot race against other skater for the puck

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