Puck Retrieval - Breakout setup

Drill:1. X1 picks up puck behind net and decides which way to go with the puck2. X3 (a defenseman) must get to the front of the net3. X2 & X4 must read X1 and adjust their location accordingly4. X1 moves the puck up and all players breakout of the zoneFocus:1. Players keeping in their lanes and maintaining position2. Head up skating to know where the puck and/or open player is3. Moving the puck out of the zoneNotes:You can add in a forechecker...

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1-1 Sprints (Half Rink)

Drill:1. On whistle, Defense starts skating backward and Offense carries the puck in the zone2. Offense tries to beat the D down the wall3. Defense tries to cut off O and steal the puckFocus:1. Defense needs to realize when to make move and push player outside2. Offense needs to read defense and make play accordingly. - If D goes toward the wall, cut it inside. - If D leaves outside open, use speed to get around.Notes:This is a good drill to help...

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2 on 1 Corner Dump

Drill:1. Line up 2 player against a Coach2. Player dumps puck to corner and chases3. Player 1 chases puck and Player 2 follows4. Player 1 picks up puck and skate up the wall5. As player 1 comes up the boards, they drop the pass back to Player 26. Player 1 continues around the circle and cuts to the net and gets a return pass and shoots on goal7. Coach should simply help drive the player outside to help them understand how to get position8. Run from...

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1 on 1 Corner Dump

Drill:1. Line up 1 player against a Coach2. Player dumps puck to corner and chases3. Pick up puck and skate around the cone and drive the net4. Coach should simply help drive the player outside to help them understand how to get position5. Run from each sideFocus:1. Players work on skating to win a corner battle2. Picking up a loose puck and then driving the netNotes:Related Drills:2 on 1 Corner Dump...

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1 on 1 Sprints

Drill:1. Line up 1 D at the blue line2. Line up 1 F at the top of the circle3. On the whistle, D breaks backwards, F skates forward with the puck trying to beat the DFocus:1. Forwards concentrate on beating the D2. Defense works on quick backward starts and then transitioning when the time is right so they don’t get beatNotes:Good full length drill to get the kids skating.Related Drills:Windmills Russian Suicides II (The Admiral ...

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4 on 2 Forecheck

Drill:1. Line up 4 players at the blue line2. Line up 2 coaches near the goal line3. Have one of the Forwards dump the puck into the corner and each forward covers a Coach4. Coaches work to get the puck out of the zone5. Forecheckers work to get the puck and then set up a play in the Offensive zone.Focus:1. Forwards concentrate on getting to the pucks and working along the boards to gain position2. Defense works on holding the point and keeping the...

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Windmills

Drill:1. Line players up in opposite corners2. Place a coach at each wall on the blue lines (4 coaches)3. Players start by making a pass to the opposite side of the blue and the skate the middle4. Player receives return pass and passes to the next blue line (again opposite side from where they started)5. Player receives pass and then skates in on netFocus:1. Hard passes2. Head up play as there is another player coming the other way3. Receiving and...

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Goalie – 3 Shot Drill

Drill:1. Player skates down from wing and shoots2. Player on opposite side gives the goalie a chance to recover then skates in and shoots3. Coach lets the goalie recover then tries to stuff a puck in the netFocus:1. Players should focus on skating hard to the net and shooting. Shots should wrist or slapshots2. Focus on Goalie movement from side to side, playing angles and recovering3. Players should not try to make dekes or trick shotsNotes:You can...

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Russian Suicides II (The Admiral II)

Drill:1. Player 1 skates to the other end around the cone2. Player 2 in other corner passes to Player 1 and then backchecks3. After Player 1 shoots, Player 2 skates around the other cone and drill continuesFocus:1. Hard skating 2. Stickhandling and shooting3. Quick transition from Offense to Defense4. Chasing down a player from behindNotes:This is a great drill to get the kids going on a slow night. It really focuses on skating, stickhandling and...

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2 on 1 - Pass to D (Half rink)

Drill:1. On the whistle D1 at the Blue line skates backward toward mid rink and looks for a pass from Forward 12. Forward 1 skates with a puck above the circle and passes out to D1 and then continues outside the blue line looking for a return pass3. D2 skates toward the blue line and will transition and play D when F1 gets the return pass4. F1 gets the puck and tries to beat D2 one on one5. F1 has the option to drop the pass to D1 (who should be...

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5 Lessons Every Hockey Parent Should Follow

Thanks to Rich Taylor over at Youth Hockey Review for letting me repost this great article.As another youth hockey season begins I’d like to provide parents with a brief guide to help make this a great year.These suggestions are intended to help us keep one key point in mind – youth hockey should be fun.In our love for our kids, and desire to see them develop, many of us (myself included at times) forget that there are more important lessons at stake here than simply learning how to skate, pass and shoot.Hockey is a fun game for many reasons....

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Behind the Net Breakout

Drill:1. Players work together as a team to bring the puck out of the zone2. 1 Defensemen gets the puck behind the net to start the play3. The other Defenseman has to hold his ground in front of the net4. The 2 Forward will come down along the boards to the tops of the circles and cut back up.5. Forward takes pass and they move it out6. D in front of net joins the rush and the other is the last guy in the zoneFocus:1. If they have time, the D can...

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2 Man Long Outlet Pass

Drill:1. On whistle Forward closest to the wall skate out toward the blue line and then across the rink 2. Player with the puck starts skating toward the blue line and looks for the Forward skating along the far blue line and makes pass3. Player then follows the pass and drives toward the netFocus:1. Long outlet passes to the far blue line2. Lateral movement along the blue line looking for pass3. Entrance into the zoneNotes:You can mix this up and...

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3-0 Drop and Crash

Drill:1. Forward 1 carries puck into the zone, Forward 2 drives the net, Defenseman 1 is trailing the play2. Forward 1 drops the puck to D1 and Forward 1 continues toward the net 3. D1 has 2 options:    - Shoot on net with a low shot looking for a deflection from Forward 1 or 2    - Pass to Forward 2 who should be coming in the back side of the goalie4. Forwards look for rebound or chase loose pucks to the cornerFocus:1....

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2 on 1 Breakout

Drill:1. On whistle, the Forwards in the each corner skate for the opposite dot, turn and cut back in the middle. Defense starts to skate backward out of the zone.2. Goalie (or a Coach) looks to make an outlet pass to one of the players after they turn the dot3. 2 Forwards now work out of the zone and Defense works to control their movementFocus:1. Lateral movement by the Forwards to get open 2. Puck movement by the Goalie. Goalie should focus on...

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Skate 8 and Deflect

Drill:1. Line 3 Defenseman up at the points (D location is based on skill level of players and how far they can shoot.2. Forward passes puck to point man and skates around first circle and then stops in front of net looking for a deflection from the D shooting from the top of the circle he just skated around.3. Forward now skates toward the corner, picks up a puck and passes it to the point man. He continues around the circle to the front of the...

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Skate, Stop and Pass

Drill:1. Put players in groups of 2 starting at the goal line2. Player 1 skates 4 strides, stops and looks for a pass from Player 23. Player 2 passes back to Player 2, then skates stops and looks for a pass4. Continue this to the Blue line5. Repeat all the way back to the goal line6. Player 1 & 2 Switch positions and repeat drillFocus:1. Good quick starts2. Good Stops and head up looking for a pass3. Good passes back to their teammateNotes:A...

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Iron Cross

Drill:Players start at the bottom of the circle and skate to the topThen they skate backward to the side of the circleNext they do side-steps to the other side of the circleThen backwards to the bottom of the other circleSkate to other circle and repeat Focus:Skating footwork and speedFocuses on movement in all directions which will only help them in their gameNotes:This will improve their footwork and speed over time.If you have the full rink,...

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How to Make a Hockey Equipment Tree

Are you looking for a great way to store your Hockey Gear? Getting it out of the bag alone will help with the smell that we've all come to love/hate, but hanging it up and letting it air out, will really help control the odor and growth of bacteria.Thanks to Mike over at Hockey University for letting me share this. He has a great article on how to build a Hockey equipment tree. If you are interested in making what you see in the pictures below,...

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Top 10 things you can do to help grow IHD

So now that IHD is 1 year old, what can you do to help? Submit a Drill - Share your favorite drills with us.Follow IHD on Twitter - Join the conversation and help spread the drills.Like IHD on Facebook  - Share this page with all your friends who love hockey.Join the Forums and share your knowledge.Click on the Sponsor links on the top and right side of the page.  Find something you like and buy it.Provide feedback on the drills. If you used the drill and modified it, let us know how you changed it and how it worked out.Provide feedback...

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IHD is now 1 year old

One year ago I posted my opening thought on this site. Now I sit with over 85 posts talking hockey.  My site continues to grow and with the season getting ready to start, you'll see additional drills and articles appearing to help you coach your team. Thanks to all my viewers who continue to come back and view the site.  One thing I've noticed as I've started Summer workouts for our school program, is that I don't have a lot of basic skill building drills.  I'll be adding those as the Summer goes on.  I've already drawn...

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Passing Forward/Backward Tandems

Drill:1. Put players in 2 man teams2. Player 1 skates forward while Player 2 is moving backward3. Players are making passes back and forth as they skate up to the blue line4. At Blue line, Player 1 skates backward toward Goal line and Player 2 skates forward 5. Players continue to pass back and forthFocus:1. Works on skating and passing2. Keeping head up as you skate to see where to make pass or to receive passNotes:Left side of diagram just shows...

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Passing Work - Lateral Movement

Drill:1. Players start by skating across the rink making a receiving passes 2. Once they hit the side, they will backwards skate across the rink making and receiving passesFocus:1. Skate with your head up so you can see where you are making the pass or receiving the pass2. Being able to skate forward or backward and make/receive a passNotes:This is just a good drill for passing and skating and working with your head up. Coaches can always move around...

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Passing Work - Forward/Backward Movement

Drill:1. Arrange cones in the pattern above2. Player starts at top right and skates with the puck toward the Coach and makes a pass3. At the next cone, they stop, skate backward and look for a return pass4. Repeat through all conesFocus:1. Skate with your head up so you can see where you are making the pass or receiving the pass2. Being able to skate forward or backward and make/receive a passNotes:This is just a good drill for passing and skating...

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Baking your new skates

Totally Baked Buying new skates is great, isn’t it? Brand new, shiny, pristine blades with no dings, dents, or scuffs...awesome. Of course, all that new-ness comes with one drawback - stiffness. Like new shoes (only way worse), new hockey skates can be stiffer than a shot of Jack Daniels. Breaking in your new skates can take a while. For those who want to speed up the process, there’s an operation you can perform called Heat Molding - better known to players as “baking.”The DetailsBaking your skates will not only help break them in faster,...

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Site Updates

If you haven't been on the site in a while, a few things have changed.There are now Forums for my readers to get together and talk hockey.http://forums.inlinehockeydrills.comUpdated Menus that now break down and show you Drills and Skills to make it easier to find the drills you are looking for.I've added a few Resources that I hope you will find useful like the Drill Diagrammer from M2Hockey and a few other links to some stores that I use from time to time.Over time, I hope to give the site a new look and feel, but first up, I plan to get back...

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Drill Diagrammer - Build your drills effortlessly

Kevin over at M2Hockey and HockeyShare.com has created a great new product call "Drill Diagrammer". I've been playing around with it since he announced and and find it by far, the easiest to use out there. The first drill I created, Russian Suicides, is one of my all time favorites. The drills all stay hosted on the site so you can access them from anywhere and you can share them on the site.Over time, you will see all the drills on this site redone with this software and updated when I have time. You can try it out here or sign up for the premium...

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A letter to Parents

I know this article has been written more times than it should, but I'm going to write it again and encourage all of you to give it to your parents. It truly saddens me that I need to write this but I'm passionate about the game I coach.  This weekend, while coaching my 10U Hockey team, I witnessed the worst display of Sportsmanship/Parenting I've ever seen.   It was appalling.  While I'm not going to go into a ton of details, let's just say, I was shocked, embarrassed and down-right offended. Parents, I don't care what...

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A letter to Parents

I know this article has been written more times than it should, but I'm going to write it again and encourage all of you to give it to your parents. It truly saddens me that I need to write this but I'm passionate about the game I coach.  This weekend, while coaching my 10U Hockey team, I witnessed the worst display of Sportsmanship/Parenting I've ever seen.   It was appalling.  While I'm not going to go into a ton of details, let's just say, I was shocked, embarrassed and down-right offended. Parents,I don't care what age your...

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USA ROLLER SPORTS TEAM USA TRIALS

USA Roller Sports is pleased to announce that World Team Trials will be conducted from May 13-15, 2011 at the BladeRunner's Complex, 66 Alpha Drive West, Harmarville, PA 15238 - (412) 826-0800.Read the full article here, http://email.aausports.org/email/11HO_TeamUSATrails.h...

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User Forums Now Available

I've now added a User Forum for all my readers.  I'd love to see feedback on the drills and discussion of any new drills or ideas.  You'll now see a new menu choice at the top.  or you can access them by going here...http://forums.inlinehockeydrills.comKeep Watching for other exciting announcements over the next few wee...

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AAU offering Free Coach Clinic

Received some information that I thought was useful to pass along to my viewers.The AAU National Office is happy to announce to its members, FREE Coaches' Education for all AAU Non-Athletes. This exciting program will be administered by Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), using their Double-Goal Coach® Online Course, which helps coaches pursue their first goal, winning, while pursuing the second, more-important goal of teaching life lessons through sports. To get more details, click here....

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Get a Grant for your Hockey Organization

The Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Community Grants are now open! You can help your hockey association earn one of the $2,500 grants up for grabs this spring. Since USA Hockey and Liberty Mutual Insurance partnered together, we’ve been able to award 13 hockey associations a $2,500 grant. First step:Go to ResponsibleSports.com/Grant... to register your association. Deadline to enter is May 31, 2011See MoreResponsible Sports Community Grants...

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2-1 Pass and Go

Drill:1. Place a group of players at each end and Defensive players in the middle2. First player leaves and skate hard to the other end and turns around the Cone3. At the turn, Player in the corner passes and jumps into the run for the 2-0 break.4. Defense in middle circle works to break up the play5. 2nd Player in line leaves after the first and skates down to other end and around the cone (they do not join rush, but are setting up the next break-out)6....

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2-0 Pass and Go

Drill:1. Place a group of players at each end2. First player leaves and skate hard to the other end and turns around the Cone3. At the turn, Player in the corner passes and jumps into the run for the 2-0 break.4. 2nd Player in line leaves after the first and skates down to other end and around the cone (they do not join rush, but are setting up the next break-out)5. Repeat Step 2 and follow thru the drill againFocus:1. Teach Offensive players to...

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3 Man Weave

Drill:1. Players start at one end. 1 in each circle and 1 in the middle2. Middle man passes the puck to one wing and follows the pass.3. Man receiving the pass skates toward the middle and hits the opposite wing4. Passer follows Pass, Receive skates toward middle and passes across5. Players continue until they reach the other end and shoot on goal.Focus:1. Good passing2. Movement both by the passer and receiver3. This will help them work on moving...

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Pass and Go – 1 on 1 Defense

Drill:1. Line up 2 players at opposite sides of the blue lines.2. Player 1 starts skating with a puck and hits Player 2 with a pass who returns it to Player 13. Defensive player starts skating up toward middle of rink4. Player 1 then skates across blue line passing to Player 3 who returns the pass5. Defense player transitions into backward skating6. Player 1 and Defense are now in a 1 on 1Focus:1. Give and Go passes2. Defense works on skating and...

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2 on 1 Passing Attack

Drill:1. Offense 1 and 2 start at mid rink and work on passing the puck back and forth2. Defense 1 skates up and transitions to backward skating and good positioning3. Offense works to score4. Defense works to get puck out of zoneFocus:1. Solid passing to create space2. Good positioning to get open once in the Offensive Zone3. Defense must choose one player to Defend once in the zoneNotes:Stress how this can/should be used in a game for quick passes...

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Behind the net - Positioning

Drill:1. Offense 1 starts behind the new with the puck.2. Offense 2 gets positioning in front of the net3. Offense 3 looks for position in the high slot/circle4. Offense 1 works to wrap the puck from behind, or get a pass to the O 2 or 3Focus:1. Good position by O 2/3 2. Puck movement by O 13. Goalie must be aware of player behind the net and react quickly4. Once D is added, they should focus on keeping O 2 away from netNotes:Position is important...

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Footwork - Directional Skating

Drill:1. 3-4 players at a time2. They start by cross-over stepping to the side while facing the goal.3. Then backwards skate and stop4. Cross-over skate to the other side (again while facing the goal).5. Then forward and stop6. Repeat until you change direction.Focus:1. Good starts and stops2. Keeping Shoulders square to the goal while skating laterally3. Quick bursts for startsNotes:If no cones, just have the coach whistle and point a new direc...

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Hockey Weekend Across America

I've been picking this up around all my various web feeds and just wanted to post it here as well.Fourth Annual Hockey Weekend Across America One Month AwayThe fourth annual Hockey Weekend Across America, presented by Reebok, is just one month away. The three-day celebration of the sport of hockey will take place Feb. 18-20 nationwide.Friday, Feb. 18 “Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey” presented by ShopUSAHockey.comSaturday, Feb. 19 “Bring a Friend to the Rink” presented by the NHL Sunday, Feb. 20 “Celebrate Local...

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2 on 1 - Defensive Gap Control

Drill:1. Offense 1 skates around a cone at center rink and picks up a puck2. Offense 2 will skate across and into the zone 3. Defense 1 also leaves at same time and skates around cone and gets into backward skating position4. The 2 Offensive players work together on a 2 on 1.Focus:1. Working together to get into the zone and get a shot on net2. Defense should work on controlling the play and getting good position to block the shot/pass3. Offense...

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3 Pass 1 on 1

Drill:1. D passes to O and starts to skate backwards2. O starts skating forward and passes back to D3. D passes back to O and it starts a 1 on 1 drillFocus:1. Passing back and forth as players are moving forward/backward2. Good passes3. Good skating4. Defensive position5. Offensive puck movementNotes:This is a good drill for 1 on 1 wo...

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2-0 Give and Go

Drill:1. Player 1 starts at the boards2. Player 2 starts with a puck at center ice and passes to Player 13. Player 1 skates into the zone and drops a pass along the boards4. Player 2 skates to the space Player 1 just left and picks up the puck5. Player 1 crashes net looking for a pass, Player 2 carries the puck and makes a pass to the middleFocus:1. Good pass to start the play2. Good drop pass to the player following up3. Good pass to the middleNotes:Place...

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4 on 2 – Puck Movement

Drill:1. Run this drill as a 4 on 22. Puck carrier should look to get the puck into the zone and find an open man3. Off wing should get good position in front of the net4. Defense should fall into their position5. All 4 players should move to correct positions as the puck moves aroundFocus:1. Let your defense focus on good positioning and staying low in the zone2. Offense should focus on puck movement and finding the open player3. Both should focus...

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What's a Drill vs. a Skill

I've decided to re-Tag some of the posts here to make it easier to understand what they are for.  Several of my posts are now Tagged as a "Skill" and no longer a "Drill".  So what's the difference you ask?Skills - These are items to use to build up your proficiency in a particular area, such as Skating, Passing, etc.  They are repetitive motions that are designed to help you become better at something.Drills - In my mind, these are workouts that focus more on game type scenarios and help you think through the playing of the game. ...

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Entering the zone - Crossing the Middle

Drill:1. Player 1 carries the puck through the neutral zone2. Player 2 enters the zone and crosses the middle looking for a pass3. After making the pass, Player 1 drives the middle looking for a return pass or a rebound4. Player 2 carries the puck to the net and shoots or passes back to the middleFocus:1. Finding open space as you enter the zone2. Being aware of your place on the rink3. Looking up as you are carrying the puckNotes:Work from both...

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Test a jump break

I wanted to see what this would do.....

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Pass to Defense 1 on 1 Play

Drill:1. Start an Offense at the Goal line and a Defense at the Blue line2. Forward makes a hard pass to the Defense and then goes to the front of the net and gets in position for a deflection/rebound3. Defense accepts the pass and slides to open space and then takes a shot4. After the shot/deflection/rebound, the Offense skates to the opposite corner and picks up a puck and skates up the boards5. The Defense should slide to the fall wall and then...

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