Defense turns are an essential pivot to learn for both forward and defensemen. A “D turn” is a transition from forward to backward using a 1 or 2 foot stopping technique into a cross-over to change directions.
Friend and fellow blogger Coach Nielsen has posted a great progression of cycling drills over on his blog. This post is definitely worth a read if you’re trying to teach cycling to your group:
The stretch pass is a quick pass (usually coming from a defenseman) allowing your team to quickly transition from a regroup to an attack. It’s important for defensemen to learn the skill of making this pass while skating backward.
The final skill development video in this series focuses on defensemen handling the puck at the point and driving to the middle. The drill is very simple, but the techniques used to control the puck are crucial for them in game situations.
In video number 5 of 6 in our summer training series, we’ll take a look at the Double Pivot Drill. The Double Pivot Drill is great for focusing on explosive change of direction and maintaining puck control.
The 4th skill development drill is the Figure 8 Pass & Drive drill. This drill works on passing while in transition, and driving to the net and shooting in stride.
The third video in this series shows a simple, but effective drill used to practice a player’s ability to transition from a stickhandle (or a move) into a drive to the net – in this case, along with a change of direction.
Video number 2 in the summer training series is again simple to run, but difficult to master as there are a lot of skills being worked on at once. This quick skill drill focuses on quick passes, following the play up, and shooting in stride. This drill can be varied lots of ways to fit your needs.
This quick skill drill is a continuation from the last post about summer training with open ice. The drills we’ll be posting are simple in concept, but involve a lot of different skills and techniques.
The summer is here, and many players are now enjoying the “off-season.” This is the time of year where good players become great. This time of year separates the players who are serious about the game, and those who are not. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been asked “what should my player do this summer” – and I’m sure many other coaches out there hear it all the time. I wanted to share some quick thoughts on how to approach the off-season…