Offensive positioning

[frolundahc 0]

Hi all,

I have been playing inline hockey now for 2 years. After playing basketball for most of my teen years i decided to try a new sport and hockey was the choice and im not regretting it...its the most fun i have ever had. My skating and puck handling skills are getting better week by week and my defensive game isnt bad either, but where i am having problems is in offensive positioning. Its not like in basket ball where you can set a pick to create space, in hockey most of the time you get called for interference or for some kind of infringement if you try something similar. Im finding myself skating probably twice and much as anyone else out there on my team and yet i never seem to get the puck. I have my stick down to the court so its not like my players dont know where to put the puck. I have tried (like in basketball's 3 man weave) to follow my pass, which works quite well for one positiong placement but where do i go from there?. Support play works occasionally, although i usually just get tied up in the boards..

So what i can i do?. I work hard in training and i want to be able to stickhandle in order to gain confidence but if i dont get the puck then im not going to achieve that...

any help would be great,

thanks

[Trooper 8]

As the player without the puck, you have to work to get open. That means not only a position where there is nobody immediately covering you, but one in which there is a passing lane for the puckcarrier to get you the puck. You may also need to support the puck more strongly if it is tied up in the boards. Go to a higher level game and just watch what the guys without the puck do, they read the play and then react, and also anticipate what is going to happen.

[chippa13 1844]

It is all about finding the openings. Just like basketball, you want to get to an open area and create passing lanes.

[Chadd 916]

It is all about finding the openings. Just like basketball, you want to get to an open area and create passing lanes.

Exactly. The sports are actually very similar if you think in terms of fast breaks and motion plays (without the picks).

[EndBoards 0]

All of this is assuming you're playing forward, not D..

"Be in a passing lane" is a good overall rule, but to me that's more of a fine-tuning thing - how to orient yourself in a particular location..

To me, it starts with your general location on the ice. It's probably oversimplifying things, but here's the way I approach it..

When the puck is down low, the two forwards that don't have the puck should be doing one of 3 things

- Setting up for a quick shot (high-slot - think Brett Hull..)

- In tight, screening the goalie & looking for tips/rebounds/garbage goals

- In the corner/against the boards as an outlet or supporting the puck

First read what the other forward w/o the puck is doing, and don't do the same thing. You're left with two options & the situation usually dictates which is better to take..

For example: (Assume 'C' has the puck & 'W' is your linemate)

W is set up for a shot - if C has space, you head for the net. If C is under attack, you provide puck support.

W is in tight - if C has space, you float up high for a shot. If C is under attack, you provide puck support

C is under attack and W is providing puck support - if both of your linemates are busy trying to retain possession, it doesn't make any sense for you to be in tight, so you'd float a little near the puck battle in a spot where you can shoot if it comes out to you.

The options increase a little when you incorporate the D. If they pinch in, you might need to cover their spot on the point. You have two linemates to check before deciding what to do. Still, the same basic premise applies - figure out what your linemates aren't doing, and of those options pick the one that makes the most sense.

I follow these guidelines to decide where on the rink to be, and once I'm there I fine-tune my position in view of passing lanes, etc..

Other things that I like to do:

If someone's about to take a shot (and you're not the guy that's screening or completely after the rebound) be ready to head for the opposite corner. If the shot misses the net, that's where the puck will end up. If you're already cheating that way, you'll be a few steps ahead of the D.

When the puck changes hands, look to immediately break for the net (especially if you're the one passing it away). In rec leagues, defenders almost always watch to see where the puck goes after it's passed. That's usually the best time to slip away from coverage.

Just some ideas.. Sorry for being long winded..

[hockeyherb 1]

It also helps to talk to your linemates after each shift and find out where they are expecting you to be. They'll have an opinion, believe me, especially if you guys aren't generating a lot of offense or frequently turn over the puck in the opponent's end without any decent scoring chances.

[TBLfan 25]

communication is the biggest thing. Talk when you finish a shift, talk on the ice/playing surface; let them know where you were/are/going to be. After a while with the same guys/girls you can communicate without speaking... but that will only come if you communicate a lot and understand what eachother is doing.

[chk hrd 164]

study the game, watch as many pro, semi-pro, mens and high level kids games. Pick a specific position and watch what he does watch for the entire game. Each game pick a different position to watch so you get a feeling what the other guys are doing.

Experience is the only way to learn good positioning. When you start learning where to be the puck will get to you.

[jjtt99 0]

Good reply EndBoards. I think (hope) I do that most of the time, but I've never heard it explained that way before. I keep talking about the triangle and some people look at me like my head is shaped like one!

[Datsyukiandeek 0]

My only piece of advice.. Keep your stick on the ice.. Theres nothing worse for a playmaker than making an amazing tape to tape pass only to have the reciever bobble the puck or totally miss it.

[frolundahc 0]

Thanks for your advice, all of you, I will try and apply these thoughts to my game and see if it helps. I guess i forgot to mention that we play 3 on 3 and sometimes 4 on 4, but i guess the "rules", as end-boards put it, still apply. ie, look to see what the guy without the puck is doing as well as the guy with the puck. Yes, strategies are similar to basketball but the main differnce is that hockey moves so much faster in my opinion!, but i guess it takes time to get used to that

Thanks again

[Jarick 5]

Great reply Endboards, that's kind of what I've been doing but not really realizing!

Basically I watch a lot of NHL and college hockey games. I will pick one person and watch where they go, what they do, where they move, when they step up, when they fall back, and how much success they had. Eventually I'm finding patterns in their play that I apply to my play.

I do try and get open or float to the outside post on wing. If I have the puck, I'll try and draw defenders and look for an open man or a shot. Generally I suck at stickhandling and passing so I try and score on rushes or breakaways.

On the point, I will hug the puck-side boards to hold the puck or take a pass, or if I'm weak-side I will float up a bit to create a one-time opportunity or draw defenders.

[malcb33 97]

I think it all comes down to what style of hockey you and your line mate/s are trying to play? Are you trying to play puck postion, or shooting anytime you can, looking for the long strech passes or what? You can watch any high level of hockey and try to imatate them but it doesn't work if your line mates are trying something different. Everyone has thier own natural reactions to what you do out there, you just need to figure out what type of player you are (what your best at, not what you want to be) and find a line mate/s that have the same ideas as you?

[TBLfan 25]

My only piece of advice.. Keep your stick on the ice.. Theres nothing worse for a playmaker than making an amazing tape to tape pass only to have the reciever bobble the puck or totally miss it.

That's my number one issue I have. I started skating out in (pickup)roller as I gathered the money to buy good enough equipment to play ice(as a forward instead of a goalie) in a league. I guess I got into the habit of holding my stick in the air while skating to save my blade but I still do it on the ice. I've never really had an issue with holding my stick that way as I have quick hands and good hand eye coordination. I can recover from it quickly and I pick my moments when to use my stick properly(on the ice) or not. Still sucks that although I rarely miss a pass I still get to hear my teammates annoy me with "put your stick on the ice!" Guess they'll stop bothering me when I stop doing it. But until then... B)

[Datsyukiandeek 0]

Well missing a break out pass is one thing. But I like using the net alot for passes. If ive got the puck and going around the net for the implied wrap around i'll put the puck on my back hand and drop it in the crease. Usually theres little to no defensive coverage. That or if the Dman is pinching into the bottom of the circles and also doesn't have his stick down, the pass goes under his stick and leads to a breakaway.

Ive got faults in my game.. slapshots.. defensive coverage but blowing a perfect pass is my biggest pet peeve. I usually never have my stick on the ice but I rarely miss a pass.

[TBLfan 25]

that's where you pick your moments. You'd never see the puck in that close and me not have my stick down. I've got good hands though so often when the puck is on the outside and I'm in front of the net the stick is ready for a deflection... about waist high.

[Datsyukiandeek 0]

I doubt anyone likes playing with me. Im a playmaking center who hates communication, especially when people yell out my name, it distracts me from the play. I'll usually just go with the "Hey" and expect a pass, usually works pretty well. I float.. im trying to get better about that. I never really get pissed about people missing passes but once it starts happening enough i'll stop making the pass, even taking terrible shots if need be. Im pretty much the opposite of a puck hog, I do like to dish it off 95% of the time.

Im a bigger guy so people anticipate that im slow, which is completely untrue. When I jump into a pickup game or when im with my "team" lots of people get pissed when I circle back into my zone. Im not agressive, I like sitting back and letting the play come to me. What else? Oh right, if I don't have the puck you'll see me standing in front of the goalie, Holmstrom style. Although I miss the majority of tips, I usually get 1-2 shots a game off the face.

In short, true blue NHL Hall of Famer materal.