Inline drills to take the body...

[Aussie Joe 0]

I just got back from watching my juniors playing and they lost 10-1. A big problem was that when a puckhandler would come down 1 on 1 they would try and take the puck. I have taught them to watch the chest but they are still having problems.

Im looking for some drills that show a player how to body check (both giving and receiving). I want my boys getting accustomed to using their bodies effectively in a combination with their sticks.

PS: Two don't need them, they are only 16 both 5-10 and around the 80-90 kg range! Both very good hitters.

[biff44 0]

It may be mental. Kids do not want to look foolish. It is pretty hard to body check a guy barreling in on a 1 on 1 They might be afraid that they will miss the guy entirely and look bad. So they go with the easier try--poke checking the puck.

I would recommend a two pronged approach to build up their confidence. First, do some read and react drills, where they have to see something and react. Get one of those dimpled reaction rubber balls, drop it and have them catch it as it bounces all over the place. There are plyometric drills where you jump off a small box, the coach points right or left, and the player sprints to that side as fast as they can. This will start developing faster eye-brain-muscle reaction time.

Then work on the core muscles. Squats, etc, so they are strong enough to move laterally quickly. Jump laterally over cones, expecially using one leg, to build up lateral explosive strength.

All the while, keep telling them that these exercises will make them laterally quicker so they can play the body in 1 on 1 situations. When the reflexes and the muscles are ready, and they are confident that they can do it, it will happen.

[Aussie Joe 0]

I would recommend a two pronged approach to build up their confidence. First, do some read and react drills, where they have to see something and react. Get one of those dimpled reaction rubber balls, drop it and have them catch it as it bounces all over the place. There are plyometric drills where you jump off a small box, the coach points right or left, and the player sprints to that side as fast as they can. This will start developing faster eye-brain-muscle reaction time.

I think I'll start from here. What I was really after was drills that show players how to hit and also the situations that they occur in. Something to start the kids off with on the rink rather than excercises which I wouldn't rec. to U/16 due to their levels of development and possible muscle damage risk.

All the same thanks and keep the suggestions coming.

[Chadd 916]

When one of the other guys I coached with insisted on doing checking drills with some of our younger players we ran two main ones. One was the old "tunnel of love" drill and the other was more of a game situation drill.

For those that don't know it, the tunnel of love is four or five guys that start about two feet off the boards, one behind the next. You then have one skater run the gauntlet as each player delivers a clean shoulder check. That player then goes to the end of the line and the player at the front turns around and proceeds down the line. The key is for the player to keep his feet moving and get his center of gravity lower.This can get out of hand easily and can cause injuries if run for very long.

The more applicable drill was a one on one drill with the offensive player trying to beat the defensive player along the boards. the defender angles the offensive player to the boards, lifts the stick, eliminates the body and leaves with the puck. At first the defender is a backchecker and chases the offensive player. As a change you can make it into a 1 on 1 rush to add a slightly different element.

Around here people focus on hitting to the point that it's often the only thing a player thinks about and quite often it isn't the best play. Nick Lidstrom may be the best defenseman in the NHL yet he hardly ever delivers a big hit. Positioning and body control are the most important factors in playing defense.

[biff44 0]

Well, one thing you can try is to scrimage, but have one team play with their sticks upside down (butt end on the ice). The only way to play is physical, so they will get into the habit. You can play on a 1/2 sheet, but change who is defending after each goal.