Body Positioning Clinic Champlin Park Youth Hockey Players & Coaches Jim Koltes Champlin Park High School Head Girls Hockey Coach Contact is part of the game at all levels, but we ALL need to play within the rules to keep the integrity of the game intact
Body Positioning Concepts for protecting yourself from Contact and Falls USA Hockey is promoting Heads Up, Don t Duck you can read more about it at www.usahockey.com below are a few key points DN T Tuck your Head when you are going into the boards (Go in face up with both hands on your stick, arms out) this will give you maximum flexibility in your neck to avoid breaks. Again Don t tuck your head. Body contact is inevitable in a hockey game, whether there is checking or not, however you can protect yourself along the boards by doing these two things. 1. Get your body as close to the boards as possible, leave no gap, this will allow the boards to absorb the contact not you. We will demonstrate the proper technique 2. Get your knees bent and get your center of gravity low to the ice, do not stand straight up. We will demonstrate the proper technique
Angling Players is as effective as the big hit or check, even better at times because you don t take yourself out of the play and you are still an option to score or play defense. The object of angling or checking a player is to separate the puck carrier from the puck. This can also be done by creating a bad pass or a rushed pass. The objective of both is to create a turnover. When angling you want to: 1. Take away time and space (Hustle, Hustle, Hustle and play smart) 2. Get in front of the puck carrier or shoulder to shoulder, you have every right to the puck as they do, check (angle) through the hands and gain puck possession. We will demonstrate and practice. 3. When along the boards too angle a player always keep your skates parallel to the boards and ride the player out using the boards as another defender. We will demonstrate and practice.
Checking Do s and Don'ts It is somewhat of an oxymoron to hold a girls hockey & pee wee level checking clinic when in the rules it states that there is N checking, however there is incidental contact and you have as much right to the puck as the puck carrier. Pee Wee and Girls Hockey Checking Definition: The Checker (Defensive Player) stays between the offensive person and the goal or is even slightly ahead of the player with the puck. What this means is if you can get even or slightly ahead of the player with the puck (as the defensive player) you have as much right to that puck as the puck carrier and if you are playing the puck and not the person that is a legal play. What will be called a check and a penalty: Intent to separate the puck carrier from the puck with physical contact, a body part extension out side the frame of the body or a body check. The guideline that most high school coaches use is if you intentionally extend your hands, elbows and/or hips to separate the player from the puck, this is a penalty. How to protect and prepare yourself from a check: Every player needs to know this: It is important that all players be able to take a check.. D NT use your hands or wrist to cushion the blow, a player should be in a semi crouched position (Knees Bent), with their hands on their stick. If you are close to the boards and you see a hit coming, get as close to the boards as possible. Keep your head up at all times (This is very important to teach & do) Keep your head on a swivel, be aware of what is around you at all times. You need to learn to fall properly. Do Not Use Your Hands To Brace your fall. Whatever way you are falling, use your padded areas to land on if at all possible. The Game of hockey is about what you do when you don t have the puck, to create a turnover to give your team a chance with the puck
Fore-Checking (FC) FRECHECKING Because there is no body checking in girls hockey or Pee wee s it makes fore-checking that much more important from a team aspect in helping to create turnover by using your body angles and forcing bad passes. The Keys To Fore-checking: Always fore-check with a purpose Always force the puck carrier towards the boards (Cuts the ice in ½ this way) Control the puck carriers hands Turn the play up the boards or into the corners Take Time and Space away (force them to think fast, don t give them time) Pressure Hustle, Hustle, Hustle Create turnovers and scoring chances Remember to back-check hard if the fore-check is beaten. The Main objective in fore-checking is to take away the puck carrier s time and space and to create a turnover which will lead to your team gaining possession of the puck and a possible scoring chances. Control the puck carrier s hands and legs: This is taught to teach the players to angle for the puck carrier s hands and not the player s body. Tie them up on the boards. ther forms of checking: Back-check: as important if not more important than fore-checking. You need to get back on defense and help protect you defensive end as fast as possible. Forcing the play or player outside towards the boards. Keeping shots outside. Riding the player out: Just taking the player towards the boards until they run out of rink. Force them out of the play. Check the hands, pin them against the boards. Angling: This is when you force a player to go the direction you want them to go by taking away a portion of the ice by getting your body in a solid defensive position. Check the hands, pin them against the boards. You need to work twice as hard on Defense as you do on ffense, take pride in playing solid defense
Drill #3 Drill #2 Drill #1 C Reaction Drill Coach moves the puck To one side or the other Defensive player reads to get inside Players hands and body (a cut back Is the same as a stop, BC would pick up Straight Line Drill bject of the drill is to get Inside the player keep them outside Attack the Hands C Angle drill try to Keep player outside By angling
Drill #1 pen ice Angle Drill Read box below for objective Note don t allow cut back by D Drill #2 FC Angle Drill: using your body to steer the puck carrier To ¼ of the ice taking away a pass to the middle Trying to create no place for the puck carrier to go and Create a turnover or bad pass.
W W ption D D ption FC C FC #2 trust FC #1 will break the play up and FC#2 will cover back side post Take away TIME & SPACE Drill Another way to use your body is put pressure on the puck carrier. By out working them or not giving them time to think about their next move. Again force a turnover FC This FC goes as hard as they can to make the player make a bad pass or cough up the puck only using angles and pressure no checking
Back Checking and Angling Shot Back Checker Lead Pass If you are beat on the back-check skate to the closet goal post,the puck carrier has to get to the net to score, head them off in a straight line. This is another reason it is important to get the puck carrier to the outside.
Short, Medium and Long Reads on Angles C utside player plays the puck, inside player is angling player outside away from the net for lower % chance to score Coach (C) slides the puck deep, medium deep or short