Catch & Release - Hockey Skill Breakdown

 

What’s worse than overhandling the puck? Losing the puck, I guess. This blog will show you some great videos on how defencemen receive and shoot towards the net. It could be right away (catch and release) or by holding on to the puck and waiting for a ‘’better’’ shooting lane.

 

 

We will focus mainly on the wrist shot/snapshot from the offensive blue line for this blog. By under-handling the puck when receiving and shooting, you allow for a quicker shot at the net and a better scoring chance because opposing players will have less time to get in the lane, and goalies will have less time to get set.

There are many ways to receive a pass. Your skates can be towards the net, or you can rotate your body around the puck because you were facing our D partner. In both cases, you need to show your target (blade) and move the puck quickly to your shooting position. If you are in the middle when you receive the pass, you can use the traffic in front of the net to help create a scoring chance, or maybe shoot the puck wide of the net on purpose to hit a blade for a tip-in. 

If you receive the puck and you are outside the dots, you cannot miss the net. Eyes up and look at the target and analyze your options. Most of the time, the shooting lane will be there if you do it quick enough.

When teaching the technique, make sure to emphasize the quality of the first pass to start. Later on, ask the passer to make some “bad passes.” Your players will have to adjust, and it will make them better.

 

Five key points when teaching this technique are:

1. Top hand away from your body to receive the pass and towards the passer, cradle pass with wrists, not arms to allow for quicker release
2. Extending your arm so you have more room to catch the puck (Keeping hands in shooting position, top hand should be around the belly button, and not reaching)
3. Catching the puck and weight transfer from side to side
4. No stickhandling, eyes up.
5. Shooting at the net quick
    

Below, I’ve outlined a five-drill progression that you can use to help your players work on “Catch and Release” shooting. All drills are located in the CoachThem Marketplace, so you can easily add them to your playbook.

 

NEW: Click on video icon in rink for the Drill video!

Below Practice Plan can be found in our Marketplace.

 

1. Catch & Release - Activation

Preparing players for receive & shoot technique

• Players pass around a puck, making sure their hands are out in front of the body, and they are set up in a low stance with good posture
• Can reverse the direction of the puck, or add in a second puck if players are doing well with it.
• Receive from the strong side - blade square to the passer, stop spin using wrists, turn hands to make a pass.
   

2. Catch & Release - Reps

• Make sure passers are focused and making good passes
• The player beside you make a pass on your FH (forehand)
• Focusing on catch and release (quick)
• After 4 passes, players rotate the position
   

3. Catch & Release - Lateral Pass

Getting players comfortable with receiving a lateral pass and getting the puck into a shooting position quickly.

• D is set up outside the blue line. If you cannot have 2 coaches, one D after his shot can make the pass.
• The player leaves without the puck and to start, skate at 50% to feel the drill.
• The player receives a lateral pass and shoots (catch and release)
• Receive on FH (forehand) only
   

4. Catch & Release - Half Zone

It's a great way to challenge your players in practice to execute something you have worked in practice.

• 3v3 small area game.
• Goal = 1pts
• Hook pass = 3pts
   

5. Catch & Release - Half Zone Game Situation

Game situation drill with pressure

• Low to high. D who's making the pass from the corner can take 1-2 strides before making the pass (= pressure coming quicker).
• D2 cannot start moving (literally) on the blue line before D1 touches the puck.
• D1 pass to D2
• D2 works on catch and release and can extend outside a little bit to have more room.

 

Video's for the drills were provided by https://twitter.com/coachchenner

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Blog by CoachThem Contributor, Mitch Giguere

Mitch Giguere, ChPC, is the father of four children and a passionate hockey coach, currently working for the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL). Previously, he worked with the Rink Hockey Academy in Winnipeg, was the video coach for the Winnipeg Ice (WHL). Mitch has his High Performance 2 from Hockey Canada and has an Advanced Coaching Diploma (NCCP4) from the Canadian Sports Institute. You can follow his popular video breakdown on Instagram/Twitter @Coach_Mitch85 and Facebook Behind The Bench for more great hockey content.