CoachThem's Top Drills of 2019

2019 has been wild. The game has become faster, more skilled, and more competitive than ever. We've witnessed mind-blowing goals and saves, and even saw the St. Louis Blues capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

At the minor level, player and coaching development continues to evolve. Youth associations are becoming more structured and regimented, with an increased focus on coaches’ meetings and investments in tools that elevate the standard of teaching. Overall, hockey has made great strides in fostering proper preparation, development, and—most importantly—fun.

At CoachThem, this has been our best year yet. We've had the opportunity to work with incredible organizations like the NHL Coaches Association, welcomed new team members to enhance our platform, and, most importantly, expanded our CoachThem community to over 7,000 coaches worldwide!

To cap off an incredible year in hockey, we’ve put together a list of CoachThem’s Top 5 Drills of 2019—based on feedback from YOU and the CoachThem community.

Enjoy!

 

5. Maine Chipper
 

Tags: 2 vs 0, Skating
 

Starting off our list is the chip and go, Maine Chipper. This is a great 2 vs 0 drill to kick off your practice. It works in a give-and-go up the boards and can be used as a secondary zone entry strategy against your opposition.
 

• Both sides leave at same time on whistle
• Forward F1 and FForward 2 leave together with a give and go
• Forward F1 chips puck to Forward F2 from the oppostie end line
• Forward F2 skates in and shoots, Forward F1 drives the net, middle lane for a rebound
   

4. Team Canada Wannabe
 

Tags: Flow, Shooting
 

Coach, player, parent or just a pure specator, there's a high chance that you've seen this variation of the "Team Canada Warm Up". It's a quality flow drill that will work on a quick transition and breakaway speed!
 

 

• X X1 starts with puck, skates in for a shot on goal
• X X1 picks up loose puck in corner and skates up the middle X X2 swings towards the boards and receives pass from X X1
• X X3 skates across the neutral zone and receives pass from X X2 
• X X3 then skates down for a shot on goal, keeps the drill continuous by picking up another loose puck in the corner
   

3. Jon Goyens: D Up Basic
 

Tags: Defence, Screens / Tips / Deflections, Transtions
 

As featured in our extremely popular blog feature Transitions for Explosive Offense, Jon Goyens brought his best with the D Up Basic. It's the first step in an excellent transition sequence and gets your team thinking about the attack when a loose puck finds it's way in the "transition zone".
 

 

• Defence D backwards pivots retrieves puck, pass to Forward F1 inside dots
• Forward F1 shoot in stride, hide release point, after shot indirect pass low to high to Defence D for 1T or slide blue & shoot
• Forward F1 head to net for screen & tip, depth is important

Variation B

• Defence  D repeats D up pass with FForward 2, Forward F1 tags up in middle, enter 2 v 0. On entry F can look for D
  Defence

2. Choose Your Gap
 

Tags: 1 vs 1, Defence, Gap Control
 

Let's face it... gap control is tough to teach and more difficult to master. CoachThem's own Mike Weaver came up with this drill while teaching players in his hockey school Defence First. Mike says, "I'd rather my defence get beat while having a good gap, than give too much space and open up the offensive zone" and this drill reinforces the point of taking control of open ice.
 

 

• Defence D1 starts with puck
• Forward F1 starts on hashmarks. Can't move until receives pass
• On whistle Defence D1 carries puck and passes to Forward F1
• Forward F1 skates full speed down ice and takes Defence D1 from other end on 1 on 1
• Defence D1 after passing, skates hard and chooses which pylon to go around
• Objective is to go to the 3rd pylon (furthest)
   

1. Pat Burns
 

Tags: Breakouts, Forecheck
 

At the top our list, the infamous Pat Burns breakout progression sits comfortably above the rest! This drill tests your team's breakout system under various levels of pressure. Try different exit strategies with pressure from F1, F2 and F3 and develop a system that works for your team.
 

 

• Forward F1 gains redline and chips puck deep, then forechecks. Forward F1 route vs 5 Blue players who then breakout puck
• Once the puck is broken out, Blue passes the puck to the Forward F2 who gains the red line and chips the puck deep and forechecks with Forward F1
• Once 2nd puck is broken out, Blue player passes the puck to Forward F3 who gains the red line and dumps the puck deep, both Defence D join the Forward F's and play 5 vs 5
   

All CoachThem Pro and Association users can find drills like these in our Drill Marketplace and add them directly to their custom practice plans using our sports coaching software.

Looking to elevate your coaching? Try our practice planning platform free for 10 days and experience the power of CoachThem’s online drill drawing and team practice planner—perfect for hockey, soccer, and lacrosse coaching. Access the CoachThem iOS App and take your practice plans on the go - designed for athlete development and team management.

 

 

Written by the CoachThem Team

 

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