Take Five

Take five
By Fred Pletsch
Oct 30, 2001, 07:26

Kariya: The best story.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs should be watched and savored, says Shawn Walsh. The Coach of the University of Maine Black Bears does precisely that each spring, and encourages youth hockey parents to do the same. Not just for the great hockey, but because it’s in the best interest of their hockey-playing children.

“There’s no doubt kids need breaks so they can get recharged, and I think the months of April, May and early June should be targeted as times off,” suggests Walsh, whose Black Bears are coming off their second appearance in three years in the NCAA championship game. “Hopefully by the time July rolls around the kids are excited about the sport again and ready for hockey school.”

And he practices what he preaches. Returning in late March from Providence, RI—scene of their 6-2 NCAA title-game loss to Hockey East rival Boston University—Maine players found the doors to their weight room locked.

“A break is so important to us that I don’t even let my players near the weight room for one month after our season is over,” adds Walsh. “I want them away from all physical activity for that long, and I like to see them away from the ice for two to two-and-a-half months.”

Walsh, rumored annually to be headed to the NHL as a head coach or associate coach, won’t come right out and say it, but he intimated that spring and summer hockey leagues for youngsters are of questionable value in the development of players.

“I don’t think you’re going to find a kid that’s going to benefit that much from playing continuously. I think the benefits are going to be far outweighed by the negatives,” argues Walsh. He cites Paul Kariya, his 1993 Hobey Baker Award winner at Maine and current Anaheim Mighty Ducks Calder Trophy hopeful, as a prime example.

“There’s no question Paul would have been burned out as a player by now if he had played every April, May and June as a youngster,” says Walsh of Kariya, who in a span of 15 months captured an NCAA championship, an Olympic silver medal and World Hockey Championship gold medal. “Paul is a guy who is just in love with the game of hockey, but even he has to monitor his time during the year.

Summer school?

Summer hockey school has a number of developmental advantages over competitive summer leagues, according to Walsh.

“It gives you a chance to do two things. Hockey school lets kids play without the restrictions of the coach and the game situations that they get during the regular season. They really get to freelance, and it’s the closest thing to pond hockey that they’re going to get in this day and age. Secondly, you can usually put yourself against people in your own skill category. The one stifling thing about youth hockey today is that the best players all too often dominate—and Paul Kariya is the best story.”

Walsh asked Kariya early in 1993 why he had enjoyed such an outstanding collegiate season, becoming the first rookie in history to lead the NCAA in scoring and be named Most Outstanding player.

“He told me it was because he was always playing against older players, and (his freshman year) really did a lot for his development because he has never been the best player,” relates Walsh.

The best hockey schools evaluate a player’s skill level beforehand (or on the first day) and, regardless of age, group him with players if similar caliber. That way, every kid will have an opportunity to shine, providing youngsters with renewed confidence and a joy they might not get to experience in their winter youth league.

So enjoy what’s left of the NHL playoffs, and remember these summer hockey thoughts from Shawn Walsh—an extraordinary coach whose teams rarely take a game off during the season.

Fred Pletsch is a veteran OHL and AHL broadcaster who currently covers the Cornwall Aces for CJFS radio.

This first appeared in the 07/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Teaching the FUNdamentals

Teaching the FUNdamentals
By Robby Glantz
Oct 30, 2001, 07:20

No matter where I am, coaching power skating—whether it is in North America or Europe—I am asked one question by the coaches more often than any other: “How do we incorporate skating training into our practices when we barely have enough ice time to teach shooting, passing, positional play and strategy?”

They ask it not in a cynical manner, but rather because they are honestly perplexed. These coaches seem to know how important skating is to the game, and truly want to incorporate it into their training regimen. They just do not know the best way to go about it.

I can certainly understand this difficult problem faced by the coaches. As most of us involved with hockey are well aware, there is a real scarcity of ice time. Therefore, the tendency is to emphasize only the “fun” aspects of hockey—i.e. shooting, passing, scrimmages, etc.—during team practices. However, learning to skate better makes the whole game easier—as well as more enjoyable—to play. And the learning aspect itself can also be fun and imaginative.

Stress the fundamentals

As mentioned in the introduction, lack of ice time is the biggest problem that leads to the minimal time spent on skating training in practice. However, another problem is that teaching skating fundamentals can sometimes be a very subtle art, and most coaches are not trained as power skating instructors. But there are certain aspects of skating fundamentals that we can all see, and these are the fundamentals that coaches should stress.

They include; having the players bend the knees more than where they feel comfortable; pushing the legs to full extension in the forward and backward stride; teaching them not to run on the skates—instead, use the edges and not the flats of the blades; and to make sure that the players do not hunch over, but rather that they bend at the knees while keeping their back straight. These are just a few examples of fundamentals that all coaches can repetitively talk about with their players.

Make it fun!

Certainly, players need time to work on their other skills—such as passing, shooting and stickhandling—which are the so-called “fun” part of hockey. And while these vital aspects of the game should be practiced, let’s not forget that skating better only helps to make these skills stronger. And learning to skate better can be fun, too.

One of the major problems I have with coaches is the way in which skating is used as a negative, or a punishment. This automatically sets the wrong tone for the players. Coaches, try to be creative when disciplining your team.

Simply threatening your team, or an individual player, with laps or other skating drills (minus the puck), for example, sends the signal to them that skating is only punishment, and no one likes to be punished.

Further, it sends the message that if skating is to be practiced, it’s practiced as a last resort.

There are, of course, times to emphasize stamina and endurance drills, and times to emphasize technique as well. Each individual situation being different, it is the coach’s job to weigh all the factors surrounding their team’s needs and decide the best times for each. I find that the beginning of the season is an excellent time for technique training, and it is also very important to stick with it as the season progresses.

As many of us know, a good time to practice skating technique drills is during the warm-ups, before the pucks come on the ice. But—surprise!—hockey skating techniques can be practiced while using pucks, too. One of the greatest problems I encounter in my travels is with the creativity on the part of some coaches, and the lack of imaginative and well-rounded drills.

For example, simply because the pucks are on the ice does not mean that the players have to carry them with them everywhere they go. Be creative! Maybe place the pucks in a certain location and have the players do some fun and explosive skating maneuvers before they pick one up. That way they have no distractions, and are free to concentrate solely on their technique.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, encourage players at all levels to try so hard that they make mistakes. Instead of frowning when a player falls down, give them a pat on the rear and let them know that even Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux fall down. Then try to explain from a technique standpoint why it happened.

All players must make mistakes and take chances if they are to improve their skating. And coaches have to be there to support them.

Robby Glantz, power skating coach for the Los Angeles Kings, Swedish champions Malmö, and the German National Teams, conducts skating programs throughout North America and Europe.

This first appeared in the 07/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Ouch! Injuries and the Game

Ouch! Injuries and the game
By Andre Palai
Oct 30, 2001, 07:06

©BBS

A coach’s worst nightmare is seeing a barrage of bodies being tended to in the trainer’s room. From superstars to role players, the area athletes least like to visit—but the one that always seems most crowded—is the medic ward. Injuries are part of the game. It’s a partial price an athlete pays for competing to be the best.

A team’s successful forecast can crumple like brittle bones if it becomes decimated by injuries. How many times have we seen teams get off to a good start and then, halfway through the season, become cellar-dwellers due to a rash of injuries? It happens year after year.

A pulled groin or hamstring can put a player on the shelf just as long as a broken bone. While the latter appears worse, both are significant because no matter the sport, a pulled muscle severely limits an athlete by taking away critical flexibility and mobility. If not given proper care, pulled muscles and ligaments can become chronic, often causing a player to be injured more frequently. That, in turn, translates into less playing time and often forces an organization to fill the void with a less experienced player.

Broken bones on the other hand, while they take longer to heal and can sideline a player for several weeks, usually happen less frequently.

“Accidents,” says Anaheim Mighty Ducks trainer Blynn DeNiro, are the primary cause of injuries. “There’s no preventing accidents. When you have big bodies flying around and people running into each other, something’s got to give. It’s usually the weakest link. That’s the nature of the beast,” explains DeNiro.

With hockey being a fast-paced collision sport, the physical demand on a player’s body is more significant than those in other sports. The normally lengthy schedule, and the ability to perform two tasks at once are major factors in testing a player’s overall physical fitness.

A two-sport sport

“Hockey to me has always been two sports. First it’s skating. You have to be a tremendous skater. Then it’s the game. The hockey. So there’s two things involved, so that makes it more taxing mentally and physically,” says DeNiro.

“I think you have to look at the travel and back-to-back games,” DeNiro continues. “A lot of times these guys will play three games in four nights. The body has no time to recover.”

Players are paid to be in top shape and perform consistently night in and night out. But as the years go on, a player’s body changes, and becomes less durable. Even the most physically fit athletes are not immune from injury. Rick Tocchet, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, and former NHL great Bobby Orr have all been felled by injury during their careers. Many players, like Orr, former Buffalo Sabres star Rick Martin, and Philadelphia Flyers great Bernie Parent, have all had their careers cut short by disabilities. With competition increasing to new heights, the body eventually breaks down and cannot take the pounding it once did when it was young.

Body parts age just like humans do. Joints begin to stiffen. Ligaments are not as flexible, and muscles require more effort to keep strong.

“At 25, everybody starts to notice that they’re sore a little longer. Things don’t heal quite as fast. It takes longer to stretch, longer to condition. By the time you get to 30 your healing processes begin to slow. That’s the nature of the beast and you have to accept that,” says DeNiro.

With fat cat contracts and outside pressure, professional athletes cannot call in sick or decide to take a day off at leisure. There are no sick days in pro sports. Even if there were, most athletes—certainly most hockey players—would rather play hurt than sit out. Call it macho, call it resilient; the fact is, in order to survive in pro sports you have to play hurt. It is a way of life and is part of what sets them apart from the common man.

Sometimes, however, we hear of an athlete reaggravating an injury, or possibly coming back to soon. Who is to blame? Who makes the decisions on when the player should return to action?

“You can point the finger at a coach or point the finger at a trainer or doctor, and a lot of times you point the finger at the athlete. There isn’t one person. Usually it’s a total decision. If everybody knows what’s going on, you’re gonna nine times out of ten make the right decision,” explains DeNiro.

“Sometimes it is trial and error, and you do go too soon. Sometimes you also wait too long. It’s a fine line. There’s no set date of return because everybody’s healing rate is different and everybody’s injuries are different. A lot of times it’s a guess.”

A cold cure

DeNiro has seen his fair share of battered and bruised players over the years, having spent four years with NFL’s Rams prior to joining the Mighty Ducks. He responded adamantly with one word when talking about the most often used remedy in treating injuries. “Ice, Ice, Ice.” The exact same thing the players skate on.

“That’s an initial treatment, because it stops the swelling and tissue damage and decreases the pain. You can make less mistakes with ice than anything else. It’s the treatment du jour, as we say.

“We have a lot more technical muscle stimulating units that deal with pain and swelling, but ice is still number one. It always has been and always will be, because it works.”

Once a complete diagnosis takes place regarding the extent of an injury, a player is then subjected to minor or intense rehabilitation, depending on the severity of the injury.

Surgery is often a last resort. Most players, given their druthers, would prefer to wait until the off-season to have surgery rather than spend a significant amount of time on injured reserve. Sometimes they have no choice, like Buffalo Sabres center Pat LaFontaine, who missed all but 22 games this year, and most of the prior season, due to a knee injury.

There is no such thing as injury prevention. Accidents happen everyday. Just listen to a Los Angeles traffic report and you will agree. But there are ways to help reduce the likelihood of being hurt.

Take the time to stretch before engaging in play. Many people overlook stretching because it’s boring. They think their muscles will loosen up during the game. Instead, they are actually increasing their chances of pulling something during the course of play. Take, for example, DeNiro’s analogy. “Look at a cat. Cats are always stretching. They don’t have a lot of muscles injuries and they’re very flexible.

“Stretching is essential. It’s not easy to do, but you have to push yourself. The older you get the more important it becomes,” says DeNiro.

“For the amateur athlete it becomes very important for working day to day, because you don’t want a strained back or pulled muscle to cause you to hobble around in pain all week.”

Coaches at the amateur level need to develop a routine that makes stretching out fun. “Don’t make it work. Make each kid involved. Change up the routine by coming up with something new everyday. Then it becomes a challenge for the kids and they keep interested.”

A thorough routine of stretching makes for a more flexible body and can enhance a player’s longevity.

Having the proper equipment is a must for ensuring a player’s personal safety. Make sure each piece of equipment fits properly and provides proper protection for the designated area. Do not buy from the bottom of the barrel. Spending a little more on equipment could keep you playing rather than waiting to see the doc.

You cannot be at the top of your game if you are not healthy. And athletic health starts by exercising the body in the form of stretching to ensure maximum performance from each muscle, ligament, and joint.

Players who have poor work habits off the ice tend to be at a disadvantage on the ice.

DeNiro offers this advice to those that want to excel in sports.

“A good quality athlete, at any level, is the one who can make the adjustment to the changes in his body and accept them and deal with them.”

Andre Palai has been playing hockey for more than 20 years.

This first appeared in the 07/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Valuable Lessons: Part 2

Valuable lessons: Part 2
By Mitch Korn
Oct 29, 2001, 21:03

Last month, I talked about some of the “Lessons Learned” during my coaching career, and whom I have to thank for them. Now comes part two; more lessons I’d like to share.

Don’t rest on your laurels

No matter how successful you’ve been, you can’t simply rest on your previous accomplishments. You must always be willing to adjust.

Grant Fuhr is a case in point.

Grant Fuhr, the man Wayne Gretzky more than once hailed as “the greatest goaltender in the world,” has won five Stanley Cups. He played his entire career relying on reflexes and a great glove hand.

And while you’d think five Cups might be enough, you’d be wrong. Fuhr wants a sixth.

After a tough time with injuries a year ago, Grant re-invented his game in Buffalo (before being traded to Los Angeles). He made some very necessary adjustments—adjustments thathad to be made because of his age, his loss of some speed and flexibility and, to some extent, because of changes in the game itself.

Just because something worked yesterday does not mean it will work tomorrow. You should always be a student, and be willing to adjust.

Be open to learning

The truth is, you can learn from anyone if you give them a chance. I remember after the Sabres hired me, I met Clint Malarchuk, who is now with Las Vegas of the IHL. I had no professional playing or coaching experience at the time, and Malarchuk was a 10-year NHL veteran.

When Malarchuk asked me about my credentials, I replied that I had been at a major Division I university for the past 12 years. His response?

“Twelve years in college? You must not be too bright!”

From that point forward, we hit it off great. He gave me a chance, helped me adjust to the pro game, and did everything I asked of him. Until some health problems came up that year, Clint was in the top five in NHL save percentage—while playing on a struggling team.

And what about Grant Fuhr? He hadn’t had a goalie coach in the 10 years he played pro hockey (and won those five Cups—along with a Vezina Trophy and two Canada Cups). Yet he, too, did everything asked of him while he was in Buffalo.

Even the great ones should never be afraid to learn.

Focus is foremost

I never realized how important focus was until my first year in the Buffalo organization, while working with David Littman. When he was “on,” he was great (playing at the AHL level). But there were times when pucks went in the 5-hole, or past his glove, or under his arm in situations where he would—should—normally make the stop.

When I asked him, “Did you see the puck go in?,” he was never sure—a dead giveaway that he wasn’t focused on the puck.

With great concentration, the puck can look like a beach ball. Without it, it will always look like a pea.

Pressure and anger don’t help

When I got to Buffalo, the city’s love affair with Daren Puppa was over. The former All Star and Vezina Trophy runner-up had contract problems, and had become a playoff scapegoat for the fans and media. He was mad and under great pressure—a deadly combination, and a no-win situation.

Every mistake he made was magnified, and further compounded his problem. He got madder, and the pressure increased.

The change of scenery (to Toronto and then Tampa Bay) was just what the doctor ordered for Puppa. Along with a new contract, the Tampa fans and organization gave him the feeling that he was appreciated—and his play has reflected that.

Coaches and parents must be positive and supportive of the goaltender at every age—from youth leagues to the NHL.

Hockey is not the most important thing

Everyone learns this eventually, often painfully. During his time with the Sabres organization, John Bradley (now playing in the ECHL) lost his father. Earlier, while at Boston University, he lost his mother. John was all alone, yet he shouldered all the family responsibility. In times like those, hockey just doesn’t seem so important.

I know that hockey is not the be-all and end-all of existence, and was recently reminded of that again when my wife lost her father.

Let’s get our priorities straight: family is Number One, school is Number Two. Then, and only then, comes hockey.

My thanks to all those who have helped me make sense of the lessons that were there for me to learn.

Mitch Korn is the goaltender coach for the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL. In addition, he is an administrator at Miami University (Ohio) and directs the 8-week Summer Hockey School. Miami has Division I ice hockey in the CCHA.

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Roller Hockey Reffing

Roller hockey reffing
By Ken Brody
Oct 29, 2001, 21:00

In the past—say four or five years ago—ice hockey and roller hockey were very different games. Most players played one or the other, but few played both.

With or without body checking, ice hockey was—and remains—a fast, forceful game. Roller hockey, on the quad skates of old, was a slow, deliberate, puck-control game.

The strategy in roller hockey was to wait for the opponent to make a mistake rather than to “take the play” to them, the ice hockey approach. How patient were roller players? I once saw a delayed penalty call last over eight minutes!

Hooking and slashing, however seemingly insignificant, were completely discouraged and immediately called in roller hockey. In ice hockey, on the other hand, hooking, slashing and cross-checking is often (too often) ignored by referees. This, in turn, encourages players to increase both their attempts at, and tolerance of, this kind of stick work. And that’s too bad.

A whole new ballgame

Today, ice hockey hasn’t changed much. It’s still a game of physical prowess, aggressiveness and speed. But roller hockey—wow! It’s barely recognizable as a descendant of the old quad game.

In-line skates have revolutionized the game. They have sped up the game so much that the old slow, deliberate style of the past is virtually non-existent today.

Roller hockey, in essence, has become much more like ice hockey than different from it, and now there is a high percentage of player crossover—people who play both brands of hockey. In fact, the top roller hockey teams often recruit players from ice hockey backgrounds.

Of course, this new breed of player also brings with them the ice hockey mentality of what is acceptable—in terms of hooking, slashing, and all rules-related behavior—to the world of roller hockey. And that’s not always a good thing.

So where does this leave the roller hockey referee?

Running refs?

In the past, referees often ran the rink in shoes. And sometimes a player involved in the game would double as a referee. No more.

Today, the increased speed of the in-line game makes it impossible to ref on foot. And with the increased competition for sponsorship, league prizes, etc., it is imperative that the referee is completely impartial; that means no more player-refs.

Where are the new breed of roller refs coming from? Ice hockey, of course.

This is a very positive development, because USA Hockey takes great care to train their ice hockey referees—a situation not often found in traditional roller hockey circles. But there is a danger here, as well, and one that runs the risk of ruining roller hockey. I’m talking about the “ice hockeyization” of the roller game; the tolerance of what should be intolerable stickwork in the sport.

I feel that tolerance of illegal stickwork is already way too widespread in ice hockey, and it must be kept to a minimum in roller hockey.

Hooking and holding have a much more debilitating effect in roller hockey than they do on the ice. And with the roller game being much more wide open by design—4-on-4 versus 5-on-5 in ice hockey—the style and feel of the game would be severely hampered by increased tolerance of stick and restraining fouls.

Both can learn

Ice hockey referees would be wise to take a cue from roller refs and lower their tolerance of this type of foul. Skill development and recreational enjoyment are the main objectives in amateur hockey, and clutching, grabbing and stickwork only detract from those objectives.

Roller hockey referees, on the other hand, would be wise to take a cue from ice refs and develop a more professional and thorough attitude toward officiating. They should train harder to develop their skating skills, their knowledge of the rulebook, and especially their skills in managing game situations.

With all these factors in mind, the sports of ice and roller hockey are now so similar that they can be called the same way—in a style acceptable to the principals that make both sports so great.

Ken Brody has been a referee for ice, floor and roller hockey for 20 years in New York, Illinois, and California.

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Fun at Practice

Fun at practice
By Fred Pletsch
Oct 29, 2001, 20:58

Sometimes a coach has to loosen the reins and inject a little pure, unadulterated fun into the team’s workout. Knowing when to do it comes through experience and familiarity with your team. Sometimes it’s when you least think you should—like when the team is struggling. Other times it will be clear; the team is rolling, playing well and deserves a break. But whenever the time is right, let the team relax a bit with a practice that is both fun and a good workout.

Here is a fun fivesome of drills that involve competition between individuals or groups of players. It’s up to the coach to decide on a reward system for players who are the most successful. The rewards don’t have to be big, but everyone likes to have an eye on the prize.

Baseball

Divide your squad into teams of four or five players each, and have one game going at each end of the ice. The team that’s “at bat” has two players in each corner behind the goal line. Batter #1 puts the puck in play with a dump anywhere between the goal line and center red line. (Ground rules call for an automatic “out” if the puck crosses center ice!). After putting the puck in play, Batter #1 skates up the ice between the boards and the outside of the faceoff circle, then cuts across the ice—staying outside of the faceoff dots in the neutral zone (like running bases)—and races back to the goal line in the opposite corner from where he or she started (once again staying in the “base path” between the boards and the circle).

Meanwhile, the players on the defensive side are spread out, like fielders on a diamond. Their task is to retrieve the puck, make two passes and score on the goalie before the batter reaches “home.” If the batter reaches the corner before a goal is scored, the team gets a run. If the defenders score first, it’s an out.

Three-on-Three Puck

This is a great conditioning drill that starts with three players from each team lined up at center ice, like forwards on a regular faceoff. Three pucks are placed between the centers, and play begins—one puck at a time—when the coach blows the whistle. The game is played full-ice, and the same players stay on until all three pucks are scored. To encourage intensity throughout the drill, make the first puck worth one point, the second worth two points and the third, three points.

Pass-the-Stick Relay

The team is divided into two groups, lined up in a straight line on opposite sides of the center faceoff circle. Player #1 from each team starts on the red line and, carrying his team’s stick, skates one lap at full speed (with both players skating in the same direction, toward opposite nets). After circling the nets, the stick “baton” is passed to the next teammate, much as in a traditional relay race. The receiving player may be in motion, but the hand-off must take place between the bluelines. Goalies race, too! The winner is the team that completes its rotation—which should take six to eight minutes with a full squad—first.

Skate Hard and Shoot

Divide the team into two groups, placed at opposite sides of the ice outside the far blueline. Players on oppsite squads are paired up and, at the coach’s whistle, one twosome skates hard to the far boards and back. When they cross the blueline upon their return, each player gets a puck, turns back and, from the blueline, fires a long shot at the empty net. (If the drill is done right, the shot should travel three-quarters of the length of the ice). A player is retired from his group, and moves out of play, if he scores. If the player doesn’t score, he goes back into the rotation. The first team to have all of its players score wins.

Half-Ice, Two-Pass

Divide your skaters into four teams and play separate four-on-four games inside the bluelines at both ends of the ice. The team with possession must make two passes before they can score. When possession changes, a fresh two-pass minimum is required before a scoring chance can be tried. The goaltender’s job, other than to stop the puck, is to call out the passes. The first team with five goals wins.

Fair teams a must

Knowing the skill level of the players on his team, a coach should try to subdivide his team into roughly comparable groups, talent-wise. At the youth level, where one player can often dominate all others, you might want to make that player’s side play three-on-four in the Half-Ice, Two-Pass drill.

Keep the same teams matched up against each other in all the competitive drills, and have a parent, assistant of injured player tally up the scores.

The reward for winning, as mentioned, can be as simple as a free hot chocolate. Or, conversely, maybe the losing side has to perform some less-than-desirable task, like cleaning up the locker room after practice.

Whatever you decide on, have fun! It should help your team in the long run.

Fred Pletsch is a veteran OHL and AHL broadcaster who currently covers the Cornwall Aces for CJFS radio.

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Getting the Transition Game Rolling

Getting the transition game rolling
By Wayne Anderson
Oct 29, 2001, 20:48

Fast counter (5 on 5)

The quickness with which your team transfers its thoughts and actions from offense to defense, and visa versa, will determine the amount of games that your team wins and loses. That’s how important this aspect of the game—the transition game—is. In ice hockey, the area between the bluelines is known as the neutral zone. This, ideally, is where we want the transition from defense to offense to happen. In roller hockey, the situation is a bit different. 

It’s different on wheels

On wheels, you want the transition game to happen between the tops of the faceoff circles. If you can counter and regroup faster than your opponent, you will find your team having a lot of odd-man rushes. An odd-man rush, of course, is when your offense outnumbers your opponent’s defense. And no disrespect to the women, either, it’s just an expression!

Odd man rushes will win lots of games. The best way I can describe the process and the quickness needed to make this transition happen is that there should be a switch in your players’ heads. One side of the switch should say “offense,” and the other side should say “defense.” When the switch is set in the middle—balanced, if you will—it can be said to be in the “transition” mode.

Think of flicking a light switch, and you have just imagined the minute amount of time it should take you to adjust your approach to the game. This adjustment is both mental and physical, and will consist of individual players either attacking the puck/ball carrier and scrambling into the prescribed defensive positions, or trying to get the puck/ball moving toward the offensive end and scrambling to get into the attack triangle.

Some of the key points that determine just how quickly your team will make these adjustments are the skill level of your team, the aggressiveness of your opponent, and the size of the rink.

Here are three very useful drills that a team can use, and which if practiced often can help add up to a winning game plan.

Fast Counterattack

Fast counter (4 on 4)

D1 makes an immediate pass to W1 (on a tight curl or stationary pattern), who then relays the puck/ball ahead, or makes a good dump-in play.

This should be used in a tough, close-checking game or when your defense is not considered to be particularly strong (especially in stickhandling and skating skills). This counter is also very effective in the roller hockey world because the rink surfaces are usually smaller than those of our colder counterpart. This counter is terrific against a heavy two man forecheck from your opponents, or as a “safety” first move by an unsure defense.

Key Points: The defense must make a safe play (get it out for sure). The forwards must get into position fast, give a realistic target and must relay the puck/ball ahead quickly, or dump it in.

Teaching Sequence and Drills

• Multipurpose Drill: 2-on-0.

• 5-on-0 from faceoff at center.

• 5-on-2 from the faceoff.

• 5-on-2 + 1 forechecker or backchecker.

• 5-on-5 from center faceoff.

Make this last drill a controlled scrimmage designed to practice fast counters, plus a neutral zone defense strategy.

Over And Up

D1 makes a sharp stick-to-stick pass to his/her partner, D2. D2 moves up on a rush or passes to a fast breaking forward.

This should be used when one D is a skilled player with good skating and stickhandling skills. This counter is extremely effective when the opposition is not aggressively forechecking you, leaving time and space available for you to headman.

Key Points: The defensive partnerships need to work well together. The one point that makes the Over-and-Up work is that once the D gets the puck/ball, he must skate it up and not stand still. The forwards must get into position quickly, read the situation, then react without forcing the D into an unsafe play. Forwards must burst into the openings—especially the off-wing (away from the puck/ball).

Teaching Sequence and Drills

• 1-on-0: a D (passing) to a F (shooting).

• D-to-D-to-C passing drill (C does a tight curl).

• 5-on-0 from center surface.

• 5-on-2 breakout: turn back at opposition’s defensive zone, go Over and Up, Attack 4-on-2.

• 5-on-2 Breakout—Attack—Repeat, with Over and Up play.

Over and up (5 on 5)

Over and up (4 on 4)

Regroup

This concept is used to gain time and space, and build an attack involving 4 (in 5-on-5) or 3 (in 4-on-4) players moving at top speed through the neutral zone.

This concept is best demonstrated by watching tapes of the NHL Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, and the Soviet and other European teams. It can also be seen by watching the LA Blades and the Buffalo Stampede of the RHI.

This concept requires good skating and puck/ball-control defense. It should only be introduced after the first two concepts mentioned previously are mastered.

Key Points: The D-to-D pass must be safe and accurate. D1 moves to the middle only when there is no pressure. The Regroup will not work if the D has to deke or evade an opponent. If this happens, the rest of the team must read and react with a different concept. The timing of the forwards is vital and they must burst when they move up the surface. See figure 3 a, b.

Teaching Sequence and Drills

• D to the middle, pass to curling forward or stretching forward or center deep. Make sure it is practiced from both sides as a 1-on-0 shooting drill.

• 3-on-0 drill using one wing and two D.

• 4-on-0 drill using two forwards and two D.

• 5- or 4- on 2, 3, 4 or 5: Breakout—Attack—Regroup and attack again. l

Regroup (5 on 5)

Regroup (4 on 4)

Wayne Anderson is Managing Director of Huron Hockey’s roller hockey schools.

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Training to Win

Training to win
By Dr. Michael R. Bracko & Dean Lyons
Oct 29, 2001, 20:33

Jumping jacks: 20 reps (Illustrations by Matt Busch).

Before beginning any exercise program, please consult with your physician.You play once, maybe twice a week. Your games start when “normal” people who do not understand your addiction are just going to sleep. You have done all the right things by eating a good sports nutrition meal the night before the game, and you’ve been “hyper-hydrating” by drinking Gatorade until your blood turns “Gatorade Green.” You lace ‘em up, thinking you’ve done everything right, and you’re ready for the game of your life!

But, as you do during most games, you get ridiculously tired half way through your shift. The puck starts to feel like it weighs 10 pounds, and you come to the bench not so much because you are tired, but because you need to lie down.

Wondering how to prevent these feelings of extreme fatigue and improve your performance on the ice? Then, man, are you reading the right article!

Playing puck once or twice a week is simply not enough activity to maintain a high level of fitness. And it is certainly not enough to maintain a high level of performance. But, the good news is that there are many off-ice activities that you can do to improve your fitness level and subsequent performance on the ice.

What affects performance

Let’s start by identifying the most important factors that affect performance. They are:

1. Genetics

2. Conditioning and Practice

3. Nutrition

4. Psychology

5. Coaching

Push-ups: 10-20 reps (toes or knees)

There is nothing you can do about genetics, short of some Iron Curtain steroid cocktail, but there is a tremendous amount that can be done about your conditioning. While the other three can also be manipulated to improve performance, those are areas for other experts to discuss. Here, we will concentrate on conditioning.

Next we should outline the most important components of conditioning and fitness for hockey players. They are:

1. Cardiovascular Endurance

2. Anaerobic Power

3. Muscle Strength, Power and Endurance

4. Flexibility

5. Body Fat Percentage

Half-sqauts: 10-20 reps (back straight)

You will notice that cardiovascular (CV) endurance is at the top of the list. This is not by accident. CV endurance is the most important component of fitness for most athletes because it is the basis upon which most other components are built (see Fitness Pyramid illustration). For instance, when you increase your CV endurance, you will have an increased capacity to perform high intensity anaerobic work, resist fatigue, lower your body fat percentage, and recover more quickly from high-intensity exercise.

When you have a high level of CV endurance you will have an increased ability to use high amounts of oxygen in the working muscles. Higher amounts of oxygen helps in two ways; you are better able to produce energy for muscle contractions, you can clear waste products (such as lactic acid) quicker and more efficiently. The tangible benefits are that your lungs will not be “burning” during a shift, it won’t feel like someone poured battery acid into your legs, and you will recover your wind more quickly between shifts.

In other words, you will be able to “skate all night” and still be able to get out of bed the next morning!

Sit-ups: 10-20 reps (with knees bent, don’t hook feet under the couch!)

In other words, a high level of CV endurance will prevent extreme fatigue at the end of each shift, period and game. Fatigue adversely affects the fine muscle movements required in shooting, passing and receiving a pass. Therefore, you should be more accurate with your shots and passes, be able to carry the puck, receive a pass, and out-skate most of the players on the ice. Worthy goals, don’t you think?

 You play yourself out of shape

The irony of all this is that in spite of its importance, CV endurance actually decreases during the season because most activities in hockey are anaerobic—meaning “high intensity, but short duration.” Professional hockey players now realize that they must engage in some kind of CV or aerobic training off the ice to counteract this loss of conditioning. Most players use an exercise bike, a stair-climbing machine or a skating machine after practice.

But what should you do?

Back extensions: 5-10 reps (lie flat, hands under hips, and raise shoulders)

As a recreational hockey player you can drastically—yes drastically—improve your performance by doing some off ice aerobic training at least three times a week.

The good news is that aerobic exercise does not, and should not, be high intensity. Rather, the exercise should be at a moderate pace. Aerobic exercise can be described by the following components:

1. Duration of 15 minutes or more

2. Activity of moderate intensity

3. Must involve moving the legs

4. Must be continuous/non-stop

With that in mind, the time has come to prescribe a conditioning program. Again, there are four aspects to consider; frequency, duration, intensity, and mode of exercise.

Frequency is easy to address. In order to improve or maintain your CV endurance you should engage in aerobic training at least three times a week. Four, five, six or even seven times a week is fine, but considering that you play hockey once or twice a week, three days per week is recommended.

Duration—the amount of time you work out—can vary according to your initial level of fitness, time constraints, motivation, and the activity you choose. Generally speaking, you can get a good training effect from 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, but the minimum amount of time we can exercise and still get a benefit is 15 minutes. The maximum amount of time? Well, that depends.

When you first start an aerobic conditioning program (weeks 1-3) you should only be working out for 15-20 minutes. During weeks four and five, increase the time to 20-25 minutes. Weeks six and seven, try 25-30 minutes. After two months, you can try varying the length of your workout, making sure you are getting at least 15 minutes.

Hockey hops: 20-40 seconds (with knee bent, hop from one leg to the other while extending the non-landing leg)

Ego figures in

Intensity is a tough factor to address for two reasons; ego, and the tradition of athletes being trained to always workout “hard.” The ego is such that many of us still believe the misconception “No Pain, No Gain.” In fact, when it comes to aerobic training this is simply a myth. Most athletes (or ex-athletes) are taught that the key to success is “hard work,” and this is true in most cases. However, it is not true with aerobic exercise. The truth is that you should always perform aerobic exercise at a moderate pace.

There are many ways to determine the correct intensity at which you should be exercising. One method of determining exercise intensity is an objective measure, and the other four are subjective. The objective method of monitoring the intensity of exercise is by calculating your “Target Heart Rate” using the five-part formula in the accompanying box.

The target heart rate works as follows. You will get maximum benefit from aerobic exercise when you keep your “exercising heart rate” (EHR) between the numbers (rounding up or down) that you calculate for the 60% and 70% levels (for weeks 1-4). After week four you will want to increase the intensity of the exercise so that your EHR is between the 70% and 85% levels.

Shoulder presses: 10-20 reps (use hand weights)

Your EHR is beat taken on your wrist every five minutes during your workout, for six seconds (just add a zero to your pulse number, and you have your Target Heart Rate).

Here is an example: Let’s say you are 32-years old with a resting heart rate of 72. Your Target Heart Rates will be 141, 153 and 170 for your three exercise levels (rounded, they are 140, 150 and 170). During weeks 1-4 of your program, you will want to keep your exercising heart rate at 140 or 150 in order to receive maximum benefit from the exercise. If your heart rate is at 170 or 180, you are exercising too hard. And if your heart rate is 100 or 120, you are not exercising hard enough and you need to increase the intensity. After week four, you should increase the intensity by exercising with your heart rate between 150 and 170.

The other methods of monitoring your exercise intensity are much more subjective and are based entirely on how you feel. The “Talk Test” indicates that if you can carry on a relatively normal conversation while exercising then you are working out at the correct intensity. If you are exercising so hard that talking is impossible, you need to slow down. The true meaning of “aerobic” is “in the presence of oxygen.” When you do aerobic exercise you want oxygen demand to meet oxygen supply; in other words, you should be breathing hard but not to the point where you are gasping for air.

Half-squats with a hop, 10-20 seconds

Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) indicates that if you feel like you are exercising too hard, you probably are—and you need to reduce your intensity. By the same token, after you finished exercising (immediately after or the next day) if you feel like you worked too hard, you probably did. If you can’t got out of bed or climb stairs because you are so sore, you really need to decrease the intensity of your exercise.

On the other hand if you feel like the exercise is not hard enough you should probably increase the intensity. If you feel pretty good the next day, then you are most likely doing the right thing.

Some days are better than others

Another way to determine your exercise intensity is by your Subjective Energy Level (SEL). Some days you may feel really good, with a lot of energy, so you may want to exercise harder and/or longer. Other days you may feel tired—but still want to work out—so you might decrease the length and/or the intensity of your workout.

Yet another way of determining the correct exercise intensity is by using the “Reading Test.” If you are reading while riding a stationary bike or using a Stairmaster and you cannot comprehend what it is you’re reading, then you are probably exercising too hard.

There are many types of exercise from which you can choose. You should keep in mind, however, a rule of conditioning called “specificity of exercise,” which means that you should emulate the movements of the sport for which you are training. So, with that in mind, here are some of the most hockey-specific aerobic activities that will improve your CV endurance; in-line skating, slide boarding, stair climber machine, stationary bike, and step aerobics.

Reverse flys: 10-20 reps (arms extended, make sure you’re stable)

A second group includes some other very good aerobic activities which are not quite as specific to hockey. They are: running, cross-country skiing (or a cross-country ski machine), a recumbent exercise bike, rowing, and rock climbing “treadmills.”

Yet another method of improving your CV endurance (along with your anaerobic power and muscle strength) is circuit training. This type of workout is a better “all-around” activity because you get a little bit of each of three types of fitness; endurance, power and strength.

In a recently completed research study, we analyzed the skating characteristics of NHL forwards and found some very interesting information about the way the players skate during a game. Of particular interest is the fact that the players spent the majority of time (on the ice) gliding on two feet, and struggling for the puck or position also had a higher percentage of time-spent than did skating at full speed. This may indicate that the fatigue experienced in hockey is not caused by full speed skating, but rather by battling with other players for the puck or position. Therefore, a workout that involves “total body movements” may provide a better stimulus for hockey.

You can perform circuit training at home, with or without weights; at the gym (with weights); or even in the park.

The sidebar shows an example of a circuit which can be done at home. All that is needed is a soft surface (an exercise mat or a rug) and some hand weights. As with any type of exercise, you should always start with stretching and a warm-up, and the first circuit should be performed at a low intensity. One circuit should take approximately 3-5 a minutes, so move through the circuit five, six or seven times.

Whatever you end up doing, always remember the key points of aerobic training—moderate intensity, 20-30 minutes of continuous activity, and always move your legs. And once you’re well into a program designed to increase your CV endurance, you may find you’re also well into your best stretch ever as a hockey player.

Dr. Bracko and Dean Lyons are sports physiologists who specialize in performance enhancement for hockey players.

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Hockey School Reality Check

Hockey school reality check
By Bettina Young Prochnow
Oct 29, 2001, 20:27

One glance at the long list of summer hockey camps, here in the US and in Canada, is enough to confuse both player and parent. Sales brochures do everything but guarantee that a player coming out of their camp will be ready for the professional leagues—usually in only a week! They will tell you who their “big name professionals” are; how much ice time a skater gets a day; and then talk about their state-of-the-art facility and teaching techniques.

Stop. It’s time for a reality check. Is that famous hockey player there to teach, or just to bring in students and sign autographs? Is the promised ice time realistic? (Just try to find an athlete who can spend 10 hours a day on the ice!) How much player improvement can be expected in a one- or two-week camp? Are they still using outdated drills from the ‘50s and ‘60’s, or are they doing plyometrics and explosiveness training?

No doubt about it, finding the best camp for your money is a tough call, so here are a few guidelines to help you make an informed choice.

Cost considerations

The first consideration is financial. How much money the family can afford to spend will determine whether the player goes to a live-in camp—almost always more expensive—or attends a day camp. If you can’t afford a live-in camp, don’t fret; day camps can offer very good skill development as well.

However, for those looking into sending a player away to camp, take some advice from Glenn Olson, athletic director at Vermont’s Rutland High School and USA Hockey’s coach-in-chief for the New England District. “The number one key,” says Olson, “is to find a camp that has a lot of other recreational activities to offer.

“College coaches are seeing that on the whole, US hockey players are not well-rounded athletes. Summer should be a time to not only keep up your hockey skills, but (also) to develop athletic skills that come from other sports. The more varied athletic opportunities you participate in, the better.”

Bob McCrum, USA District head coach for the Twin Cities area in Minnesota, echoes that sentiment. “Look at Russia, which has the best hockey in the world. Many of their players didn’t pick up a hockey stick until they were 14 or 15 years old. But they grew up with intense physical training in all kinds of sports, from gymnastics to soccer.

“There are more indoor ice rinks in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area than in all of Russia,” he adds, “so you have to ask yourself if development is (taking place) on ice or off ice?”

Obviously, a mix of both is important. When looking into a camp’s on-ice sessions, Bob suggests you watch the drills.

Avoiding grinders

“You don’t want to go to a camp for example, where ‘grinders’ are still being done. I was doing those back in the ‘50s—(drills) where you skate to the blue line as fast as you can, stop, turn and skate back to the red line only to stop, turn and go back to the blue line.”

This is a drill that teaches two things, he says—endur-ance, and how to cheat (watch how well a kid stops by the third or fourth go-round)—in a game where endurance is not needed. What is needed is explosiveness, quickness and power training, followed by recuperation time—which is just as important as power.

“A camp that is on the cutting edge will have this kind of training along with correctly designed practices—where kids are with the puck more than they’re not!”

The basic skills of stickhandling, passing, receiving, shooting, and checking should always be emphasized.

“The one big area where you can see growth and development in a hockey player from a camp,” says Olson, “is in one that specializes in developing these basic skills.”

Some of these include power skating camps like Laura Stamm, Gary Hebert, Robby Glantz and Paul Vincent, which have sessions in all parts of the country. Turcotte Stickhandling is another one. And Huron Hockey Schools have sessions all over the country as well.

The good news is that many of these types of camps are day camps, which helps keep costs down.

“Keep in mind,” adds Olson, “that the time of year may make a difference in how well a player retains his new skills.” A player that attends a session in June may not be quite as sharp by September.

Finally, just who is doing the coaching at these camps? You don’t always need “a big name.”

“My personal preference,” Olson says, “is (a camp with) an all college and/or high school coaching staff. They have experience teaching and they develop hockey talent for a living.”

And McCrum brings an often forgotten point into the decision-making process. “The best coach,” he notes, “is one who helps kids have fun and keeps them fired up.”

Which is what summer hockey camp should be all about.

Bettina Young Prochnow is a hockey player with the NCWHL and has two sons in hockey. She is a columnist for a newspaper in Livermore, CA.

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Tactical and strategic differences

By Paul Chapey
Oct 29, 2001, 19:21

Technically, roller hockey isn’t much different than ice hockey. While we’ve talked about the differences between skating on blades and on wheels, the fact is that shooting, stickhandling, stick checking and most of the other technical hockey skills are the same for roller and ice hockey.

Tactically and strategically, however, roller and ice hockey can be quite different. Here are some effective tactics and strategies for roller hockey—some of which are obviously different than those that work in ice hockey.

Offense

Roller hockey should be played something like European ice hockey. Since roller is played with four skaters and a goaltender, there’s more skating room and generally less congestion. NHL hockey is more linear, with attention to skating lanes. Roller hockey is more a game of wheeling and dealing, weaving, interchanging and curvilinear skating. Quite a bit of man-to-man defense is used in roller hockey, and non-linear skating does a good job of offsetting that kind of coverage.

In ice hockey—particularly the North American game—penetration of the zone is often accomplished by sacrificing possession. A solid roller hockey strategy is to never sacrifice possession. In top-level amateur roller hockey there are no line calls, so it’s much easier to regroup and not risk zone attacks without an offensive numerical advantage. Whacking the puck into what would be the offensive zone is rock-head strategy.

Don’t over pass in roller hockey. If you’re in a bind and need to get rid of the puck, put it on goal. The puck is lighter and easier to shoot quickly in this game. Goaltender is the most challenging position in roller hockey because lateral movement on wheels is difficult. Also, many roller rinks aren’t too well lit, and this adds to the goalie’s disadvantage.

“Lots of shots” is a strategy to remember.

Defense

The most effective defensive strategies in roller hockey are man-to-man systems. Zone defenses are loose, and allow for too much shooting. One of the few times that zone coverage is advisable is during the first few shifts of the game; it’s a good idea to see how you match up against the other team. There will be certain match-ups that you’ll have to avoid, and you’ll want to identify them before going man-to-man.

Three-on-twos in roller hockey quite frequently transition into two-on-ones the other way because players fail to do a hockey stop and get back. Players tend to coast around the goal instead, and by the time they get to half floor, the other team has already had a scoring opportunity. If you’re involved offensively in a two-on-one, or any numerical advantage attack, remember to think about getting back quickly if the play is broken up.

One of the golden rules of roller hockey is not to over pursue the offensive puck carrier. Body checking isn’t allowed, and if you skate towards the puck carrier you’re easy to burn. This is poor defense in ice hockey, but in roller it’s an even worse mistake because you just can’t stop and recover as quickly on in-lines as you can on ice.

Special Teams

The average roller hockey game is about two 17-minute running time periods. Smart leagues play three minute minor penalties. That means one minor penalty is almost nine percent of the game. It should be obvious that taking a lot of penalties is a fast track to a losing season. In RHI, power play conversion percentages are more than double what they are in the NHL. Combine the goalie disadvantage and the wide open room to move in a four-on-three power play and it’s easy to see that penalty killing is much more difficult in roller hockey.

Your best strategy: cut down on those penalties.

If the other team is going to give you a power play advantage, then you’ve got to seize the opportunity and put the puck in the net. Design a good power play and execute well. One problem I see over and over in power plays is the lack of discipline in setting up. Teams seem to panic, rush and force the puck. There are very few set plays in hockey. But the power play is one of them that can be accomplished with repetitive practice.

Improving your special teams play is the quickest way to get better results on both sides of the scoreboard. If you successfully kill one more penalty per game and convert one more power play each game, that’s a two goal differential. This is particularly important to teams that are competitive, but seem to lose close games.

There’s one aspect of roller hockey and ice hockey where the game plan should be identical: the undetermined possession part of the game, where neither team has the puck. This demands a very simple strategy—get those loose pucks! This is the time to never hold back. If you win every race to a loose puck, it’s yours, and the offensive gates are open It doesn’t get any more basic than that.

Paul Chapey is the coach of Team USA and will coach the US in the FIRS World Championships.

This first appeared in the 05/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2011 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®