Here’s a great example of the 1-2-2 “Foosball” Forecheck in action
The 1-2-2 “Foosball” Forecheck can be a great set-up if you have the right type of team for it. This forecheck requires speed and discipline. If you lack either of those attributes, it’ll probably fall apart for you. Here are the main key points on this set-up:
1-2-2 “Foosball” Forecheck
1. F1 “flushes” outside in, and chases the puck no matter where it goes
2. F2 and F3 set up at about the tops of the circles, slightly narrower than the dots
3. D-men set up the same distance apart as F1 and F2, but they’re at the blue line
4. As the play moves up the boards, the strong-side forward hits the receiver, strong side d-man seals the boards at the blue line
5. Weak-side forward and d-man slide across and protect the middle passing lanes
6. F1 funnels back to provide support
CHECK OUT THE FULL EXPLANATIONS OF THE 1-2-2 “FOOSBALL” FORECHECK HERE:
A to Z Guide to Hockey Terms By Hockey Science & Technology Inc is now available in the iTunes store. When I first heard about it, I decided to check it out and see what it was about.
Here is the description I found at iTunes:
The popular, entertaining,
educational, and fun paper back book “A to Z Guide to Hockey Terms” by
Tim Moshansky has now been transformed into an interactive and colourful
app.
I did some digging through it and found it to be a pretty useful app to the new hockey parent and fans. Most fans around the game would benefit from the various areas of the app. Hockey Terms, Penalty & Referee Signals and the Goalie Diagram are just a few of the cool features you’ll find.
A few of the areas do require you to upgrade to the “Pro” version to access but it’s a small price to pay for a pretty good Hockey app.
This poem came to me via Pops Ryan, Head Coach of the Rowan University Women’s Team. It was too good not to share… I know the feeling!
If your patience is tested, and your energy diminished,
Stay loyal to your team – the season’s only half finished.
If your leader in assists is still the goaltender,
Stay true to your dream – show no sign of surrender.
If they miss open nets, and are always short-handed
Stay upbeat at all times – in Hockey that’s demanded.
If you start to lose faith, because your team’s losing ground
Remember, it takes just one goal to turn things around
So may the rest of this season be nothing but thrills
May you be 99% on the penalty kills.
May each bouncing puck wind up on your stick,
May your D-Guys stand tall and your danglers be sick.
May a buzz fill the stands, may the arena be packed
May the whole hockey world know that your team’s really jacked.
May the night’s final horn sound with you One Goal up
May you defy all the odds …and may you drink from the Cup!
Weiss Tech Hockey Reveals its Top 5 Most Popular Posts of All Time
I started this blog a little over 4 years ago… which is a long time in internet years! It started as a bit of an experiment for me. I wanted to try and use web technology to help local coaches with their practice plans. I’d been playing around with a “new” drill diagrammer I had just come across, DrillDraw, and thought it would be cool to make video explanations of drills using a “digital whiteboard.”
I started by posting a few video explanations of my favorite drills, and things just kinda took off from there! At that time, nobody was doing digital video explanations, and it seemed to be a method of delivery that resonated with coaches. As things have progressed, we’ve branched out into other aspects of hockey training and development, and the blog has developed into the format you see today.
This week I was doing a bit of reflection, and I got curious as to which of my posts have been the most popular (in terms of page views) over the past 4 years. So I decided to look into it, and post Weiss Tech Hockey’s Top 5 Most Popular Posts. Here they are (remember, my video-production abilities have evolved over the years… so you might get a good laugh at some of my older stuff!):
Weiss Tech Hockey’s Top 5 Most Popular Posts of All Time
HELP US OUT!
So there’s the Top 5. I’d love to know which Weiss Tech content has been the most useful for you. Leave your comments in the section below, and let us know what has been useful, and what you’d like to see more of.
I have been working with HockeyShot.com lately to produce a series of hockey training videos. The videos come in two parts, how to perform a certain skill, and another video on how to improve that skill at home. The on-ice videos are on my Youtube channel and the off-ice videos are on the Hockey Shot channel. In this post I have embedded all of the off-ice videos to help you learn to improve your shooting at home.
In each video I give a few simple tips that should help you improve your shot. If you need a step-by-step breakdown of the shots you can watch the on-ice video.
Improve your Wristshot at Home
In this video I explain a few common mistakes that I see people make when they are shooting at home. I show you how you can correct these mistakes and improve the power of your wrist shot.
In these videos I am using a roll-up shooting pad, and the EZ-goal net. I always recommend a shooting pad and a good net to anyone who wants to work on their skills at home.
Remember my #1 tip for any shot is take 100 shots a day – the only way you can improve your technique is through practice.
While browsing the hockey stick section at my local Source for Sports store I came across a stick that really caught my attention.The stick was not too expensive, but also not the bottom of the barrel, it was light, had a great feel to it, and was a Bauer (my brand of choice when the price is right). The stick was called the Bauer Supreme One Matrix, I had never heard of it before so I decided to send an email to Bauer and inquire about it before purchasing. It turns out that this is a special stick made specifically for the Source for sports stores (don’t worry you can buy it online), I loved the stick and had to do a review of it on this site, so lets get to it.
Supreme Matrix Stick Details
Retail Price $149.99
Premium carbon composite construction – Making the stick durable
RE-AKT technology with TOE-DRAG tactile – A cool grip texture on the blade that should help improve the toe drags
Pure shot blade profile – I suppose this helps improve your shot, but nothing beats shooting 100 pucks a day!
Aero Foam II blade core – This is a nice feature that softens the feel of receiving passes, usually only found in the more expensive sticks
Mid Kick point
SURPREME power dual taper sqare double concave shaft dimensions – That’s a lot of words to describe the shape of the shaft
Ergonimcally designed – For a nice feel
TAC-SPIRAL texture – These are the little bumps on the stick, I personally like this better than the sticky grip
GRIPTAC texture – This IS the sticky grip, which I hate HOWEVER they only put it on the bottom half of the stick, which I happen to love! (more on that later)
What I like about this stick
Look – The first thing that drew my attention to the stick was the look of it. I’m not a big fan of flashy graphics and shiny stuff all over the stick, in the end I’ll use anything that’s affordable and feels right, but I tend to lean towards sticks that don’t have crazy graphics all over them
Feel – When I picked up the stick it was nice and light and had a good balance to it. The stick felt nice in my hands, and I noticed the grip instantly.
Grip – I am not a fan of sticky grip on sticks because I like my bottom hand to be able to slide up and down the stick while I stickhandle. I usually go for sticks that have a sandpaper type feel to them. The Bauer Supreme Matrix actually has BOTH types of grip which I have never seen before. The entire stick has the tac spiral (which is just bumps along the shaft of the stick) but the bottom half has the sticky Griptac (sticky grip). I like this idea because when you tee up a slapshot, or want to really lean on a snap shot you will have grip right where you need it, but your bottom hand can still slide while stickhandling (smart move Bauer!)
Toe-drag Tactile – I think this is a cool idea and it was something I had been adding to my sticks with the 3M liquid tape (taping the blade, painting the toe). It’s a great idea as the toe drag is becoming a commonly used moved in the sport now.
Price – I’m cheap, I don’t like to spend over $100 on a hockey stick, that being said if there is a stick that really speaks to me I will buy it, and this was one of those sticks. The retail price is $149.99 (although it’s on sale right now for $30 off online; lefties only though). I like the price because it has a lot of the features of a high end stick (foam core in the blade, toe-drag grip, premium composite, etc) but it weighs in at under $150.
Video Review with on-ice footage
Where to buy the Supreme One Matrix stick
The stick is a special model and is only available at Source for Sports stores in Canada, you can order it online from The Hockey Shop (currently $30 off!), I’ve linked right to the page for the senior model, they also have intermediate and junior available.
Got this drill last week and ran it in practice with my team. Drill works really well once you get the timing down. Make sure you have F2 work hard backchecking the inside lane while the D rides F1 off the puck.
Some of you know that I have been working hard to put together an in-depth training course and it is finally finished an online! The course is called the Goalie Buster because it is all about how to beat the goalie. During a game (whether competitive or just for fun) the goalie is the last thing that comes between you and a goal, and a lot of players freeze up! In the course I teach you how to figure out the goalie and know exactly what to do no matter what situation you find yourself in. After watching the videos (and lots of practice) you will have the knowledge and confidence to score goals every time you get a break! I teach over 20 moves, and when the best time to use each move is depending on how you are approaching the goalie. I also teach how to read the goalie, shooting, fakes and much more! To get a sneak peak inside the course and get an idea of what you will be learning watch the video below.
IHD partner Jeremy Weiss over at Weiss Tech Hockey recently wrote a great article on making your practices more effective. I couldn’t agree more with his thoughts. Be sure to read the full article but the 6 points are:
1. Take it Outside 2. Off-Ice Skills Sessions 3. On-Ice-Specific Development 4. Homework Assignments 5. Core Drills 6. Coach’s Preparation
I’ve got a few of my own as well that I will add to it.
1. Practice with a purpose – Don’t just do drills because you need to fill up time. Work on a specific skill or positional play. Make sure the players understand why they are doing what they are doing. Make them see how to use it in a game and have drills that compliment one another so as you go onto the next drill, you can reinforce what you learned in the last one.
2. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries – Players at any age want to be challenged and become better players. Push their limits and make them come out of their comfort zone. It will make them better players and the team better as a whole.
1. F1 “flushes” outside in, and chases the puck no matter where it goes
This poem came to me via Pops Ryan, Head Coach of the Rowan University Women’s Team. It was too good not to share… I know the feeling!
