Implementing Small Area Games
2011 Caps College Hockey Fair
Washington, DC
April 2, 2011
Ed Gosek
•Head Hockey Coach – Oswego State
•20 Years of collegiate coaching
•Email: [email protected]
mycoach
Problems with Hockey today
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Less street hockey played
Less pond hockey played
Starting organized hockey too young
Start playing with full equipment too young
One piece composite sticks
Too many games
Too many drills
Too much coaching
Too much pressure
This all equals PROBLEMS in development!
Objectives
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Developing & Understanding ‘Hockey Sense’
How players effectively learn
Quick decision training
Benefits of small games
Examples of small games
Intellectual Skills
• Hockey Sense – a players ability to think the game and
execute in a timely manner as to exploit or defend
against opportunity.
• Can you train ‘Hockey Sense’?
• Repetition
• Proper execution
• Can you train players to think & execute faster?
• Recognition – Opportunism
• Awareness
• Anticipation & Response time
• Decision Making with/without the Puck
Training Hockey Sense
• Decision Training – a players ability to think the
game.
• Mindset of Opportunism
• Understanding of the game nuances
• Anticipation
• Problem solving
• Awareness
• Creativity
American Model vs. European Model
• American Model
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Large area full ice drills
Moderate temp or speed
Long duration and distance takes time
Teaching moment – multiple skills
• European Model of Practice
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Small area of Ice
High tempo or speed
Short duration
Teaching moment – skill specific
Games are tools to teach…
“If you want to teach people a new way of
thinking do not bother trying to teach them.
Instead, give them a tool, the use of which,
will lead to new ways of thinking.”
Buckminster Fuller
Teaching methods…
“All too often we are giving our children cut flowers
when we should be teaching them to grow
plants. We are stuffing their heads with the
products of earlier innovation rather than
teaching them to innovate. We think of the mind
as a storehouse to be filled when we should be
thinking of it as an instrument to be used.”
John Gardner, Psychologist/Educator
Create Independent Players…
“The leadership role of the coach requires that you
provide direction, that you help the athlete
develop very high standards of performance.
Are you also doing this in a way that develops
the ability of the athletes to perform
independently in competition, to make the right
decisions when they are on their own in a
game.”
Joan Vickers
September 1996
All in One…
“Speed of foot.
Speed of hand.
Speed of mind.
You must practice them all!”
Anatoli Tarasov
Russian National Coach
“If you want only to win the
next game, it is unlikely you
will win the LAST game!”
Cart before the horse!
“Coaches have teams of 9 and 10 year olds
playing systems to show off their own
knowledge. But systems can not be played until
you have the individual skills! What good are
systems if you can not skate, shoot or pass?”
Stan Butler
Head Coach
Canadian National Junior Team
Ice Hockey Training…
– Skating
– Passing
– Stick handling
– Shooting
– Support
– Cycling
– Scoring
– Angling
– 1v1, 2v2, etc..
Game Training
– Breakouts
– Defensive zone coverage
– Fore checks
– Face offs
– Neutral zone
– Power play breakouts
– Power play offensive zone
– Penalty kill fore checks
– Penalty kills defensive zone
Practice Thoughts…
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Variety of activity is vital!
“Decision Training” should be omnipresent
Majority of drills are “game oriented”.
Play for a consequence
Provide time for skill development drills
• Practice Format
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12 min:
3v3 game
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8min:
Over speed skating
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8 min:
1v1 Drill
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12 min:
Small Game
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8 min:
Passing drill
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12min:
Small Game
It is not important that all players
think the same.
It is important that all players THINK!
Players figure it out…
“the greatest happiness for us was to find unexpected
solutions in any situation, however standard. To me,
improvisation for a hockey player is the same as a jazz
musician. Bur for a whole line to improvise, it is possible
only when every player is strong, well versed in his
tactical scope and rich in technical repertoire; when all
together they understand one another with half a word
and half a glance – and even without one of the other. It
seems tedious only to move according to the plan of a
hockey textbook.”
Anatoli Tarasov
Russian National Coach
Implementing
Competitive Games
in Practices
Reasons for using games in Practice
• Players learn to function in small areas
• Stimulates creativity
• Creates more scoring opportunities for players
and goalies
• Increases puck possession
• Creates defensive and offensive awareness
• Creates unity within the team
• Great for conditions
• Players have FUN
Reasons for using games in practice continued…
• Most competitive environment a coach can
create in practice
• Accelerates development
• Creates teaching and learning situations
for the coaches and players
• Creates pressure situations for players to
perform under
Small Area Games
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Straight 3v3
Off-Sides 3v3
All touch 3v3
Start w/ Passing 3v3
2v2 Piggy Back
2v2, 2v1 Activate to
Attack
• 3v2 Gretzky Game
• Offensive Superior Game
• Quick Shot Game
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2v2 Clear to Coach
2v2 Gain Back of Net
Puck Control Game
2v2 Cone Game
Russian Scrimmage
4v2 Offensive Game
2v2 Support to Get Puck
Backdoor Game
General Thoughts…
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Hockey is a game, not a drill
Coaching demeanor is vital
Positive interaction with players
Keep score. Win and you will be happy
Kids come to the rink to ‘play hockey’
Utilize positive video when possible
Small Area Games
• One Net Games
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1v1 Clear to Coach
3v2 Clear to Coach
2v2 two pass game
1v1 gain back of net
Activate from corner
Two net/two pass
– Possible – tire games
• Two Net Games
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3v3 Nets backwards
3v3 score both nets
Russian Numbers
Offensive Superior
Gretzky Game
Hi/Lo Game
– Possible: 1v1 2v2 3v3
Let the Kids Play Hockey
* The activity becomes the teacher.
* The coach is the ultimate influence on
creating the optimal environment.
* The game looks different for people who
stand in different places and have varying
degrees of experience both in the game as
well as life.
Perspective is everything…
Mr. Ducks
Mr. Not
Mr. So
Whale Oil
Beefed Hook
Mr. Ducks