THE ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS OF AN 'ELITE' HOCKEY PLAYER. PRINT THIS PAGE AND REVIEW IT FREQUENTLY UNTIL MEMORIZED.
ATTITUDE
-The name of the game is improvement.
-The desire and drive to win the one-on-one battles all over the ice.
-The ability to take criticism in stride.
SHOOTING
-Shots must be on the net.
-Eyes must be on the target - Don't look down before shooting!.
-Follow-through determines direction and height of shot.
PUCKHANDLING
-The ability to handle the puck without looking at it.
-The vision of a puckhandler must be totally on the ice not in the stands.
PASSING
-The 'slap' pass is inaccurate and indicates low threshold of panic.
-The 'sweep' pass is the method of a playmaker.
-Pass is to the stick - not to the player.
-Follow-through (low to keep puck flat on the ice) determines direction of the pass.
FAKING
-The ability to give a fake at full speed.
-Once a fake is given, player must move in the desired direction with speed and full confidence that the fake has been successful.
-Hesitation between fake and desired move will defeat the whole purpose of the fake.
-Like any other skill, faking must be practiced to be part of your game.
DEFENSE
-Defense is mostly a matter of attitude. You must want to play good defense.
-It is not a matter of 'play the puck OR play the man', but rather, 'play the puck AND play the man.'
-Pressure on the opposition puck-carrier and puck possession are key elements of good defense.
SKATING
-"If you want to play pro, you have to play low." The low-profile skating posture must be your natural skating style.
-Cross-over strides are absolutely necessary if you want to develop any speed.
-Arms, shoulders, and hips must flow into the stride, knees flexed and used as pistong to drive for distance in each stride.
Stiff-legged skaters will get nowhere fast!
WINNING AND TEAMPLAY
-The 'Competitive Edge' will only come when a team is prepared to do more - more conditioning, more study of the game, more practice of the fundamentals. As you are improving, so are your opponents - you must do more!!
- The essence of team play is that 1+1=more than 2. On defense or offense outnumbering the opponent will almost guarantee victory.
CONDITIONING AND PRACTICE
-Read again the previous section on teamplay. Do more and you will get more.
-Most players have it in reverse taking practises as a romp in the park. If the practises are treated with intensity towards improvement, the games will be fun. Treat your practises and warm-ups with enthusiasm.
-Don't wait for the coach to motivate. Conditioning must be a matter or personal pride and accomplishment.
OFFENSE
- A good offense is a mastery of the above fundamentals.
- Puck possession is the key. Players must avoid the give-aways (poor passes, shots that miss the net) that give up puck possession to the opposition.
If you master the above attitudes along with the fundamentals, you will be well on your way to becoming an 'Elite' player. To be a master, dig into the more detailed sections of this CD. Not every tip will be a 'gem' but you are sure to find tips that will improve your game at any level. To have the dream of becoming a pro player, it is not enough to have the dream. You must have the determination and drive to take the steps necessary.
