Four drills are indicated on the diagram. Each illustrates and prepares players for a body contact situation. Key concepts are primary vision on the attackers chest, maintaining gap control through skating skills (turns, pivots, lateral skating, stops and starts, agility and balance), playing offensive man "inside out", eliminating or taking away ice, body awareness, stteering, angling and using body contact (not body checking).
1. The Yo-Yo
Description: Players line up in between two cones. Each facing one another with no greater than a stick length gap between them. As X skates forward O skates backward at the cones O skates forward and X staying on the inside of the cones skates backward. On a whistle they reverse direction using a complete stop and maintaining the gap. The coach must utalize an irregular whistle to keep the players guessing and challenging the gap.
Cues: Good feet, head up, primary vision on checks chest, maintain gap.
2. Lateral Mirror
Desription:Players line up as above. One player; X is designated as the leader, O is the mirror. X may move laterally to hash marks on circle or laterally to cones repeatedly. At all times however he must face the outside of the circle, he pivots to change direction. The O player must then face the leader maintaining the gap. This drill creates a situation where the mirroring player is forced behind his man and must hustle in front of his check to establish control again.
Cues: Maintain Gap, quickly recover to front of check. Quick feet.
3. Dot Tag
Description: Defender protects the Dot from being tagged. Attacker attempts to tag dot with his hand. No sticks are needed.
Cues: Take away attackers ice, Keep hands down, play attack man inside out
4. Dot Tag with Puck
Description: Defender protects the Dot from being tagged with puck. Attacker attempts to tag dot with his puck.
Cues: Take away attackers ice, Keep hands down, play attack man inside out, establish body control first steering and angling, use poke check, sweep, lift or pry to seperate puck from attacker.