Ian Taylor is the Executive Director of the OMHA and former Director of Hockey Development. A proud hockey dad of two, Ian has over 25 years of instructional and coaching experience.
The ability to control and catch the puck anywhere around your body is a key skill in the game today. This allows the player to protect the puck, create deception, maintain possession, change the angle of attack and to be a threat from anywhere on the ice.
Players only have the puck for a limited time during a game and as the game speeds up, less time and space to make a play. In order to increase puck-time, players not only need to be able to control the puck outside their skates but they have to be able to catch passes all around their body and in their skates. That’s the focus of this edition of Video Coach - we break it down in five different examples.
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While we all love clean, tape-to-tape passes, the game is full of broken and imperfect plays. The ability to catch and control pucks all around the body is a skill that can maintain possession, extend plays and create confusion. Coaches – remember to work on these skills and include these in your drills and practices.
Video Coach is a series of articles which reviews a video clip from game action and then breaks down the sequence into frames identifying key skills, individual and team tactics, strategy and hockey IQ. Video is a great teaching tool that can be used by both players and coaches.
The Hockey IntelliGym is a breakthrough cognitive training technology that hones hockey sense and has been scientifically proven to improve player safety. IntelliGym has been used by thousands of players - from OHL teams to USA Hockey to OMHA Minor Midget champions - to improve individual players' points total, heighten spatial awareness, and foster better anticipation of the play. Research from the University of Delaware suggests training with IntelliGym is a great way to reduce concussions and other on ice injuries. The software, which can be used on any computer, can be purchased here.
"What I'm noticing with IntelliGym is that it compliments my use of area games or situational pressure drills in practice. My players are recognizing and executing their options faster than they have in the past. This improvement has translated to games. They are moving to open areas to support their teammate with the puck."
Ian Taylor is the Executive Director of the OMHA and former Director of Hockey Development. A proud hockey dad of two, Ian has over 25 years of instructional and coaching experience.