PLAYERS
Playing
Flashing blades! Swinging sticks! Flying pucks! All these elements are part of the action that makes up the exciting game of hockey for a player. This game involves toughness and finesse all at the same time. It displays a collage of emotions, power and strategies. Players become involved in hockey for a variety of reasons, but the number one reason is plain old fun.
Skating, shooting, passing and stickhandling the puck through a maze of other players to get an opportunity at glory - scoring that winning goal - is the dream of many young hockey players.
Forwards
There are 4 roles a forward can play:
- Crash'n bang: very aggressive on the opposing team when the opponent has the puck
- Playmaker: will look for the opportunity to set up a line mate for a scoring chance
- Scorer: knows where the net is and will always look for an opportunity to put the puck in the net
- Defensive forward: concerned about helping out his team mates in his own zone
Age of the player matters. From 5 to 8 years old, players should play all positions. This is the best way to become a quality player. You will learn about taking face-offs, skating up and down the wing and the pressures of a defenseman as the last man back.
Between the ages of 9 to 12 , a player should start to find his comfort in 1 or 2 positions. The most interesting to the younger player is the centre position because they get to take the face-off and have the chance to get the puck. As they mature from age 10 and up, playing a position effectively becomes the focus of the player through the guidance of his coach. Players start to understand their own abilities and comfort levels and take on roles such as playmaker or crash and banger.
Once a player becomes a teen and plays his position for a couple of seasons, he starts to understand his strengths and weaknesses. Players label themselves as a certain type and develop their style of play and attitude. The calm, quiet player will usually not be the crash and banger. They usually have the role of the playmaker or defensive forward.
From the age of 15 and up, a player is well on his way to mastering his selected position. He will watch and talk to others that play his position and try their successful actions. He will hone his skills to become an asset to his team.
Forwards play 1 of 3 positions:
- Left Wing
- Right Wing
- Center
A forward can play any one of these positions regardless of the way he shoots. You will see a tendency for players who shoot left to play left wing and those who shoot right to play right wing. This doesn't not apply to a Centre man because it does not matter which way he shoots.
Defensemen
There are 2 types of defensemen (D):
• Stay-home (defensive)
The stay-home defenseman is the one who will not take chances. He will wait for an opposing forward to come towards him with the puck before making a move.
• Offensive
The offensive defenseman is the one who will take a chance and join the forwards on an attack. The result to the opposing team is that there is a 4 th attacker and more options for a scoring chance.
There are different stages of maturity for the defenseman:
5 to 8 years old: |
Players need to play all positions. |
9 to 11 years old: |
Defensemen minded players think about how they can help out in |
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their own zone and defend against the opposing team. |
12 to 14 years old: |
The defenseman role starts to blossom in this age group. They learn |
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about puck control, gap control and defending an area against an |
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opponent. It is a maturing phase. |
From 15 and up: |
At this age, the defenseman knows what he has to do. He is there |
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as a support for his goaltender and a liaison to helping his forwards |
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become an offensive threat to the opposing goalie. |
The skills of a player are similar for forwards and defensemen. The gap is at its widest in the individual tactics.
Learn about Female Hockey PLAYERS |
www.totalfemalehockey.com
Hockey skill development and instruction for female hockey players.
GOALIES
Transformation of the Goalie
In the past 20 years, goaltending has evolved from the target in the net to a 6 th player. Their focus is on how to stop the puck in a variety of different situations and help their team by moving it to strategic places. Not only has the role of the goalie changed but so has the look. The days of horsehair stuffed leather pads are gone and replaced by lightweight protective gear.
The stance of the goalie has also changed. Today there is purpose in a stance. It is not just enough that a goalie can make a save but he must be ready for the second and sometimes third shot as well. Having proper body positioning makes the job of a goalie a lot easier.
Stance
The ability to use the proper stance or be in the correct position is a frequent argument between many coaches for goalies but the bottom line is that a goalie must be in the highest state of readiness to react to any situation. Comfort above all is helpful to achieve this. The stance of a goalie is the same as the "ready" position in most sports. It is comfortable and allows for immediate movement in any direction.
- Weight on the balls of the feet
- Knees bent slightly
- Shoulders over knees
- Chest out
- Arms by the side slightly flexed
- Head up
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Hockey Goalie |
Baseball Stance |
Football Stance |
Style and Positioning
The most common style of play for a goalie is the Butterfly. Although perfecting the Butterfly style has become the focus for many young goalies, the focus should be on mastering the basic skills of skating and stick saves. More than half of the goals scored are along the ice. Positioning in the net is more than following the puck. It is about strategically luring the opponent. A goalie needs to get the advantage where he can. The average speed of the puck has increased tremendously with players getting stronger and sticks making more of an impact due to their composition. The proper playing of angles is a key factor to successful goaltending.
One way for a goalie to cut down the scoring chances is to cover up the short side and force the opposing player to shoot on the far side. This is different than playing the angle by being in the middle of the net.
Learn more about GOALTENDING |
http://futurepro.com/freepdf.htm
Download the "Essential Goaltending" book for FREE!
http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/7630/la_id/1.htm
Hockey Canada explains 3 levels of goaltending. Drills are available for download.
The Hockey Source does not necessarily endorse all the information on the linked pages it provides.
Other Resources:
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