This weekend I’ll be helping out at the Under 16 tryout camp here in Toronto.

The camp involves a series of games against players and teams who have
never played together before. Sometimes it can be tough to stand out when
there isn’t the structure that players are used to with their club. That got me
to thinking about what it is that scouts will be looking for this weekend when
it comes to game skills.

I’ll list them all here first – with a brief explanation – and then over the next
few weeks, I’ll break them down more specifically.

1) Pass Reception

This one drives coaches crazy. There are far too many players who can’t
receive a perfect pass with a soft cushion and their head up, let alone
being able to receive a wobbly one in their feet that’s coming at half speed.

2) Attacking 1 on 1 situations

This is one area that I think all girls hockey players need to improve on –
no matter if they are forwards or defensemen. To succeed in attacking
with the puck in 1 on 1 situations, you have to be willing to challenge the
defender. You have to be smart, protect the puck, and do it all with your
head up. Whether you’re a D trying to beat a forechecker deep in your zone
or a forward trying to win the battle coming out of the corner, this needs to
be practiced a lot more in the female game.

3) Defending 1 on 1 situations

Again, this is for both forwards and defensemen. Being able to judge your
opponent’s speed, angle of attack, degree of puck control and their options
to share or shoot the puck isn’t easy. Forwards need to do this while
forechecking and backchecking and Ds can’t reach an elite level without
being able to dominate 1 on 1s. This must be broken down and taught
at all ages and levels.

4)  Quick Release Shooting

If you’ve been with Total Female Hockey for a while, you’ve heard me say
this before: a not-as-perfect shot that you get off quickly is way better than
a perfect shot that takes forever to get on net.  Whether you’re a forward
in the slot or a D under pressure at the point, you need to focus on getting
your shots off a lot more quickly. That is if you want to score more goals.
And everyone in girls hockey wants (and needs to) score more goals.

5)  Heads Up Handling

Being able to handle, pass and shoot the puck with your head up seems
simple, right? Well it’s not and it’s an art that needs a lot more practice
to do well while under pressure and moving at high speeds.  Players need
to learn how to feel the puck on their stick without looking down so that
they can make decisions and plays with their head up.

6) Talking

I talked a lot on the ice as a player. My teammates always knew where I
was and whether or not I wanted the puck. I’d be up on the point and tell
the forward, “no”, if I there wasn’t a clear passing lane or I’d be flying through
the middle of the ice as a forward yelling “boards” to tell the D to bank it
off the wall to beat the opposing defenseman.  Talking on the ice makes
everyone’s job easier. And it is far too rare in the female hockey.

7) Deception with and without the puck

You’ve heard the term, “Fake it until you make it” before, right? Well,
players need to use a lot more fakes before they make their plays on the ice.
When you’re going down on a 2 on 1, do you make it painfully obvious that
you’re going to shoot or pass or do you keep the defender and goalie guessing?
When you’re heading up ice to make a breakout pass, does everyone know
you’re going to go up the wall or do you fake that way before making a stretch
pass up the middle?  Being deceptive without the puck is an essential skill
for creating time and space for yourself and your teammates. Simply put, if
you’re standing next to your opponent, you’re probably not open. I’ll go into
greater detail on that concept in a future newsletter.

I will break all 7 of these down in the next few weeks and I’ll start my in-depth analysis with PASS RECEPTION.

Effective passing is a two-way street.  The player giving the pass must make 
it hard enough and accurate enough that the receiver has a good chance of
 receiving it safely and effectively in the flow of the game.  The player receiving
 the pass must give a good target where they show as much of their stick blade 
as possible to the passer and put themselves in the best possible body position
 to receive the pass.
When it comes to effective passing, I believe in the “360 Degree Rule”.
Players are taught from a very early age that they need to make sure their
 passes go “tape to tape”.  And I think that’s a great guidepost for young players
 who are just starting to develop their skills.  However, I think it can also breed bad behavior in the pass receiver.
The pass receiver starts to expect that the incoming pass should be “perfect” 
and if it is behind them, in their feet or out ahead of them, it isn’t their fault 
that they can’t control it.
Wrong.
I believe it is the pass receiver’s job to be able to control any pass that is
 within 360 degrees of them.

The 360 degrees refers to the space surrounds a player in an imaginary circle
 that would be drawn around them when they are standing on the ice holding 
their stick out in front of them in their top hand.
I truly believe that it is the pass receiver’s responsibility to control ANY puck
 that is inside that 360 degree circle.
That includes passes in their feet, wobbly passes, slapshot passes and those 
really annoying passes that dribble a few feet behind you as you head up
 the ice.
Being able to control those kind of passes, as well as the ones of the laser-like
tape-to-tape variety, is an absolutely essential skill for players who aspire to play
 at the elite level. And it is a skill that coaches must constantly teach and reinforce
 on the ice during skill sessions, practices and games.
A simple exercise to take this skill to the next level can be done easily this off-season. Grab a tennis ball and your stick and pass yourself the ball off the wall. Shoot it from every angle at every speed imaginable and work on handling it quickly and smoothly. You can modify your distance from the wall, the type of ball (golf, lacrosse), and your body position relative to the wall (sideways, backwards). Be creative, have fun with it and focus on getting the ball on your stick as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Feel free to pass this message along to anyone you think might benefit from the information.
Work Hard. Dream BIG.

Your friend and coach,

Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director & Founder, Total Female Hockey
www.totalfemalehockey.com