Face-off plays are definitely not something I get excited about as a coach.  Teaching them usually involves a lot of standing around and it’s hard to run through them at game-like intensity with your own team since everyone knows the same plays.

 

All that being said, they are absolutely critical to the success of any team, so we spend a good amount of time working on them.

 

Face-off plays aren’t as fun and exciting as playing 5v5. They don’t get the same glory as the power-play.  But they are a very necessary evil.

 

Because the game of hockey is all about gaining advantages all over the ice. It’s about gaining as much control as possible at every opportunity.  Set plays like face-offs give you a great chance to gain a quick advantage over your opponent and to capitalize on the opportunity that advantage creates.  That’s why we spend so much time on them at practice. Because that one play can have a dramatic effect on the game.

 

 

Winning a key face-off in your own end with 30 seconds left in a tied game gives you an opportunity to get the puck out and down the ice. Winning a key face-off in the other team’s end with 30 seconds left in a tied game gives you an opportunity to score and win.

 

In a game that is all about capitalizing on the mistakes of your opponents, you need every advantage you can get.  Even if that means spending more time than you’d like to working on a play that may only get used once or twice during a game.

 

 

The same is true OFF the ice as well. 

 

 

Taking care of your off-ice training, nutrition and mental game takes time.  And you aren’t going to see an instantaneous change in the way you play from a single workout, change in your eating habits, or the way you get focused before the game.   All of these things can have a dramatic effect on your performance – over time.  But you have to consistently spend the time and energy on them in order for them to have any kind of effect at all.

 

Drinking enough water, stretching every night, working out and setting goals aren’t nearly as fun and exciting as working on your skills or playing games.  We can all agree on that.  But they are absolutely critical to your success as a player.

 

You need to focus on the details in order to be the best.  And whether that’s getting your pre-game routine of nutrition,hydration, mental preparation and physical preparation down to a science, or perfecting your face-off plays, every little bit counts.  It’s focusing on the details that will give you that small advantage that you need over the competition that will allow you to pull away when the opportunity arises.

 

 

So take the time to be more prepared than your opponent on and off the ice.   The more prepared you are, the better your chances of capitalizing on your opponents’ mistakes.  That means you’ll have to spend the time and energy focusing on the little things. But remember – it’s the little things that make a huge difference.

 

 

Keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG and Taking Action.

 

 

Your friend and coach,

 

Kim

 

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes