U12 - Passing & Puck Support

The one touch pass is key for higher level players as it requires knowing where you want to pass before you get the puck.

Key Points for a One Touch Pass

• know your target before receiving the pass.
• lean into your blade pressing the heel of the stick slightly into the ice.
• be firm with the bottom hand.

The Rondo Circle Passing Progression from Coach Alyssa Gagliardi is a great activity that can be used as a passing warm-up, or as an activity to improve overall awareness and passing with your head up. Rondos are popular activities in soccer. Rondo games are similar to keep away, where a group of players work to keep possession of the puck / ball.

Progression Details

• Setup: Can use 6 to 8 players around a circle. 
• Part # 1 - One Puck Passing: Players work to pass one puck around the circle to all of the players. More skilled groups can work on one-touch passing, sauce passing, or backhand passing.
• Part # 2 - Two Puck Passing: Players work to pass two pucks around the circle. This requires more awareness as players need to pay attention to both pucks. 
• Part # 3 - One Puck Follow Your Pass: Players make a pass and follow their pass to the player they passed to. 
• Part # 4 - Two Puck Follow Your Pass: Players make a pass and follow their pass to the player they passed to. This requires more awareness and players to keep their head up since there will be two pucks and people skating in the middle of the circle. 
• Part # 5 - One Person Keep Away: Players work together to pass the puck and play keep away from a player in the middle. If the player in the middle steals the puck, they will become a passer and the player that passed the intercepted puck will go in the middle to become the defender. Coaches can rotate defenders if they are in the middle for 15+ seconds.
• Part # 6 - Two Person Keep Away: Players work together to pass the puck and play keep away from the two players in the middle. If a player in the middle steals the puck, they will become a passer and the player that passed the intercepted puck will go in the middle to become the defender.
• Part # 7 - Two Person Keep Away to 2 on 1: Players work together to pass the puck and play keep away from the two players in the middle. When the defenders steal the puck, it initiates a 2 on 1, where the 2 defenders now go on the offense and the player that passed the intercepted puck becomes the defender on the 2 on 1.

Coaching Points

• When passing, players should keep their hands away from their body and chest so they can pull with their top hand and push with their bottom hand.
• Players without the puck should keep their stick on the ice and give their teammates a target to pass to.
• When playing keep away, the players that are passing should work on deception by using their body language (hands, eyes, and body) to trick the defender and make them think they will be passing somewhere else. 

Variations

• Coaches can set this up in different areas of the ice.
• Coaches can do this rondo progression with 4 to 8 players. 
• Players can work on forehand, backhand, one-touch and sauce passes.

The second variation in this series works on puck control in transition and acceleration with the puck. As the players go down the ice they still receive the puck and make one quick stick handle before making a pass back to their partner. When the players turn to the outside they accelerate to the outside with a puck. At the cone they transition backwards with the puck to the inside cone. At the inside cone they transition forwards and again, emphasis is on accelerating to the next cone. At the third cone they transition backwards again to the first cone where they transition forwards and accelerate with the puck to the blue line. Players will switch lines for their next repetition so they have a chance to worrk on forehand and backhand passing.

The major concept of the Gates of Buffalo Small Area Hockey Game is to practice moving to open space, communicating verbally and non-verbally with teammates, so they can score Goals by passing through Gates. 

This game framework will help players learn to play with their head up, communicate with teammates and move to open space. 

As a coach, If you commit to working on activities like this instead of memorization drills for a portion of each practice, you will marvel at how your team begins to work together. It will look extremely messy at first, but players will get better with each repetition. Moving to open space, and moving the puck will eventually become second nature to the team.

GAME OBJECTIVE

• Score as many goals as possible by passing through the "Gates."
• You can not pass through the same gate twice in a row!

SETUP & ACTIVITY VARIABLES

• Players: great for 3, 4 or 5 players at a time.
• Time: You can rotate through groups of players in 30, 45 or 60 second shifts and count how many goals are scored.
  • Or you can set a number of goals (let's use 5 for example) and stop the watch after 5 goals are completed.
  • 5 players can be participating in the activity, while another 5 rest. Blow the whistle and the next 5 jump in. It gets fun when the teams compete against each other!
• Space: can be set up to be within a zone, or half of a zone (station) or a smaller area. The smaller the space, the more challenging it will be for the players as they are forced to make quicker decisions.
• Added Challenge: add obstacles within the space to challenge the players further.
  • Tires, cones, sticks, defenceman, etc placed in the space will make it harder to pass and skate around. As time goes on the added obstacles will help improve their reaction & decision making.
• Group Competition: After the group gets comfortable with the exercises, you can add a natural element of competition between the groups by counting the number of successful goals made in the specified amount of time.
  • Or you can time each group and see how fast they can complete 5 (or any other number) goals. You will marvel at how the natural element of competition between groups will make the game more intense, competitive and fun!
• With a Goalie: You can require the players to make 2 (or more) passes through a gate before they can shoot on net. After they shoot on net, they need to make the required number of passes through the gates again. 
• Pucks: You can add in 2 or more pucks at a time to make players pay more attention to the game and their surroundings.
• Gates: You can add 3 or more gates. They can be made of tires, cones, pucks and other materials. Change up the sizes of the gates for an extra challenge. The smaller the gate, the more challenging the game is!
• 3 vs 3 Game: You can setup gates and make the game 3 v 3, 3 vs 2, or 3 vs 1 so there is another team working to prevent scoring on the gates. Adding additional players for the team to play against will give the game a whole new spin. View a video demo of the 3 vs 3 game setup.

Setup Suggestions for Elite Players

• Make the gates much smaller.
• You can add a hockey stick at the bottom of each gate so players must "sauce" through a gate and over the stick for the point.
• Add various obstacles on the ice such as sticks that players must be aware of and pass around or sauce over.
• For extra fun, add a defenceman. Or play 3 vs 2 or 3 vs 3.  
• If you have a goalie, require 2 or more passes through the gates before players are allowed to take a shot on net.  

COACHING POINTS 

• Encourage players to always move to open space on the ice. Do not allow them to stand still and pass the puck back and forth.
• Encourage players to find "passing lanes" to allow good passes. 
  • This skill is extremely valuable for youth players to work on. Finding passing lanes when you have the puck and jumping to open space when you don't have the puck so your teammate can pass to you is extremely beneficial during games. 
• Encourage verbal communication (calling teammate by name, saying you are open, etc).
• Encourage non-verbal communication (good eye contact, showing a passing target, tapping a stick, etc).
• Allow players to make mistakes. It will take time to get comfortable with these activities. But as time goes on you will see them picking their head up to make a decision, which is the goal of this small area game.

Why do we call this small area game "Gates of Buffalo?" The game has been called "gates" in the world of soccer and we decided to add Buffalo to it for two fun reasons: First, IHS has strong ties to Buffalo, NY. Secondly, the imagery of a Buffalo can help drive home to your youth players why you are practicing this game. If you do not pick your head up and use your teammates while playing the game of hockey, you run the risk of getting trampled by the other team. This can feel like getting run over by a Buffalo (physically or on the scoreboard). This game helps prevent both of those situations by forcing players to keep their head up while communicating and working with teammates to score goals. 

Winning loose puck battles is a major deciding factor in the outcome of a game. This battle drill challenges players to compete for a loose puck after a rebound and have the awareness to pass the puck to their teammate at the point. After the loose puck battle is won, the player passes it back to their teammate at the point, which will begin a 2 vs 1. 

Setup:

• This can be setup to be a station, or a half ice drill. 
• A coach or player dumps the puck on net and the goalie plays it to either corner.
• 2 players are spread out and charge into the corner to compete for the puck. Whoever comes out with the puck must pass it to their point player to begin a 2 vs 1.
• The drill is stopped after a goal, the goalie freezes it, or the puck is moved out of the zone.

Offensive Coaching Points:

• Players who arrive at the puck first should work on deceptive fakes with their body to escape from the corner. Fakes with your hips and pointing your skates in the opposite direction are extremely effective in this situation.
• Once you have the puck, protect it, get your head up and make a pass to the point.
• The point should be active calling for the puck and moving to space.

Defending Coaching Points:

• The defender should work on playing the body in the corner with stick on puck. 
• When 2 vs. 1 begins, the defender should hold the middle and try to force a bad angle shot.
• Have good stick position. Do not swing your stick as it will open up passing lanes and make you off balance.

Variations:

• You can allow the point player that does not receive the pass to jump into the play so it is a full 2 vs 2. 
• You can have only one point player, which is demonstrated in the 2 vs 1 Rebound Battle.

The Gretzky 2 vs. 2 Game from Topher Scott is a fun small area hockey game that has one major modification to a normal 2 vs. 2 game: each team has two "Gretzky's" behind the net that they can pass to. These "Gretzky's" behind the net must stay behind the net. The setup of the game allows for a lot of creativity, and give & go's!

Setup:

• In a half ice setup, place two nets facing each other in opposite face off circles.
• Each team has 2 players behind the net in their offensive zone. They can not go in front of the net.
• Have a 2 vs. 2 in the middle of the ice.
• To start, coach can pass a puck, take a shot on net, or chip it in the middle of the ice for a battle.
• Keep score! 

Coaching Points:

• Offensive players:
  • Players in the middle of the ice: work on give and go's! Pass and get open.
  • Players behind the net: know where you want to pass to before you get the puck. Use the net as protection and get creative!
• Defensive players:
  • Head on a swivel and know where all of the players are.
  • Keep stick on ice to block passing lanes.

Variations:

• Can be 2v2 or 3v3 in the middle of the ice.
• Can allow 1 or 2 "Gretzky's"
• Can require players to only hold the puck for 1 or 2 seconds or a whistle is blown.