Passing Tip: Always be Ready for a Pass

Possession of the of puck switches teams over 100 time per game. Regardless of the position you play, you are constantly switching between offense and defense, both mentally and physically.

You may be defensively covering your check one minute, and a tip of the puck, or a crazy bounce later, your team suddenly has the puck. Your brain instantly switches to offensive mode. Now your job is to get open, and be ready for a pass.

Stick on the Ice

A pass can come come at you any time, even when you don't expect it. With your stick on the ice, you've got a far better chance of receiving an unexpected pass, than if your stick is hovering around your waist.

The blade of your stick on the ice also gives your teammate a target. Show your teammates exactly where you want the puck.

Hockey is a fast game. When the pressure is on, your teammate may only have a split second to decide what to do with the puck. With you and your stick ready for a pass, you're giving him at least one favorable play option.

Keep Your Eye on the Puck.

While breaking out of our own end, I'll often see beginning players skate into the neutral zone (between the two blue lines) with their head down. They're skating for open ice, so they've got the right idea, but they're not watching the play. When I have the puck and look up to see who's open, and all I see is the back of their head, I KNOW they're not ready for a pass. Oblivious to the play, they're essentially a roaming pylon.

Compare this image to the puck-hungry player I see streaking across the ice, banging his stick, calling my name, and glaring at me. I KNOW he's ready for a pass. I will do everything I can to get the puck on his stick.

Always be ready for a pass.

More Ice Hockey Tips on: Passing

Skating Tips: Upper Body Control

A lot of ice hockey players are oblivious as to what their upper body is doing while they're skating fast. I've seen all kinds of different skating styles with various stick and arm positions. My favorite is the arms swinging side to side with each stride causing the stick blade to fly up towards my head. Annoying, and dangerous.

So what are you supposed to do?

Here's a few skating tips on upper body positioning from Barry Smith, head coach with the SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.

• Loosen Up your shoulders.
  They should be relaxed, not tense.
  
  
• Keep your elbows out wide.
  Only your elbows should be visible by anyone watching your skating from directly behind you.
  
  
• Keep your hands within the width of your body, pumping straight forward and straight back.
  
  
• Keep your stick straight out in front of you, with the blade on the ice, sliding it forwards and back in a straight line along the ice.
  
  
• Keep the blade of your stick flat on the ice, and in line with your body. If someone feeds you a pass way out in front of you, your stick is in the best position possible to reach ahead, and get as much of the puck as possible.
  
  
• If you rotate your wrists while skating, your stick blade will flop back and forth on the ice, and you may miss an unexpected pass.

To view the video on this, check out at The Ice Hockey Learning Centre
(Hit 'More' at the bottom right of the chalkboard, then select 'Skating-Forward Skat.' , then click on Play Lesson.)

Bonus Skating Tip!

Your skating power comes from the hips down. By keeping the sway in your upper body to a minimum, you direct more power to your lower body. Improve your skating, and you'll be a far better hockey player.

More Skating Tips