Learn to Play Manual

Learn to Play Manual

Each week will consist of 4 stations, stick handling, skating skills, shooting, and passing. Students will have about 7 minutes in each station. Groups will be made based on age.

Week 1: Introduction

Stations:

  • Stick Handling:
  • Stationery-during the first week, teach participants how to properly hold their sticks. Do basic skating back and forth, making sure participants continue to hold the stick correctly.
  • Skating Skills
  • Inside Edges/Slaloms-Warm up by doing swizzles down the rink. Follow up with forward inside single-leg c-cuts down the blue line. For beginner participants, work on slaloms using inside edges.
  • Shooting
  • Wrist Shots-First, teach proper way to hold stick, and movements needed for a wrist shot. Then have participants line up on the crease and take turns shooting into the net. Once everyone has taken a shot, repeat.
  • Passing
  • Stationary-teach participants how to aim, and proper body movement of a pass. Participants will line up across from another participant and pass back and forth.


Week 2: Guest Coach

** Guest coaches will join stations-give them 2-3 minutes at the conclusion of class to talk to participants**

Stations:

  • Stick Handling
  • Stationary-Review proper stick handling. Introduce pucks, have participants start stationary, give each participant a puck, and have them dribble puck back and forth, focusing on stick handling and controlled touches.
  • Skating Skills
  • Inside Edges: Warm up with forward single-leg c-cuts down the blue line. Teach inside edges down the blue line. Focus on using inside edges and having an upper body lean.
  • Shooting
  • Wrist Shots-Repeat exercises from week 1.
  • Passing
  • Stationary-Repeat exercises from week 1.




Learn to Play Manual

Week 3: Games

** No stations, players will split off by age, scrimmages cross-ice, or obstacle courses. Take first 5-10 minutes to teach warm up.**

Warm-Up: include skills focusing on inside edges (inside edges on blue line/ forward single leg c-cuts)

  • Teach horseshoe drill:
  • The remainder of the time can be spent on games and obstacle courses.


Week 4: Guest Coach

** Guest coaches will join stations-give them 2-3 minutes at the conclusion of class to talk to participants**

  • Stick Handling
  • Moving with the puck-small touches with the puck while moving down the ice. Focusing on proper stick handling and keeping the puck close.
  • Skating Skills
  • Backwards skating-Warm up with backward swizzles. Then move to backward single-leg c-cuts.
  • Shooting
  • Carry puck and moving wrist shots.
  • Horseshoe drill.
  • Passing
  • Move and pass/pass and turn.


Week 5: 

  • Stick Handling
  • Focusing on forward and backward movements
  • Skating Skills
  • Outside edges-Edges down the blue line, focusing on edge control and lean of body.
  • Shooting
  • Elevating puck-Continue work on wrist shots, and teach out to elevate puck.
  • Passing
  • Movement passing-Use drill from week 4

Week 6: Celebration/Games: 

** No stations, players will split off by age, scrimmages cross-ice, or obstacle courses. Take first 5-10 minutes to teach warm up. **

Warm-Up: include skills focusing on inside edges (inside edges on blue line/ forward single leg c-cuts)

  • Horseshoe Drill
  • The remainder of the time can be spent on games and obstacle courses