It takes many seasons of play for youth players to grasp the how-to, the what-to and the when-to. But it's never too early to begin teaching the basics.

In the next series of articles, I will dissect, examine and describe the purpose and principles of checking in ice hockey so that it can be better understood and taught. The result will be extremely effective execution and safe performance. The skill sets and sub-sets of checking, along with standard conventions in defensive play will be clarified in this series. And some modern twists will also be shared with you the reader. Along with these descriptions, a string of cues and teachables will be offered that add value to your practices.

Let’s begin with a big-rink view.

As Canadian hockey players, we have a reputation for being good at checking. Qualities like tenacity, persistence and assertiveness are part and parcel of our style of game. Our tactical game is built on this strength, and in North America, coaches continue to highlight the defensive style of play as a priority. Low scoring, containment first and a structured and strict positional emphasis without the puck are what most coaches like.

Oddly, our methods in teaching team strategy have historically been less innovative when compared to our European counterparts. We have tended to borrow defensive innovations from other hockey nations and conceivably have perfected their usefulness. For example, from across the pond, we uncover the origins of the neutral zone trap, offensive zone locks, and defensive zone coverages like 1-3-1, 1-1-3, swarms etc.

The Purpose of Checking

But, before we dig into defensive team tactics deeply, let’s “peel off some layers” and look at the purpose of checking. By looking at the specific definition of the skill we understand that our player’s physical actions and on-ice decisions while checking begin and end in alignment with the definition and purpose of the skill. And we also discover that to be truly efficient and effective in checking our players must know why they check and why they need to get good at the fundamentals involved in this skill.

The purpose of checking is to (re)gain possession of the puck (read that sentence again). To get the puck so that your team can get back on offence and attack. In the modern game changes to speed and direction are constants. Because of this transitional occurrences are frequent and are characterized by the three (3) modalities of play. These are: Full (puck) Control (offense), Partial Control (chases, puck battles) and a total Loss of Control (defence). These situations occur in each zone and often occur in rapid succession. As such, misdirected efforts when checking create missed checks and surrender space or white ice and gaps indicating vulnerability. These gaps when appearing towards the middle corridor of the rink create opportunities for the opponent to score. These scoring chances, unfortunately, expose the net and create the threat of a goal.

Checking is, in fact, dependent on the location of play, the position of the action (open ice, along boards in the defensive zone, neutral zone, offensive zone) and dependent on the complement of opponents and teammates. Additionally, proximity to the net and even the offensive tendencies/abilities of the other team influence the checking prescription. These factors, when analyzed, are interconnected to the individual and that player’s fundamental skill set. When we analyze defensive errors most originate from 1vs1 mistakes, usually individual tactical/technical failures like a missed attempt, a “blown tire,” an over-reach or a missapplied cross-over.

Checking is Complex

One thing is certain, the skill sets or clusters involved in checking are complex. It takes many seasons of play for youth players to grasp the how-to, the what-to and the when-to. Execution of the skill is complicated by auxiliary variables or constraints as well. For example, the open and varied nature of play in the game. The changing situations and dynamics of play in each zone and location. What works once, when faced with new circumstances and a new set of constraints on the ice just as easily fails another time.

One thing is certain. To be good at defensive hockey, players need to rehearse and practice each of the checking skill fundamentals so that defensive plays can be executed consistently with predictive efficacy. Advanced analytics suggest that overall success in games is most predictable when a goal can be prevented rather than when a goal is scored. Therein lies the importance of sound defensive tactics and technique.

So by its nature defensive plays and skills are designed to take away and limit ice. Defenders must assert themselves to limit access to advantageous areas on the ice and to quickly deflect accessible lanes to the net. Similarly, well-applied checking skills restrict and limit the time offensive players have with the puck. Making an attacking player rush is always good. Closing holes, shrinking gaps and openings in areas where goals are scored is always the priority in defensive play.

Take Away Time & Space

To do this coaches, actively give your player verbal cues that promote the concepts of limiting ice, and taking away both space and time. Use activities and drills in practice that demonstrate and illustrate these concepts and allow for their reinforcement.

These drills and rehearsals should actively challenge players’ checking skills. Checking skill inventories suggest that body positioning, skating stability, balance and skating skills are key when teaching and developing a good checker. For example, skating skills like forward and backward striding, pivots, turns, and lateral skating (surfing) are necessary to be a good checker. They have to be taught, refined and reinforced. For youngsters, it is recommended to use pursuit and tag games that implicitly rehearse the “changes” in direction in real-time at high frequency (many reps in an open-ended manner).

Checking Practice Drills

Likewise, players checking toolboxes must also include the stick checks. These are the sweep, the poke, the lift, the press and the pry. Each stick check works best in particular areas on the ice and when the checker and puck carrier are in distinct positions relative to one another. More on that later.

Checking Body Position

Matching an understanding of the purpose of checking is the fitting and suitable on-ice alignment or the body positioning of the checker. When positioned favourably, defending net side paths, a defender with good skating skills and an effective arsenal of stick checks will find themselves deflecting, steering and deflecting the attack towards the boards causing turnovers or attaining a takeaway. And with that their team is back on the offensive and preparing or initiating an attack.

In other situations, body contact or blocking is necessary and permissible in our game. That is a player can limit an attacker’s progress with the puck by holding and controlling space (body contact). When the puck carrier runs out of space because of this individual tactic and loses the puck body contact is effective. Body contact is not initiated by the checker and by its nature body contact is a type of on-ice collision.

In contrast body checking, when permitted, is initiated by the checker. It is characterized by the forward movement of the checker and the rapid closing of the distance between the puck carrier and the checker (known as the gap). Body, shoulder, and hip checks are the prevailing types of body checks.

So now that we are aligned to purpose, principles and a hierarchy of the skill, the next article will look at how to achieve on-ice stability in all checking situations.