"...when checking, it must be the chicken (the man) or the egg (the puck)... you can't come out of a 1-on-1 with only feathers!”
As the fifth and final piece in this series on checking skills, this article’s focuses on completing the checking progression. This, the final stage in body contact and body checking, is the most compelling part of our sport for fans, coaches, and players.
With a complex technical and tactical path each of the checking skills clusters has been discussed and dissected in the last four articles:
- 3 Hockey Practice Drills to Teach the Purpose & Principles of Checking
- 5 Hockey Practice Drills to Teach the Power Position
- 8 Hockey Practice Skating Drills to Improve Checking
It is critical to point out that proficiency in each of these clusters is necessary to master checking. Furthermore, modern technique and tactics like stalling, and delaying the attack to accumulate defensive support, forming back pressure, surfing, and slash skating procedures, each suggest on-ice movements designed to steer, angle and then close the gap at the nexus of checking, 1 vs 1. A forced turnover or a takeaway is the result sought. It must be defined for the learner and organized in a way to provide a start-to-finish mental picture for the player. It is this vital part of teaching checking that is called the checking continuum (below). And the checking continuum illustrates how the elite defenders decision make and apply simple and complex skills and movements to defend in today’s swift and rapid attack style game. Using the continuum prevents over or under-commitment errors and addresses the repeating and rapid threats characteristic of the modern game.
Skill acquisition in checking therefore includes teaching each of the checking skill clusters in a well ordered and in a methodical way. For example, when training reactive and proactive skating techniques designed to match and disarm the attack, or when instructing on the effective use of body positioning, to establish defensive controls, and when coaching prerequisite checking principles like restricting available space and reducing available puck time the continuum adds clarity.
Coaches and skill instructors will also find themselves spending time linking a player’s individual checking tactics (IT) with group checking tactics (GT) and team checking tactics and strategy when teaching checking.
Unfortunately, despite the statistics, game analysis and conclusions and the evidence in effective checking strategy some coaches persist in promoting the use of the body exclusively in all checking situations. While it is true that body contact and body blocks are effective techniques these endpoints on the continuum of checking are often found to be double-edged weapons. That is, the reward, is equally packed with risk. In fact, critical errors in body checking are the most frequently detected error in checking. When a body checking is missed or when the checker takes themselves out of the play by committing to soon, to locate or when not necessary results in predictable losses when defending. Like, giving up numeric superiority, surrendering valued ice and allowing so much time for the attackers that scoring chances are found. Scoring chances are what we are defending against! Further to this regard where body checking is permissible, poor technique and execution also place defenders in an often-desperate condition of “chasing and reaching” resulting in lost foot races, surrendering net side positioning, gap control stops, turns, slash and pivots surf skate shrinking ice & reducing time. On ice location cues, mid-ice, outside dots Stick on puck, poke, sweep, lift, pry, press Shoulder, body, hip and stick penalties (hooking, tripping, slashing). We don’t want to be caught behind the puck chasing.
The checking continuum is, therefore, a teachable concept that enables players and their coaches to better organizes and understand each of the elements found in checking. This framework is reliable and consistent. It orders skills on a selectable string or scale and is based on standard and reliable game conditions.
Understanding this sequence creates a road map for successful checking decisions on the part of the player and illustrates the many possible checking responses. It is also a foundation from where coaches can gauge, dissect, assess, and scrutinize performance. Analytical tools like video capture and analytics can then be used to highlight a player’s successes and better find the keys to correct mistakes.
As cited, the primary tenet of checking is based on limiting and/or taking away ice. In coaching icon George Kingston’s hypothesis, evidence was presented that found that when a defender competently applied the starting elements of skating skills and body positioning, along the continuum, a change in possession resulted and, because of this the need to finish with a body check, and/or the remaining aspects along the continuum are unnecessary and redundant. However, in other situations, there was a tactical advantage noted to follow the progression right to the end and finish the checking sequence with a body check. For example, when a player takes away ice, controls his opponent and then closes the gap when establishing net side positioning and proper angling a turnover or takeaway is predictable. To finish with body contact or a body check is therefore inconstant. In his recent book, “Loose Pucks and Ice Bags” another coaching icon Dave King builds on Kingston’s theory when he describes Wayne Fleming’s (coach icon 3) analogous teaching/coaching method. Coach Fleming’s method matches Kingston’s conception. As quoted by King, Fleming suggested to his players that, “…when checking, it must be the chicken (the man) or the egg (the puck) …you can’t come out of a 1-on-1 with only feathers!”
Players, therefore, benefit from the awareness that checking is a group of skills and is used in game conditions along a continuum. To understand they have a range of responses and actions available to them to defend and get the chicken or the egg is the vital framework that must be taught. Create skill stations, small area games (SAGs) and battle drills to simulate game like checking conditions. Vary these rehearsals by adding constraints, situations and/or by adding rules (limitations, options and real-time decisions) you will see your practice intensity and value rise. Best yet, error rate during game performances will drop significantly.
