Environment, Structure and Design

Club practice builds on the development of hockey skills and concepts in a group environment following age appropriate training and USA Hockey’s American Development Model (ADM) principles.

Each Drill/Activity and Practice should include the following:

1. Fun/Engagement

2. High Activity (repetition without repetitiveness) 

3. Game Like (representative of the game/slices of the game)

4. Decision Making/Problem Solving

5. Challenge/Competition

"When learning, context is king - autopilot is the enemy"  

The Coach is the creator of the environment and adjusts by using different constraints ie. size of space, nets, pucks, # of players, or tasks given to the players  to create the movement and skill patterns they want the players to explore. The goal is to create environments that allow players to interact in a more game-like space while still executing skills within that context of the real game.

**CHANGE THE SPACE / # OF PLAYERS / THE TASKS

1. What are we working on? 

2. Create the environment. 

3. Design the task for the players. 

4. Progress and add more tasks and/or change the environment by changing constraints.
   

The 4 Main core skills and examples of different environments 

EXAMPLE of creating the environment and task (s)

What are we working on? 

• Stickhandling with head up

Create the environment. 

• All players are top of the circles down with a puck.

Design the task for the players. 

• Players must stickhandle in area with head up without running into anyone

Progress and add more tasks and/or change the environment.

• players increase and decrease speed

• change directions more on coach que

• players only can use forehands

• players only can use backhands

• players must follow another player without telling them and try and guess who it is 

• players look around to and report back to coach 5 jersey numbers of other players

• etc.etc..etc..

Examples of a PRACTICE STRUCTURE

Guide per # of players per station: *12 skaters per cross ice stations ,*8 skaters per quarter

** number of players per stations can change

ICE SETUP

1. 3 Zones (dzone,nzone,ozone) (8U,10U,12U)

2. 6 Stations (3 zones with each split into 2 stations) (8U,10U)

3. 4 quarter zones (8U,10U,12U,14U,16U)

4. 1 long station, 2 quarters (8U,10U,12U14U,16U)

5. 2 half ice stations (10U,12U,14U,16U)

6. 2 lengthways full ice stations (10U,12U,14U,16U)

7. 1 Full Ice (12U,14U,16U)

60 Minute Practice Example

 Start - free time (5mins)

1. Skating Environments (5-10mins)

2. Puck Control Environments (5-10mins)

3. Passing Environments (5-10mins)

4. Competition Environments (20-40mins)