Hockey Drills and Practice Make Perfect

While we often focus on the in-game performance of young hockey players, perhaps a premium should be placed instead on the hockey skills and drills implemented in practice. Games are essentially opportunities for players to showcase the skills that they have developed, but aren't necessarily great for developing these skills. In practice, however, the game can be broken down entity by entity, enabling players to pinpoint specific weaknesses and further develop them.So, what should coaches focus on in practice? Well, it all depends on the players on the team and the team as a whole. If the team consists mostly of players that are a little more advanced, then perhaps the coach will focus on advanced points, such as systematic play or special teams (power play/penalty kill). But, if the team is younger, or consists mainly of beginners, the coach might tend to do drills that focus on developing fundamental skills, or individual skills, rather than team skills. It would be useless to try to teach kids who just stepped on the ice about systems and special teams, just as it would be tactless to go over the correct form of a wrist shot with a professional team. The coach has to have a feel for his team and the level at which they play in order to induce the right kind of progress in practice.Scrimmaging in practice just isn't as beneficial as it might seem. Yeah, you're simulating a game, but then again, a game doesn't necessarily help players as much as you might think. Not that games are useless (they do help with confidence, among other things), but they just aren't practice. Whether you're a coach, player, parent, or fan, it's important to understand that practice will help to hone hockey skills like a game simply cannot. Hockey drills can be designed to pinpoint weaknesses, both individual and team, where games (in most cases) just expose these weaknesses. Practice makes perfect, not playing.