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By John Hamre, Assistant Coach U.S. National Team Development Program
Illustrations by Mike Curti |
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| There's nothing like a great pass to get an offense clicking. A crisp outlet pass from a defenseman can really get a breakout moving in the
right direction. Likewise, an accurate centering pass to a forward in the high slot often leads to a great scoring chance. As you progress up
the hockey ladder, you find that passing becomes even more important. Tape-to-tape passes become more important as the pace of the
game picks up. Mastering a few fundamentals of giving and receiving a pass will have you well on your way to playing a better brand of
hockey.
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Giving a Pass |
- Keep your head up with your eyes focused on the target.
- Keep your top hand away from your body/hip.
- Your bottom hand "sweeps" the ice. Do not slap at
the puck.
- Your top hand can pull; that creates "Push/Pull" effect
in the hands/arms.
- Transfer your weight from your back foot to front foot.
- Pass the puck from the middle or heel of the blade Ñ the
player and the stick blade are stronger Ñ the passes are
flat, crisp, and the puck can be spun flat from heel to toe.
- When stickhandling, passing, receiving or shooting, this
freedom of the hands away from the body allows for
better control of the puck and execution of the play.
- Your accuracy is controlled on the followthrough.
As you roll your wrists point the
blade of your stick toward the target.
(The same principles apply to backhand passes.)
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Receiving A Pass |
- Cupping the puck as it's caught Ñ the blade of the stick will
"cup the puck" if the top hand is off the hip.
(If the top hand is on the hip, a "ski jump" effect is created for
the puck by the stick blade, and the puck will jump over the
blade.)
- Emphasize the idea of catching the puck like a baseball catcher
snagging a 100-mph fastball. The catcher receives the baseball
in his hands, not backing up into the umpire. Likewise, we need
to develop this receiving skill in the hands and arms of a
hockey player, so a hard pass is received/cupped and sticks to
a player's blade.
- If you hold your stick too tight, you won't be able to control
the pass.
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Off-Ice Drills |
- Passing 2-inch diameter steel balls (oversized bearings). They are great because they slide
fast and are overweight relative to a puck. This trains the strength on the stick, passing and
receiving skills. (Then box step, passing 2-3-4 players, etc.)
- Use lacrosse sticks and a ball as a cross-training sport. Excellent hand/eye coordination
required, use of "push/pull" skills.
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On-Ice Drills |
- Use weighted pucks in passing drills forehand, backhand, spins, etc.
- Same drills using regular pucks or golf balls for passing.'
- Line two groups of players up at opposite face-off dots. On the whistle, the first
player passes the puck across the ice to the first player on the opposite dot. He then
fires a pass back across to the second player in line. After each player makes the
pass, he sprints across and takes his place in the back of the line.
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