checking?????

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funmom
Posts: 41
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:17 am

checking?????

Post by funmom »

What do you do with peewee skaters that are scared to check or take a check? About 80% of our players on our team don't go after the puck if they see another player coming towards them because they are afraid of getting hit!
observer
Posts: 2225
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:45 pm

Post by observer »

Make sure they all go out for football next year. Linebackers, linemen and fullbacks know how to check. Make sure your kids are working on proper technique in practice as that can start to give some more confidence than they have now.

Not a good omen for your group of kids as they rarely change. Usually there's only a few per team, instead of 80%, and they get left behind.

I think that's a good argument for checking at Squirts. The size difference isn't as much of a factor at Squirts and they learn before some of them grow a lot bigger than some of the others. At PeeWee some of have grown and some of the smaller players are scared from the start. First year is tough because in some games some younger teams will get pounded. First year bantam is tough for a lot of kids for the same reason. The bigger kids will push them aside like nothing.

You'll see something else funny. The kids love to pound their own team mates at practice and then you wonder where they go in games against stronger competition.

Careful though as the very top teams do less checking than some of the weaker ones. Some barely hit. It's about moving the puck and maintaining possession for those teams and if you try and check them you'll either end up left behind the play when you miss, diced or shorthanded because it's way easier to try and hit (usually hook, trip, slash, stop moving the feet) a superior opponent than chase him. That chasing is hard work. Lazy players would rather try and hit than chase.
funmom
Posts: 41
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:17 am

Post by funmom »

yes I agree , I remember when my son played in a summer tournament and our coach didn't know there was going to be checking and didn't work on it with the boys. We ended up having a great touurnament because some of the other teams were concentrating more on checking everybody then controling the puck. But we have the issue of kids just letting the other teams get the puck because we don't want to touch the puck and get hit.
observer
Posts: 2225
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:45 pm

Post by observer »

funmom, the players you speak of are done. It's unlikely they'll ever be on another A team. Some get their confidence back in high school, when they grow, but it's rare.
hiptzech
Posts: 201
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:46 am

Post by hiptzech »

observer wrote:funmom, the players you speak of are done. It's unlikely they'll ever be on another A team. Some get their confidence back in high school, when they grow, but it's rare.
Wise beyond your years...Solid information....
defense
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Location: right here

Re: checking?????

Post by defense »

funmom wrote:What do you do with peewee skaters that are scared to check or take a check? About 80% of our players on our team don't go after the puck if they see another player coming towards them because they are afraid of getting hit!
How to fix this: Hitting drills.
Some of the drills I will explain are not politcally correct, some are, all are great to toughen a team up.
Cones on near blue line, center line, far blue line, 5 feet from boards. One player between each cone and boards. Every player on team starting at goal line has to get through all 3 players. Players on blue line and center line rotate. This just plain toughens them up....I whent through it and it works.
Puck on faceoff dot. One player without stick gets to defend puck against player with stick. You can even do it in a zone and have a goalie guarding the net so the defender has to stop the offender from scoring. A great drill to learn to use your body to protect the puck. Think body position etc...
The old bull ring: whole team stands around a circle and one player in middle has to get out. All toughness, maybe not PK, but they do it in football.
All along of course, the players must be taught the proper way to check and be checked, there are many, many drills to teach proper technique, all of which can be fun.
Run a scrimmage where in order to get the puck, the players must hit the puck carrier off the puck.

About the best motivational tactic would simply be to explain to the players that the other team who is faster and more proficient at passing can be equalized by a more physical game plan.
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