Players,
This one is for you.
Bring self-awareness to your game. The best in the world are actively engaged in their own game.
They study their game, they study other players that have great success, they try and implement new ideas to have more success around the rink.
Don’t wait for a video coach to bring things to your attention. Proactively look for things to bring to your coach’s attention. Work to problem-solve together.
How to doctor your game:
Ask questions to find the pain points.
Diagnose the problem by looking at the evidence.
Treat the issues with intervention.
Follow up in a few weeks to see if the intervention is working.
Track your own touches
Chart where you are first touching the puck. Bring awareness to the spots on the ice that you are getting the puck.
Identify where you are getting it the most.
How you are getting the puck (off the passes from your teammates, creating your own turnovers, etc)
Track your puck touch success
After you bring awareness to where you are getting the puck. Begin to track your success rates.
If you get a puck outside the dots:
Can you get the puck inside the dots yourself?
Can you get the puck inside to a teammate by passing?
Do you immediately turn the puck over?
Do you create full possession, a 50/50 race, or 0% possession by punting, chipping, or dumping?
If you aren’t getting a lot of touches off the pass:
Examples of subjective success:
Not immediately turning the puck over when you get it
Improving the conditions of the puck
Taking a puck outside the dots and moving it inside by skating or passing
Generating a shot assist
Zone exit passes
Zone entry passes
One big question to ask:
I’m getting a lot of puck touches here and not having success, why?
The more you can ask of yourself, the better you will develop as a player. Hockey IQ is not set in stone, it is a skill just like shooting a puck.
It can improve when you ask the right questions and do the right work.
Try asking yourself these questions the next time you watch your shifts.