Why a Hockey Team is Like a Lung
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Before we dig in, sit up straight and pay attention to your breathing. Take one deep breath in, hold at the top, and one deep breath out. Repeat until you’re in sync with your breathing. Now hold onto that feeling.
Watching Hockey
Dan and I both agree that the two best spots to watch a hockey game are (1) on the glass and (2) way up in the nosebleeds.
Up close you get to see the little details and the insane speed at which the game is played.
From high up, you get to see that great teams are like lungs. When in possession, they expand, and otherwise, they contract.
Spread out when attacking
Stretching the defending team is a concept we’ve touched on indirectly in other posts, such as Practice to Game Transfer. In the below video, we are playing a 3v2 down-low game with the theme of always having someone working the dot on the backside to stretch the defense.
As you can see, many in the youth ranks can use work on their offensive spacing, positioning, and timing. Players tend to bunch up and utilize only a small area of the rink.
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Compact when defending
Every team wants to protect the middle as it’s the most dangerous ice. Offense is about (1) Movement and (2) Optionality. When a team with possession has the puck in the middle of the ice, they can move easily in any direction and has maximum options available.
As we can see from Micah McCurdy, the closer a team can get to the low slot, the higher chance a shot has of going in the net.
I don’t know any coaches that don’t talk about protecting the middle of the ice. Every high-level coach starts a defensive presentation with “starting from the middle and working outside.”
Protecting these middle areas, then limiting movement and optionality, is the core defensive principle and something we’ve expanded upon in the past.
Read More: Playing Better Defense On And Off The Puck
Breathing
Getting back to our yoga breathing exercise... A great team is like a lung breathing in and out. Expanding and contracting.
Offense is about expanding
Depth
Width
Defense is about contracting
Protecting dangerous areas
Limiting options and movement
To be the best hockey team/player/coach, it’s imperative that you have healthy lungs.
Further reading
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