Creating Space: Exploiting the Defender's Pivot on The Rush
Reading rush defenders when you don’t have a teammate threatening behind the defense
Scoring off the rush is a concept that virtually every team works at, regardless of level.
We’ve spent time here discussing rush offense in the past, but wanted to address a different concept today: what to do if you don’t have a teammate attacking behind the defense.
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At its core, this is about reading the defender’s feet.
When figuring out when to stop up or cut back, the best time is when the defender pivots from backward to forward.
Pivot Then Stop
Watch this clip featuring William Nylander. Notice his eyes. His head is watching the defender’s hips and the space behind him. There was never a thought of a dump. He’s reading the defender to see if he will continue to drive or stop.
A similar clip shows a puck carrier taking a controlled approach. The attacker isn’t rushing and closing out his own space. Rather, the attacker is simply waiting for the defender to make a decision. Once the pivot occurs, the player stops up to create space. Pay close attention to the route the defender takes when the attacker stops up… lots of space!
Pivot Then Pass
Next, let’s watch a similar situation. Instead of stopping up on the defender’s pivot, the puck carrier waits until the defender commits and pivots (“flips hips”) before making a pass.
The defender is then in a terrible situation where they’re in space that is ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t.’ It’s a pure scramble and panic moment for the defender.
This is such an easy detail that even a terrible adult league team can use it.
Get the defender to commit, then make the play. Let their timing be your space creation. Help dictate their body orientation to your advantage.
Further Reading