Side by Side Checking

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Drill Setup:

  • Players should partner with someone of their size.
  • Players will stand still next to each other. Focusing on good mechanics, 1 of the players or a coach counts to 3.
  • On the count of 3, the two players hit each other. Players continue to repeat this until coach stops them or tells them to switch sides.
  • This drill is meant to be slow and controlled way to allow the players to feel out the skill of checking.

Drill Purpose:

  • One, allow players the chance to feel out the skill of checking. Continue to build confidence and get over any nervousness/fear of how it will feel.
  • Two, give players a controlled way to focus on some of the basic mechanics of checking. Start with good base of support (feet just wider then shoulder width), good low posture, load the opposite leg (leg opposite from where the player they are checking is), use good weight shift to create power to hit (start low, finish low- mirror image), lead with your shoulder & follow through with hip, keep head & chest up, hit with the side of the shoulder (not the front or back of shoulder).
  • With this drill there are a lot of little details you can dive into allow players a chance to work through and feel them out. I tend to take my tim ewith this drill and perform the drill until I think all the players look comfortable checking.

Variations:

  • Suggestion is to start this drill without a stick. By starting the drill without using sticks you are forcing the players to be balanced over their skates and not able to us their stick for balance. Good way for players to star t to figure out that balance.
  • Once proficiency is shown you can give the players their sticks back and/or even have the players both have a puck on their stick. What you will usually see is, when the players start using their sticks they will go back to bad habits of leaning on their stick or being bent forward and not keeping head/chestup as they should.
  • Once players are proficient with having a stick can perform the same drill with each player having a puck. This starts to introduce the skill of hitting and controlling the puck at the same time. Suggestion is 3 - 5 minutes no stick, 3 - 5 minutes with a stick, 3 - 5 minutes with stick and puck.

Common Mistakes:

  1. Many players are unable to perform proper weight shifts or don't have the leg strength for to weight shift, so they tend to lean on their pants with their elbows. For this one I que these players to not lean on their pants. These players could use more leg strength, balance drills and practice at weight shifting in general.
  2. Players that are bent too much at the waste will start in good position and then when they go to hit will"break" at the waste putting themselves off balance and in vulnerable position (head in front). For this I will put my hand on these players chest and tell them to not push into my hand. I will have them do the drill a few times with my hand on their chest and then que them to imagine my hand is their and do reps with out my on their chest.
  3. Players will drop their shoulder or lead with their head. This mistake leads to these players getting hit in the head. These players need to be queued to lead with their shoulder. If proper form player shouldn't be hit in he head. The head stays protected between their shoulders.
  4. Getting hit on or using the front or back of the shoulder to hit. This mistake is easy to pick out because if a player gets hit on or hits with the back of the shoulder they tend to get pushed forward by their opponent. Vice Versa of the player rotates and hits with the front side of their shoulder they tend to get pushed or fall backwards. Correct the player to hit with the side/shoulder cap as this is the strongest part.
  5. Hitting softly. I usually let the players who are hitting softly do so for a little bit to feel out the skills. Once I think they are looking more comfortable I now que them to hit as hard as they can. Practice creating power and build confidence that they will be use with checking. Being this drill is done standing still side by side, players are not able to create a lot of force so this is a good time to do that. Players who are hitting softly are usually the ones who are nervous or fear about checking. These players have to understand that not using their full strength force will get them injured more so then putting their whole body/strength into it.

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