Assorted Pointers from Christian April 5

Slides

At Princeton we did use slide packages. A slide package is essentially a set of rules governing a specific defensive set. Those sets could include the following things: crease slide, adjacent slide, second slide from the crease, zone, zone with a double, etc. For example, let’s say our basic defense was called “Panther” and was based on a crease slide. We would ALWAYS slide from the crease unless the crease man was pulled off. In that situation we would call “NEARMAN” in which case we would slide with an adjacent slide until someone was in a position on the crease to get back into “Panther.” A slide package also includes second slides and backup. No defensive package can survive on just one slide – the second slides and backup are in fact more important than the initial slide in many instances. Opposing teams will learn your teams tendencies and will try to exploit your weakness. As you know, as an offensive coach, players will look to where the slide came for the open man. If your package does not clearly delineate with whom the back-up responsibility lies, your team is going to have a tough time and give up a lot of inside shots.

Switching Hands

I have seen a number of younger players who switch hands while they play and I always teach defensemen NOT to switch hands. The only very good defenseman I’ve seen at the highest level who switches hands is Marshall Abrahams – and while he is one of the best, he is also unique. Offensive players are getting faster and quicker and switching hands just takes too long – the danger of getting caught in the middle of a dodge is just too great. Furthermore, defensemen should worry about their footwork and not their sticks. The power and leverage to push a player “out” comes from the legs – not the arms. When defensemen start using their arms as leverage to push an opposing player away from the goal they often get into trouble.

Man Down Rules

Occasionally when teams are running offensive man-up plays they shift their formations to get the defense moving, rotating, sliding and out of whack. When they shift their formations, often times an offensive player will hold the ball and run from one position to another – for example, from X to a wing position, or from a wing position to X or up-top. Defensively, it is important to maintain the consistency of your formation for as long as possible. In these situations that is accomplished by one defensive player “passing off” responsibility of the man carrying the ball to his adjacent defenseman – thus avoiding any rotation. If the defensive player stayed on the ball carrier, the formation would shift and the defense would have react. I hope this clears up any confusion. When “passing the carries” it is essentially that players communicate with each other.