Video Blog 10 - Defensive Positioning

Summary

In Playmakers video blog 10, BelfryHockey explores defensive positioning, offering vital techniques for defensemen to take control of their space. The discussion breaks down key concepts like defensive leading and side positioning, reinforcing the idea of always staying between the puck and the net to prevent offensive plays. Aligning with coaching philosophies is also emphasized to enhance team defense.

Highlights

• Defensive leading is about controlling space and guiding the opponent. 🌌
• Always stay between the puck and the net for solid defensive positioning. 🚫
• Use your stick and body to influence the opponent's direction. 🏒
• Understand and align with your coach's defensive philosophy. 📋
• Leading opponents to their backhand reduces their play options. 🔄

Key Takeaways

• Defensive side positioning is crucial for maintaining control and preventing scoring opportunities. 🏒
• Leading the opponent in a direction limits their options and strengthens defense. ➡️
• Aligning with the coach’s defensive strategy is essential for team success. 👥
• Pushing opponents to their backhand can create challenging situations for the offensive play. 🤚

Overview

In the latest episode of Playmakers, BelfryHockey delves into the intricate art of defensive positioning for hockey players. Defensive leading, a subset of risk management, is dissected to help players gain better control of the game. The focus is on how defensemen can own their space and make strategic moves to maintain advantageous positions on the ice.

The episode goes into detail about defensive side positioning, emphasizing the importance of always being between the puck and the net. BelfryHockey explains the nuances of positioning your body and stick to guide opponents like Brett away from favorable angles, thus tightening the defensive play. These techniques are crucial for preventing offensive players from opening up opportunities that lead to scoring chances.

Belfry also touches on how crucial it is to align with your coach’s defensive strategies. Depending on the coach's philosophy, the tactics can vary significantly, whether it’s pushing players to the boards or into smaller areas of ice. A dialogue with your coach can ensure you're implementing strategies effectively, such as maneuvering your opponent to their backhand for limited options.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Defensive Leading Concept The chapter serves as an introduction to the concept of defensive leading in the context of sports, specifically for playmakers. It discusses how defensive side positioning and defensive leading are connected to risk management strategies. The content aims to simplify the broader topic of risk management by focusing on specific aspects, allowing for a clearer understanding. The goal is to provide insight into the skills that distinguish effective defensive plays.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Defensive Side Positioning The chapter titled 'Defensive Side Positioning' focuses on the strategic use of space by defensemen in hockey. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining control over the space by being proactive rather than reactive to the forwards. The key takeaway is the crucial need for a defenseman to always position themselves between the puck and the net. This positioning strategy aims to prevent situations where the defense is beaten, especially in scenarios where the offense might create two-on-one opportunities. The chapter suggests a more conservative approach in one's own zone rather than aggressively chasing plays, underscoring the value of remaining strategically positioned to better defend against offensive plays.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Leading and Space Control In the chapter titled 'Leading and Space Control,' the key concept discussed is defensive leading. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not only maintaining a defensive side positioning but also taking away space from the opponent. The idea is to guide the opponent, in this case, Brett, to move in a specific direction by positioning oneself strategically. The aim is to limit the opponent's options and control the space effectively in a defensive situation.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Position and Body Control The chapter discusses techniques for maintaining position and body control during physical activities. It emphasizes the importance of reacting and adapting to the movements of others, highlighted by an example involving a person named Bret who must respond to shifts in 'ice' positioning. The narrator explains how to maintain shoulder-to-shoulder alignment with Bret as he moves, ensuring effective control.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Managing Puck and Passing Options In this chapter, the focus is on managing puck possession and strategic passing in hockey. Key points involve maintaining shoulder alignment and controlling the stick to prevent opponents from exploiting weak defensive points. Emphasis is placed on the balance required to stay on the defensive side, while also guiding the opponent effectively. The chapter underlines the importance of practice and timing to master these skills, and suggests that with a clear understanding of the concepts, execution becomes easier.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Strategy of Ice Control The chapter "Strategy of Ice Control" focuses on defensive positioning and tactics in ice hockey. It explains the approach a defender should take when an opponent, like Brett, has control of the puck. The initial move for the defender is to position themselves strategically to 'stick the puck' and discourage the opponent from executing their play. Once the defender has established their position on the defensive side, the goal is to guide the opponent towards the boards, effectively limiting their passing options. This involves close 'stick to stick' play and maneuvering to prevent any passes towards the center of the ice, thereby encouraging the opponent to retreat or make a less advantageous play.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Coaching Philosophy and Defensive Zone Coverage The chapter discusses defensive zone coverage and coaching philosophy in ice hockey. The focus is on controlling the ice by positioning oneself strategically. By taking away certain areas of the ice, a player can influence the movement and decisions of the opposing team. The concept revolves around guiding the opponent into desired areas of play by purposefully relinquishing some space and then reclaiming it to dictate the flow of the game.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Forcing the Attacker's Backhand The chapter 'Forcing the Attacker's Backhand' discusses strategies in defensive ice hockey positioning. It highlights the tactic of using a player's stick to limit the attacker's options and manipulate their path. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of aligning with the coach's defensive zone philosophy, which may involve steering the play towards the Blue Line or other defensive strategies based on the coach's preferences.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Conclusion and Importance of Clarifying Strategy In this chapter, the focus is on understanding and clarifying the strategy within a hockey game. The text emphasizes the importance of comprehension between players and the coach's instructions. If a coach lacks a clear philosophy, it suggests players should adapt by forcing the opponent to weaker positions to limit their options. The example provided involves positioning against a left-handed shot on his off wing.

Video Blog 10 - Defensive Positioning Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Pro Playmakers these are the skills that separate welcome to Playmakers video blog number 10 this is defensive side positioning and defensive leading which is a little bit of a step from uh what we talked about last week on risk management for defenseman so this is a little bit more of a of a smaller piece of the risk management which is quite a large topic so I want to break it down into some pieces here to make it a little more clear so the first topic we're talk about is defensive leading
• 00:30 - 01:00 which is uh your use of space as a defenseman how you can take control of the space instead of being reactive to the forward defensive side positioning is really the most important thing here what we want to do is make sure you're between the puck and the net all the time never want to get caught where you get beat off the wall because it just opens up two on-one opportunities for the offense it's always better to be a little bit more conservative in your own Zone then rush around looking for
• 01:00 - 01:30 contacts and getting beat off the wall where now you're lose that defensive side positioning the next concept that we want to talk about is leading defensive leading leading means I got def side positioning here on Brett but that's not enough because right now Brett has two options he could go this way or he can go that way but I haven't taken any space away what's important is I want to Le and encourage Brett to go one way or the other so I might position
• 01:30 - 02:00 my stick of my body this way which would then encourage Bret by giving him the ice this way so I'm taking this ice away Brett's job is to re react where the ice is so he Lees if there's no ice this way so he moves that way now my job is now to make sure that I still have my body shoulder to shoulder on him so when he's facing this way with the PLT I have
• 02:00 - 02:30 to make sure my shoulder square and my stick is here because if I'm back here he can cut into this space this is not a strong space for me so the balance that you have to challenge yourself with is whether or not you can stay on the defensive side number one but also be able to lead bread in the direction you want him to go without giving an angle to go to the net very difficult requires a lot of practice and timing but if you understand the concept and make it a lot EAS
• 02:30 - 03:00 let's say Brett has the puck br's got the Pu my first move here now I'm going to move here stick the puck and discourage the play you have to be able to make the play that way once I've established defensive side positioning I have I'm leaving him now with my sneak and encouraging him I'm to go off the boards I now have to take away any passing options so he may have towards the middle of the ice that's where I go stick to stick to stick and try to encourage Bret then to go back into a
• 03:00 - 03:30 smaller amount of ice so basically what I've done is I tell him by positioning myself here I'm saying there's the ice for you you can go in that ice I'm encouraging him to go in that ice from taking this ice away and as he moves into that ice I take that ice away to encourage him to go back once he goes back by play that's leading you purposely take away one part of the ice to to force him into an area which he
• 03:30 - 04:00 thinks is a bigger area of ice and then you take that away using your stick at all of his options the other factor that I haven't talked about regarding defensive side positioning and the idea of leading the attacker into an area where you want him to go is your coach's philosophy on defensive Zone coverage a lot of coaches want the defenseman to push the play up the wall towards the Blue Line other coaches may like to have depending on
• 04:00 - 04:30 their system to push the play all way down into the small ice below the goal line does you have to read and be able to truly understand what your coach wants to really understand where you're going now if your coach does not have a clear philosophy as to where it is that he want you to go then your best move is to try to force the attacker to his back hand it really limits his his options and his sight so in this case Brett's a left hand shot on his off wing which is
• 04:30 - 05:00 very dangerous when I lead him this way because now his stick is in the middle of the ice that's an easy a difficult play for me and an easier play for him because his shoulders are square and it gives him an opportunity to see the whole ice however if I lead him this way and I Mo first down to his back hand and when he goes to his back hand is pight Vision his Sidelines are different it's a lot shorter and it's on his back hand
• 05:00 - 05:30 forces him to make a lot tougher play so that's really important that if you get an opportunity to push someone to their backand it's a good idea to do that but again you got to make sure that you're in line with your coach's philosophy and defensive Zone coverage if it's not clear it may be a good question for you to ask your coach to be a good participant in terms of deep s coverage and your and and getting him to identify his his philosophy so that you can be a top performer in your own Zone