Kindergarten focused on how to hold the hockey stick, as many of them had never done that before. With the blade pointing towards the sky the students shook hands with the middle of the stick using the hand they write with. They then took the other hand and shook hands with the handle/grip at the end of the stick. To check - they extended their thumbs down the shaft. If they both pointed towards the blade they had done it correctly. If the thumbs pointed towards the grip they had done it incorrectly. The most common error was the grip hand being turned around. This created a "sweeping" position and the students were jokingly told that (since Halloween just passed) they might turn into a witch instead of hockey player if they don't switch their hands around. They then worked on tapping the puck back and forth in personal space without moving using the forehand and backhand. They finished with working on moving in open space keeping while keeping the puck close while moving through their classmates.
First graders reviewed how to hold the stick, dribbling with the puck in personal space and open space. They also practiced moving the puck in open space by dragging it/pushing it. The key here is that the puck never loses contact from the blade. This is best accomplished if hands are pushed slightly forward angling the blade forward slightly trapping the puck. This technique is great for when there are no opponents in front of you and you want o move quickly.
Second graders reviewed all of the above skills and were introduced to wrist passes into open space. The wrist pass was broken down into three keys parts: 1. Puck on the back foot 2. Blade in contact with the puck 3. Stick only moves forward (PUSH!).
Since there is no backswing, having the puck on the back foot enables the passer to generate and control power. If the blade is not in contact with the puck students will naturally want to swing at it, so having them focus on starting here helps them resist this urge -sometimes. Lastly, the stick should never lose contact with the puck until it is gliding away. This can only be accomplished by pushing the puck. I often go behind students who pull their stick away to strike it and place my blade directly behind theirs. they then have no choice, but to push forward. After a few of these, they usually get the feel and can then do it on their own. It is awkward for most at first.
Third graders reviewed all of the above and began using wrist passes to aim at a target. Making sure that the lead foot was pointing towards the target as well as the followthrough of the blade were key to this progression of the skill. They also worked on passing to partners. Adding trapping was important to this step and students were asked to focus on giving with the puck. Absorbing it as if the blade were a sponge.
The fourth graders adding passing while moving and receiving while moving. The key here was to lead your partner so they didn't have to slow down or stop to control the puck. It also combined dribbling with receiving and passing.
