Skill vs. drill

Last Updated on Thursday, 07 July 2016 15:27

 

By Andy Ness
 

Skill development is a phrase that is thrown out quite a bit, especially in the summer. What is skill development? How and what skills can all skaters improve on? The first thing people have to understand is the difference between a drill and a skill. The skill is a specific part of a player’s game that can be worked on. A crossover is a skill. Walking the blue line is a skill. Pulling the puck of the wall is a skill.

 

You can break down a skill as much as you would like. For example, a stride is a skill that can definitely be improved upon. But how far can we break it down? We can break it down into the load phase, the extension and the return. We can get as detailed as we would like, depending on the skater’s age and ability. The drill is what we design to help practice and improve the specific skill.  

 

I always say don’t lose the skill in the drill. Sometimes coaches worry so much about the actual function and pattern of the drill itself, the execution of the skill gets lost. Consider a simple turning drill for younger skaters. We are so concerned about the actual pattern of the drill itself, we can lose track of the fact the kids may be actually butchering the power turn form. So in actuality, the skill itself is not getting better, we are just repeating the same poor habits over and over. The main idea is to improve the nuts and bolts of the technique of the skill.

 

Years ago when I started working with pros, I had a good practice plan with really good drills prepared. After the practice, I had talked with one of the players who had set up the sessions and he explained to me that more “drills” is not what the guys want. They would like explanation and the actual fundamentals of the skills broken down within the practice.

 

When you look at the guys that have played in the NHL for 10-plus years, can you imagine how many 1-on-1 drills they have done? Or 2-on-0’s?  Or the best one, 3-man weaves. Guys have done these “drills” literally thousands of times. It’s the “same old, same old.” Guys want more. They want to learn. They want new and different drills that actually help improve individual skills.

 

This gets skaters engaged and makes the practice session more valuable. It is just a matter of intense preparation and planning. There is so much information out there, it’s really a matter of understanding what skills to teach, and how to implement them into a productive practice plan.  

 

This is one area why all the pro players that we have like to work in small groups. The hour session is like gold. Every minute has to be used productively and with a purpose. Guys at this level don’t want to waste their time. They want to get moving. They want to do skills that they feel will help improve their game. They don’t want to stand in a line with 30 other guys. This is where the improvement happens. Guys will actually get the quality repetition that they desire.  

 

Hopefully that helps makes sense of what skill development actually is. It’s not that actual “hockey drills” aren’t important. Rather, there is much more that we can do to help our skaters. I like to sit and watch a game and try to write down drills while watching live action. Trying to be creative is the key. Coming up with your own drills steams creativity and will help keep skaters engaged and challenged.