Hockey from the Neck up

By Paul O’Donnell

Attaining the physical skills, as well as gaining a basic understanding of the intricacies of playing the 1 on 1, isn’t like learning a stickhandling move or practicing your backhand shooting skills. In addition to the hand-eye coordination and muscle memory required for your average backhander or stickhandling move, understanding the intricacies of playing the 1 on 1 effectively involves developing the experience and intuition that only comes with hundreds, if not thousands, of 1 on 1 practice and game situations.

As players reach certain ages and attain higher skill levels during their hockey development they will become exposed to more complex hockey systems, tactics and concepts which, as time goes by, they will need to become familiar. Any player who chooses to defend the backside will surely be introduced sooner or later to the full scope of concepts and strategies to contain or defend against a 1 on 1 assault.

Establishing Gap Control

Between the two halves of the neutral zone, from blueline to blueline, there are two important points of reference that every defenseman needs to take note of in order to successfully defend against a 1 on 1 or even-man offensive assault into their own zone.

The first essential part of the ice surface to be aware of is the area just inside the opponent’s blueline. Before the defenseman even begins to move his feet, he should be anticipating the 1 on 1 situation and formulating a successful exit strategy that will allow for enough time to establish a tight enough gap which will match his hockey abilities.  Gap control or gapping is the distance between the puck carrier and the closest defender or teammate at any given time during any hockey game or practice situation.

If the defenseman exits the offensive zone a tenth of a second too early he runs the risk of beginning the battle with a sloppy preliminary gap that allows the attacker more room to maneuver and a better chance of establishing a presence in his offensive zone.  In allowing an extraordinarily wide gap as he begins the slowdown process, the defender may not be able to confront the puckcarrier at a position on the ice of his choosing.  During this scenario the defender is usually forced to surrender the blueline without a fight.

On the other hand, if the defenseman cat naps or misreads the puckcarrier’s speed or ability and incorrectly leaves the zone a fraction of a second too late, the defender may not have the chance to match the stickhandler’s speed or even establish a proper gap before he is overtaken by the opponent who can then turn the corner and pass him by.

Matching Speed

The next part of the 1 on1 process may be the most crucial to the success or failure of any and every individual battle. From the point at which the defenseman starts moving his feet and begins exiting the offensive zone he needs to accomplish two very important goals before the back of his skates touch the redline. He needs to begin generating a significant amount of momentum to match his challenger’s speed and he also must establish an initial gap to work with for the remainder of the battle. If the defender is incapable of accomplishing this, in this particular area, chances of successfully fending off the 1 on 1 onslaught will be greatly reduced.

Where young developing hockey players are concerned, the vast majority have neither the strength nor skill to match speed going backwards with other players of their own age or skill levels who are moving forwards. Instead of cross-unders and C-cutting your way out of the offensive zone to generate the necessary speed – why not just turn and burn!

Turning and burning is the phrase I use when I want my defenseman to generate speed quickly going the other way. This technique is not only simple, it’s also extremely effective in allowing the point man to hang in the zone a little bit longer, as well as, giving the defenseman the ability to establish a much tighter gap control.

When it’s time for the defenseman to back out of the offensive zone, just turn and take 3 to 4 quick hard strides, with the defensive player’s head on a swivel, looking back to face his attacker until he can establish a significant enough momentum to resume his backward skating posture.

By the time the defenseman has reached the red line, if he has accomplished the previous task effectively, both skaters should be completely inside the opponent’s side of the neutral zone. The distance between the two combatants will depend on the speed and skill, as well as, each player’s knowledge and understanding of the 1 on 1 process. While an initial gap can be as wide as the total distance between the redline and the blueline, the average distance is usually 1 to 2 stick lengths between the offense and defense players’ stick blades.

In this area, the defenseman should be quickly sizing up his opponent’s physical skills, speed, direction and possible passing options. He also needs to begin establishing an inside presence on his opponent, placing himself in-between the puck and his own goaltender.

Narrowing the gap prior to contact

As soon as the player defending the backside crosses the redline, he needs to begin slowing his speed down, gradually narrowing the space between him and his attacker until the point of contact. If the defender has equal momentum, a tight gap and the inside position on his attacker, this speed reduction should be almost imperceptible to the stickhandler as they both approach the blueline.

As the defenseman prepares for the inevitable confrontation, he needs to be acutely aware of his situation prior to contact. In addition to the puckhandler’s available passing options, the defender also needs to be aware of the offensive player’s body language, as well as which way the stickhandler shoots.

As the offensive player begins his attack run the defender must ask himself, what is the attacker’s body language saying? Is the opposition attacking straight at the defender or does he appear to be angling to the inside or outside slightly? Is he approaching at maximum speed or beginning to glide toward the defenseman for a deking move?

All of these factors become extremely important when it’s time for each individual defenseman to sum up the situation and plan his defense.  How each individual player accomplishes this task effectively will depend on his physical ability and ice awareness; but most importantly how much 1 on 1 practice and game experience he has accumulated up to that point in her career.

Another important factor for the defenseman to pay close attention to, while the puckhandler’s attempting to break into their zone, is which way the opposition player shoots, right or left handed. Inexperienced defenseman tend to take little notice of which side their opposing stickhandler shoots as the gap narrows ever closer towards his blue line;  but shooting-side is actually one of the most important factors that every defender must closely monitor.

A strong side attacker understands that his entry point into the offensive zone is limited because of the way he shoots. A right-handed stickhandler, for instance, attacking along the right side of the ice, will usually not attempt to move in-between two defensemen, while he also places himself on his backhand.  A player in this situation would much rather take what the defense gives him as he approaches the blueline while continuing to inch his way towards the middle.  By forcing the defensemen into the middle to cover him he’s also creating some wiggle room to the outside of the ice surface, towards the boards. This usually allows the attacker the space to alter his course towards the boards, which will be a much easier entry point into the offensive zone than attempting to enter the shark’s mouth up the middle.

On the other hand, some players prefer to attack the opposite side of the offensive blueline; that is, opposite from the way they normally shoot. These types of attacks, quite often, create a greater threat to the defensive stand than normal offensive attacks. Crafty attackers attempting these types of entries will usually angle their attack a lot closer to the boards than a defenseman would normally expect; but in actuality, they are just setting the defenseman up for a sharp lateral move towards the middle of the ice surface as soon as they gain entry across the blueline.

This type of attack can create a great amount of confusion and havoc between two defensemen as each one tries to decide who’s going to pick up this dangerous intruder who is stickhandling on their strong side, ever deeper into the zone.

Conclusion

As any player who has dedicated his hockey career to defending the backside can attest, the physical abilities and knowledge needed to gain even a minimal amount of proficiency while playing the 1 on 1 is a constant work in progress. This is true because while, at first glance, the fundamentals of effectively playing the 1 on 1 appear to be fairly basic and constant, the speed and intricacies of playing a 1 on 1 consistently evolves as the play itself proceeds.

For any young defenseman who is striving to gain 1 on 1 understanding and proficiency, it’s essential for that player to receive as much knowledgeable instruction from coaches who understand the nuances of this crucial aspect of defense. These educators should also appreciate the importance of establishing a solid 1-on-1 foundation to build upon through constant repetition. To accomplish this task effectively coaches must be willing to dedicate a certain amount of time during almost every practice to allow the developing player the chance to hone his or her one-on-one abilities by trial and error.

I look forward to your comments, good, bad or ugly at: paul@neckuphockey.com

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