Hockey Must Be Played From The "ICE UP"

The Following Fundamental Hockey Playing Tenet Is Not Optional ... Hockey Must Be Played From The "ICE UP"


By Paul Lubanski


Playing from the "ice up" is an extremely crucial (yet very fundamental in nature) concept that ALL coaches and players--especially so at the youngest of ages--must understand and employ.

So what is it, exactly? And why is the tenet so important?

Quite simply, playing from the "ice up" refers to maintaining a well balanced, low center of gravity at ALL times on the ice. Additionally, it suggests that your stick is on or very near the surface and again, without exception, your grip on the stick is firm but comfortable.

By the way, these rules are universal in nature, in other words, they apply REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOUR TEAM IS IN POSSESSION OF THE PUCK OR THE REVERSE EXISTS. OR, QUITE POSSIBLY, A LOOSE PUCK SITUATION IS OCCURRING.

Just think about it for a moment, who may be the best player on your current team at coming up with loose pucks and/or consistently winning the board battles that take place all around the surface?

And furthermore--why?


My guess is that it is not always the most imposing player in terms of size and reach.

It is probably the player that is riding low to the surface (again: from the "ice up") due to the fact that he or she has employed a strategically-placed wide foot base. And again--their respective hands are the proper distance apart and the stick IS ON THE SURFACE.

When truly analyzing the playing from the "ice up" rule, you will likely conclude that is is most crucial to implement from a defensive perspective. This is especially so for young defenseman that may be significantly taller than the average forwards that do battle with on a regular game-by-game basis. He/she MUST be taught to get down quite low to be able to compete for the biscuit (and defend one-on-one's out of the corners) with the shorter-in stature and often-times more elusive opponent.

Why?

Because the shorter player can typically see and feel the puck a bit more naturally due to their closer proximity to the ice. And once again--that more diminutive player often has much quicker feet as well.

Hence, the player larger and taller must get what I refer to as "down and dirty" with the opposing player in order to match his/her leverage (LEG STRENGTH) capabilities. In other words, they must be making a conscious and consistent effort to maintain that low and well-balanced center of gravity.

COACHES, this concept must be taught and reinforced on a daily basis.

You have most likely also heard that top-flight players are described in one sense as "being strong on the puck." Or that they play "much bigger" than their size dictates.

And that these players win the majority of the "little battles" that they become involved in, and again, they are usually not the tallest and heaviest players on the ice. They are the players that have both internalized and execute the fundamentals of playing from the "ice up."

So coaches, how about making a commitment to going out and formulating a team replete with players that compete from the "ice up?"

I absolutely assure you that of you do so, the benefits will be two-fold.

One, your team will begin to make a move upward in the standings and two, you will sleep better knowing that you are teaching your youngsters the correct way to way to approach the game which in turn--will  prepare them more expeditiously for the next level and beyond.

Best of luck.




BONUS TIPS


Teaching young players to embrace the playing from the "ice up" mantra will also aid your centers in winning more face-offs and additionally, consistently competing low-to-the-surface will enable our team to potentially score more loose-puck and rebound G-O-A-L-S!






You should follow CAYH Blog on twitter here.