Defense Drill #10: Turn & Clamp Drill (“Head On A Swivel”)
INTERMEDIATE
- Demo (1 min): Turn & Clamp – "Head On A Swivel"
- Begin with offensive players on one side of the floor, at the crease and shooter (or mid-boards) positions, with a single defender stationed in proper defensive positioning (hips to the boards) defending only one line (switching which line is being defended after every player has played defense a few times).
- The drill starts with the first player in the defended offensive line “engaging” their check, then popping out and creating separation as they move back towards the boards, getting open for a pass.
- The undefended offensive player then passes the ball to their teammate, who now “re-engages” their check, while protecting the ball.
- The undefended player who originally passed the ball then does a “V-cut” to the middle, setting either a “down-pick” (Variation #1 – 7 min) or an “up-pick” (Variation #2 – 7 min) on the defender, depending on which line is being defended.
The defender should “turn and clamp,” “getting a piece” of the picker (with two hands on their stick) and running “hip-to-hip” with them as they “roll” to the net. The offensive player with the ball then comes around the pick (looking like they want to shoot) and attempts to force a pass into the roller (Variation A) who tries to catch it and finish in tight. Another option is for a coach to be waiting and playing dummy defense (so players get a feel for the "switch" that generally happens in this scenario), lightly contesting the pass into the roller (Variation B).
The next time through the drill, the picker becomes the defender, the defender joins the offensive line they just defended, and the offensive player who just passed the ball to the roller now joins the uncovered offensive line (with balls).
The purpose of the drill is for learning to anticipate and react to picks.

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