Loose Ball Drill #7A: Defensive Zone Loose Ball (Long Pass)
INTERMEDIATE
- Begin with 2 or 4 lines of players on their proper floor side, each 5 metres back from the restraining lines, against the boards (or on the bench where applicable) and facing the neutral zone.
- The coach designates which line (or lines) are "passers" and which line (or lines) are "receivers," prior to starting the drill.
- Variation #1 (10 min): "2 Lines." Drill reps always start with two players in diagonally opposite lines making eye contact (so they leave relatively at the same time), with the passer eventually throwing a long pass to the receiver. Beginners start with the ball in their stick (Variation #1A). For intermediate and advanced players, the drill starts with a loose ball being rolled into the defensive zone by a coach or the second player in line (Variation #1B). The first player in line pursues the ball, corralling it on-the-run and passing it up-floor to the receiver who is running toward the net on a breakaway.
- Overhand passing is the most accurate and should be promoted when players are uncontested in games. Players on the breakaway should stay in the outside lane as much as possible, making a banana curl towards the net after receiving the pass.
- In this drill variation both goalies start in the same end. Coaches change the direction of the drill halfway through, with the passers becoming the receivers and vice-versa (goalies switch ends). Players exiting the drill should get back into the same line they started in, being sure to stay out of the way of the next players in line.
- Variation #2 (10 min): "4 Lines." Same as the variation above except 4 lines are participating at the same time, with goalies in both ends, and players running mirror opposite patterns in order that they don't run into each other at centre-floor.
- Variation #3 (10 min): "Lob-Bounce Pass." Intermediate players can mix in lob passes and later bounces passes, while advanced players can attempt lob-bounce passes, side-arm and other release points.
Variation #4 (10 min): "Defender Window Washing." Same as the variations above except a player is "window washing" the passer. Players step into the drill as the passer and then switch to defense after making their pass.
- Variation #5 (10 min): "Fake Series." Coaches also have the option to tell a few players in line to throw a specific fake series, mixing it up with different styles of shots also being commanded (unbeknownst to the goalies).
- Variation #6 (10 min): "Wrong Floor Side." Same as the above variations except players start on their wrong floor sides, with offensive players drifting to get a better angle after catching the pass.
- Variation #7 (10 min): "No Drops/No Misses Game." For every ball that is dropped and/or misses the net during the drill players will have to sprint from one side-board (or end-board) to the other. For every goal that is scored, one sprint is removed from the total, with goalies having to run if the players keep their sprint total at or below zero.

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