Hockey Session (Under 16s): Elimination

V-Drag + Lift

The V-Drag is a very common skill in hockey and it is a high, wide drag left to entice the defender, then it is a sharp pull back to the right, then forwards on a right diagonal line to exit and beat the defender. 

This skill can be completed off the left foot or the right foot and it is important for deceiving the defender and enticing the tackle and foul from diving in. 

An upgrade to this skill is to include a little lift on exit.

This lift comes when the ball has been pulled back towards the right and as it is reaching the point, before the second forward carry. This means you get the stick low, to get it under the ball and allow the ball to roll onto the stick to form the lift. Bring the stick forwards in the air with the ball on the end of it and exit the skill. 

The ball only needs to be lifted 30cm ish to go over the recovering stick trying to make the tackle. The ball should be further in front of you too, to make it easier to get under the ball.

To train this skill, practice the movements but try and lift it over a static object so when momentum takes you forwards, you need to jump over this object to complete the move. This is realistic to a game situation as a defender's stick will be in front of you so if you take a small step forward then that stick will hit you in the foot or you will slip/trip on it, take a big stride over it to maintain your momentum.

Backspace

To be able to use your backspace is a great skill to get out of a tight situation, to beat an opponent or to get a shot off on goal. 

The backspace is literally what it says on the tin, it is the space behind you!

The backspace has a few uses as mentioned above and it looks different for each one.

When trying to beat a defender, in the situation depicted above, when the attacker is approximately 1.5m away from the defender, it can be a good idea to make 2-3 drags backwards to use the space behind you, staying in your level 2 position the whole time. This increases the separation distance between both players, allowing you more space and time to make a pass or to execute an elimination skill. The gap should then be roughly 3m.

The drags needed are the same as the left-right drags but they are backwards, to do these we need to change our body position to be more side on to the defender, and our footwork needs to be just as fast as our hands to ensure we create that gap to the defender.

This also applies when trying to get out of a tight situation.

Using backspace for shooting, looks different. When you are in the D there is little space and lots of defenders so another option to add to your shooting armoury is the backspace shot. 

This looks like dragging the ball back whilst just higher than your level 2 position, and taking a quick swing to take a quick hit and quick shot. Likely to be with the short handle hit. This skill often includes a jump so that the feet and legs aren't in the way of the shot as the ball will be very close to your body to minimise the time in which you could be tackled. 

To be able to use your backspace is a great skill to have and it can save you in many situations, it can help you score goals and win fouls as well as get past a defender.