The Angle of Pursuit

Although I had my share of notoriety and recognition as a young football player, I'll tell you -- right up front -- that I wasn't all that hot. However, I did have great hands (from my baseball background), and I could run like a deer (from honest to goodness great genes)! :) That said, I always was kind of a "thinker", even as a kid, and even as a football player. Oh, by the way, I also had one of the region's best high school football coaches -- far ahead of his time, I think he was, and he later went on to coach a string of championship semi-pro teams before settling in as a game film rater for the New England Patriots.   Anyway, the reason I mention all this is so that I can introduce the topic at hand. For, one day during a defensive segment of a team practice, my old high school head coach described that "angle of pursuit" thing to his players. You don't have to totally understand this, because I'll explain it better and show you later how this relates to our game. But for now, what my coach was suggesting had to do with defenders needing to watch a ball carrier's route -- or anticipate where that route would take him, and then meet him at some point along that route. Again, I'll explain that far better in a minute. However, just so you know, I was playing The Thinker again that day, inwardly shaking my head, and wondering to myself, "Does anyone really have to be told this?" Oh, well...

-- Dennis Chighisola

The Angle of Pursuit Now, the answer to my question actually came by way of a video I watched just a few years ago, this from the Centre for Hockey Excellence in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. For, in that video, former Canadian National Team coach, Dave King, took quite a bit of time explaining that very concept, and almost in the same way my old high school football coach had. Okay, so here's the gist of it, as it relates to our game... If you click on the adjacent photo, you'll see one player dump a puck that is destined to go around the boards and arrive near the opposite corner. What you'll also see is a skater from the other team chasing the puck in the wrong manner. Go ahead, and watch that short video before you read on. Confounding me, but giving validity to Dave King and my old football coach, I've come to realize that some athletes actually do follow behind in the pursuit of a puck or opposition player. That out of the way, I'm sure my late-coach would appreciate the animation I've just created to show a little smarter way to pursue that same puck. So, please click on the (left) photo to watch that video. Now, it has been a long time since I viewed that piece by Dave King. But, I recall him suggesting that we (hockey) coaches can run drills to show the merits of pursuing the puck rightly. So, my next video shows two players taking different routes as they race for the loose puck (click on the photo below to view that).

You're probably wondering what caused me to raise this "angle of pursuit" issue tonight. Well, as I've been standing back and watching my young Mighty Mites team, attempting to drink-in as much as I can -- about their specific needs, and about the way they learn. And, I've been fascinated by a number of things... - In one instance I watched a little 4-year old race back out of our offensive zone for a puck that had been tossed out to neutral ice. The little tyke was skating right towards where I stood on the bench that afternoon, so I had a great view of what was to happen. For, as he began to approach the puck, I saw him turn his head about halfway, this so he could see if anyone was nearby. He next snatched the puck and made his exit in the direction opposite from the nearest rival. Unbelievable or what? The truth is, I actually run drills to ingrain that looking-over-their-shoulder thing in my older players, and most of them take quite awhile to make it a regular part of their game. ??? - On a number of occasions I've seen members of that Mighty Mite team gain the puck along the side boards in their offensive end, and somehow realize they weren't on the greatest shooting angle. With that, they kept moving towards mid-ice with the puck, finally sending it on-goal once they reached a better angle. And again, I felt this to be really good thinking for little guys who had only played a handful of games. - Then, that old angle of pursuit thing... I shot the following video really only as an example of how the game action looks in that instructional league. I'm not sure you can pick-up anything special in this brief clip, but I'm going to suggest that some kids are moving laterally at times, just to keep themselves in the path of a rival puckcarrier, or -- as if they knew enough to anticipate it -- right in the path of a possible pass up-ice. Go ahead; click on the photo (below), just so you can see some of their game action (my kids are in black, with our opponents in dark blue).

Now, I've written this entry for a number of reasons...

• First, if you never had cause to think about or teach the correct angle of pursuit, perhaps I've armed you with some valuable knowledge.
• Secondly, I hope the observations I'm sharing about my youngest team members awakens you (as it has me) to the fact that all of our players are growing organisms. And, as such, we coaches and parents have the awesome responsibility of guiding them in that growth.
• Then, from what I learned on that long ago football practice field, it's important to appreciate that some players do certain things instinctively (or seemingly so), while those same things evidently don't come naturally to others. And, while it might be easier to coach the gifted ones, I believe the true measure of a "teaching coach" is in our ability to help the players who really need it. (Come to think of it, it's only since I've grown older that I realized my old high school football coach dealt with us in that way. So, God bless, Coach, and thanks so much.)

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