Small area games are a popular training method in hockey, especially at the youth and amateur levels. These games involve playing hockey in a confined space, typically using smaller teams and modified rules. Here's an overview of hockey small area games:
Purpose: Small area games serve multiple purposes in hockey training. They help players develop essential skills such as passing, puck control, agility, decision-making, and positioning. Additionally, they enhance players' competitiveness, creativity, and hockey sense in a fun and engaging environment.
Game Formats: Small area games come in various formats, but they all share the common feature of restricted playing space. Examples include three-on-three or four-on-four games played on a reduced-size rink or within designated areas on the ice surface. Other variations may involve using nets as obstacles, playing with mini-goals, or incorporating cones and barriers to create challenges.
Modified Rules: To maximize player involvement and skill development, small area games often employ modified rules compared to traditional hockey. These rules may include restrictions on passing lanes, limitations on puck touches, mandatory puck movement requirements, and adjusted scoring systems. Modifying rules encourages specific behaviors or skills targeted for improvement.
Skill Emphasis: Coaches can tailor small area games to target specific skills or aspects of the game they want to develop. For example, a game focusing on passing and puck movement may award extra points for consecutive passes or require a certain number of passes before shooting. Similarly, games emphasizing defensive skills may impose restrictions on stick checking or body contact to encourage players to use positioning and active sticks effectively.
Variety and Creativity: Small area games offer a high degree of flexibility and creativity, allowing coaches to design drills that suit the needs and abilities of their players. Coaches can modify game parameters, adjust the size of playing areas, and introduce new challenges to keep training sessions fresh and engaging.
Inclusivity and Engagement: Because small area games involve fewer players and reduced space, each player gets more opportunities to handle the puck, make decisions, and contribute to the game's outcome. This increased involvement fosters a sense of belonging, promotes teamwork, and keeps players actively engaged throughout the training session.
Transferable Skills: The skills acquired and honed through small area games are highly transferable to full-ice game situations. Players develop the ability to think and react quickly, maintain possession under pressure, anticipate opponents' movements, and execute plays in tight spaces. As a result, players who regularly participate in small area games often demonstrate improved performance in traditional game settings.