(Transcribed audio from How to Play Hockey: Our Minor Hockey Video Coaching Course.)
Hockey Angling – Forcing to the Outside
In hockey, angling or forcing a player ‘to the outside’ is a defensive tactic that is paramount in defending the prime scoring area. Dictating where the puck carrier goes allows the defender and being able to check an opponent and regain possession of the puck. We want to defend the middle of the ice as much as we can. Forcing to the outside will help us accomplish this.
From previous videos you may have seen that we use a “fort” like area or whole base that fits perfectly into the middle zone of our defensive end in front of the net. It can also be referred to as “The House” you always want to protect your house! We make sure to use the faceoff dots and top of the circle as our guideline.
Protecting the Middle of the Ice on a Rush
Defensemen, when you’re backing up and taking an attack into your own zone, if you don’t have a chance to pressure the puck, you want to be staying inside the dots encouraging or forcing the opponent to go wide. Giving an area, then taking it away is angling. In this smaller area you have a much better chance to angle and force to make stick on puck and contact.
In contact hockey put pressure on the puck with the stick and separate the attacker from the puck. So the idea of starting in the middle of the ice, forcing them to go wide and then pushing them to the outsides where they are limited in space by the boards around the rink will really help you with a strong foundation defensively.
Angling in the Defensive Zone
Let’s take a look at angling in the defensive zone. If we are strong inside the Fort, it will hold their players on the perimeter. As they move towards the perimeter then we have a better chance to force.
Angling in the Neutral Zone
While in the neutral zone we want to keep our defense inside the dots and our F1 helping us for a wedge pushing the play towards the wall taking away middle and weak side passing lanes. As the attack comes they’re likely to go to the outside and then we can force more. As their space reduces near the boards our body positioning allows us to angle and check more aggressively.
Protect the Middle to Stay out of Trouble
The opposite of defending inside the dots, will get you in all sorts of trouble. If the Defense are too wide outside of the dots, passing seams will open up. If you allow these seams to be open it allows the opposing team to attack the middle of the ice with ease. This puts a lot more pressure on yourself and gives them too many options. If you’ve angled the puck carrier to the wall he/she is not able to make that middle lane pass. He/she only has a chip in and we’re there waiting for that and closing it down.
Hockey Angling Summary
In hockey angling is all about taking away time and space, dictating where you want them to go: to the outside. We use the boards as a sixth player or as our friend to be able to make contact in a limited space. Forcing plays to the outside and then being more aggressive is a key to good defense all over the ice.
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