Now, this has really been fun! A number of avid members offered their thoughts on the following problem (begun over at "The Tight Turn (or Boston Turn"), and I got to interact with them (which is always the most fun). Anyway, to recap things, just in case you're jumping in late here... The first photo below shows my young buddy and grandson, Anthony Chic, protecting the puck and making a tight or Boston turn around a defender. And, although he's one of the best at this ploy, the camera catches him making one glaring mistake — at least at the moment that photo was taken. From there, a bunch of my CoachChic.com friends tried to figure what this zany old coach was getting at. And, while most seemed to be coming kinda close to what I was seeing, no one really hit it dead-on. With all that, I'm going to do my best below to explain myself.
-- Dennis Chighisola
Troubleshooting the Tight Turn (or Boston Turn)
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Boston Turn[/caption]
Okay, it's quite possible that a lot of my great friends here are ultimately going to slap their foreheads and mutter to themselves, "That's what I meant!" And, while many of you -- especially Jerry Z, Ravi and Ozzy -- almost sounded as if you were hinting at what I'll suggest, I don't think anyone really said what I was looking for. (After I'd prepared this piece, Michael G actually came as close to the answer as anyone.)
Anyway, (to the left) let's start here with the original photo of Tony C fighting off that defender. I'm showing this again, just so we'll have a frame of reference.
Next, to give you a sense of how this old coach sees such things, let me show you the same picture (below), but with the defensive player removed...
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Tight Turn in Open Ice[/caption]
What I'll normally suggest (or joke about) to one of my students who strikes a pose like this is that, "If someone opens a door and a little breeze enters the rink, you're going to fall on your dawgoned ear!" Can you see it? Anthony's skates are both FAR outside his center of gravity. And in such a posture, he has no strength -- or no stability -- whatsoever!
Then, I've doctored that photo again (below), but this time moving Tony C's inside foot/leg closer to under his center of gravity. So, take a look, and see if he just might be a whole lot stronger in that stance. (Moving parts around within that photo wasn't easy, and it's not exactly how I'd like it to look. But, it still should give you a sense of what I'd be aiming for.)
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A Better Tight Turn Posture[/caption]
Now, in reality, I've solicited Comments and withheld my thoughts for a time so that I could address some other common issues when it comes to a move like this.
You see, there are a kzillion hockey "wives tales" forever circulating around the rinks -- and particularly within youth hockey circles, with a number of them either raised or hinted at in the accumulated Comments. So, please allow me to tackle some of those, because I think these points will help an awful lot of my friends deal with some of those so-called wives tales:
- If you have the time, go over to YouTube and watch a few of the highlight reel goals. I guarantee you'll find most of your favorite players -- from Ovechkin to Crosby to Datsyuk -- making big-time plays with one hand on their sticks. You see, a player can only make very narrow dribbles and dekes with the stick held in both hands. And, while I've picked on Anthony here because I found a flaw at one moment in time, he is actually doing a ton of things right in that play. For example, notice how he is able to extend his reach with the stick held in one hand, so that the defender doesn't have a prayer of getting to that puck. As importantly, Anthony is able to fend-off his man because his other hand is free to do so. Oh, and by the way... Because all of my students and former players can do everything both ways, Tony C would be just as comfortable extending the stick far out in his left hand and holding-off his man with the right.
- I think a lot of the wives tales -- or false impressions -- stem from players or youth coaches "thinking" they see something they really don't. And one thing I sense a lot of folks around the rinks believe is that the skates should be arranged one behind the other when executing a quick cut like this one. Oh, for sure, the inside skate must lead -- a little -- in the tight turn. But, to move with the skates in a straight line also removes strength and stability.
- I loved that one of my NEHI HS Prep kids jumped in on this conversation. And I also love the chance it gives me to address something else... I mean, you will hardly ever hear me say or see me write, "Keep your HEAD up!" Why? It's because the EYES are the important thing when it comes to puckhandling! Actually, the best attackers in the hockey world look down at the puck; one can't carry for very long without occasionally checking on it. That said, can you just imagine a great puckcarrier bobbing his or her head up and down as he or she moves down the ice? Geeeeeeze... What a good attacker should really do is hold the head fairly steady, use split vision to see almost everything, and occasionally just move the eyes with quick glances -- down, up, etc...
- I am going to suggest here that our game is one of constant adjustments. And I'll further suggest that any given technique might be good at one moment and not so good at another. As an example, I'll often joke to my older students that they can skate like figure skaters in open ice, but they'd better drastically change their posture as they enter traffic. In other words, large and pretty cross-overs or an upright stance might be okay with no one around you; but, you'd better sit low and spread those skates as soon as there's a chance for body contact. Said yet another way... Within just a few seconds, we might see a player in a speedy or graceful posture suddenly shift to a bracing stance; he might go back to an open ice stride, and then quickly return to the strong and stable position.
Oh, and one more thing about those wives tales... Supposing a young player or youth coach spotted Anthony's photo and presumed that -- since he's a pretty dangerous attacker -- his technique is one to emulate -- to a tee. Well, you and I now know that it's true in many regards, yet it's definitely not in at least one other. If they picked-up on his method of protecting the puck, I'd say they're on the way to better skills. However, if they hung their hats on the way he's been caught in his foot placement... Well, can you imagine a coach teaching that method for the next 10-years? And that's what I'm getting at about a lot of those so-called rink wives tales. They were based on a wrong assumption in the first place, but nonetheless keep being spread and spread and spread.
Finally, I can't tell you guys -- Jerry, Scott, Ravi, Wilder, Ozzy, Mike and GKelly -- how much I appreciate you jumping in here. Honest to God, I couldn't have done this piece without your help, and I'm praying I haven't discouraged you (with a few of my teases) from weighting-in on future conversations. I love you guys!
Oh, as for a prize... I was originally thinking about an all-expenses-paid trip to Pluto. As it turns out, I can't afford that. So, I'm hoping Jerry, Ozzy and Mike will settle for a shorter ride -- maybe to Jupiter? :) (Thanks again, guys; you're the best!)
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PS: Anthony Chic recently told me that the defender in that photo actually took a penalty on the play. So, while I'm suggesting that he could have fallen on his own, an official evidently blamed the ensuing spill on the defensive player. Ya, there are some advantages to being tricky out there on the ice, including drawing a lot of penalties. Oh, well...
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No way should the conversation end here. So, please DO add your Comments below!
