Shooting to Win: A Coach's Guide to Playing Better Offensive Hockey

C.E. Lefroy is an associate professor in the School of Human Movement at
Laurentian University.

Part 1, “Analyzing the Game,” consists of three chapters of
down-to-earth offensive theory and principles that should help coaches
develop an attack system and a coherent approach to planning and
conducting practices. This section begins with a framework on which
offensive strategy and tactics can be based. Guidelines and principles
for teaching individual and group skills and tactics are included. The
authors describe how hockey is a “read-and-react” game and show how
such elements as decision-making and feedback are essential to
developing “Hockey Sense.” Part 1 concludes with a description of a
framework for building a coherent attack system.

Part 2, “Movement and Puck Control,” begins with the fundamental
principles of offense, then moves through a discussion of the roles of
the puck carrier and the nonpuck carrier in movement and puck control.
It concludes with diagrams and descriptions of group tactical skills.
Two highlights of this section are the discussions showing how
curvilinear skating creates attack opportunities, and how the nonpuck
carrier support is fundamental to the attack. Part 2 concludes by
showing how hockey is a game of one-on-one and how skills and tactical
actions can be a basis for planning practices.

Part 3, “Team Play,” begins with a thorough discussion of the
phases of the game and concludes with diagrams and descriptions of the
technical and tactical skills of optimal shooting. The concluding
chapters are rich in diagrams and descriptions of such offensive tactics
as camouflaging attacks and overloading.

This excellent book is suitable for experienced and novice coaches. The
book’s greatest strength is the principles that have been derived from
the authors’ creative analysis of attack. Coaches of novice and
advanced teams will be able to adapt these principles to their
situation. Similarly, the description of a “diagnostic approach” to
skill teaching will help coaches plan and adjust practices to their
athletes’ needs. The diagrams and explanations are so well done that
they can be easily understood, even by readers who have no technical
knowledge of hockey.