The Larionov 5 v 3 Alternating Warm-Up Drill is a great activity to warm-up players at the beginning of practice. The drill can also be used to practice awarness, puck protection, passing and decision making.
Setup:
- In the offensive zone, set up a 5 on 3.
- On the whistle play keep away.
- Can make it a game - count the number of passes the offense has (can't pass to the same person 2 times in a row).
- Rotate players!
Coaching Points:
- Offense:
- Players with the puck can use variable speed, cut-backs, tight turns, deception & fakes to create space and open up passing lanes.
- Players without the puck should keep their sticks on the ice and work to get open, and use scissor / switch techniques with teammates to confuse defenders.
- Defense:
- Use active sticks to disrupt passing lanes and work to keep the puck to the outside.
Variations:
- Can set this up in different areas of the ice.
- Can set up different player amounts.
- If defense is taking the puck away too much, you can have them flip over their sticks.
