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BetterHockey.com provides hockey players everywhere with a wide variety of on-ice drills that are great to try out with teammates or during a stick and puck session.

Cycling has been around the hockey world a long time without gaining much notice or having a tactical name. This tactic was used by many old time players who had good skating and puck handling skills along with good hockey sense that helped them create outstanding scoring chances.

The tactic started to be identified as unique in the late 1970s when it was called ?playing in the dead zones, soft zones, or along offensive perimeter boards.? Eventually it adopted the name of cycling because of its elements: cross-over skating while carrying the puck around the circles, using board passing, give-and-go passing and switching positions to confuse the defenders in common reoccurring situations along the boards.

Cycling is not a system. A system is a preconceived, controlling, compelling and disciplined way of play. Cycling is a conceptual spontaneous tactic that is an action as part of a plan, a piece of the whole.

It is a supportive interaction of offensive players who have learned options in these situations along the boards to gain time and space, create open gaps and lanes to the net. It is a camouflage of disguising your attack by drawing the opponents to the boards and away from defending the slot and goal.

Cycling can be a frontal, lateral or rear attack, depending on the puck carrier?s route to the net. It could be likened to a basketball weave.

CYCLING
1. It is creative, fun, entertaining, rink rat-style hockey
2. Can be taught to Squirt players and up
3. Players must have good control of inside and outside edges
4. Players must be able to execute: Crossovers, Push-unders, Control turns, Escapes, Mohawks, Handle the puck with eyes up

RULES OF CYCLING
? Use cycling to create opening, shots, rebounds and tips
? Create time and space
? Do not get hypnotized by the flow ? take the opening when it presents itself and go hard to the net
? Camouflage your tactics
? Be disciplined ? go to the net ? on every chance you create
? Keep the triangle
? Keep skates moving ? protect yourself against the boards
? Only two players below the faceoff dot and keep the third player high
? Bump pass must be angled off the boards to reach the deep corner or behind the net
? Read the flow



Dr. Clint Steele is the founder & president of Better Hockey (betterhockey.com) and has trained hundreds of athletes from all over the world from youth players to NHL and other pro level players. In addition Dr. Steele has either consulted or been the strength and conditioning coach for multiple teams throughout his career. His website, www.betterhockey.com, contains hundreds and pages of articles, video clips, audio interviews with experts, drills, pictures, training programs and more for on ice and off ice development.