Tactical Awareness Game (TAGs) #2 Low Cycle Game

This a great game to ingrain effective cycle play for your team. Using the above set up with the players not involved waiting on the side boards in light (X) and dark (O) colors at about the top of each circle. The coach positions themselves a little higher than the top of the circle with a number of pucks. The game begins with a coach dumping a puck into one of the corners and the first two players on each side play 2 v 2 below the top of the circles, which is the entire playing area. Any puck leaving the playing area will have the coach dumping a new puck in to continue the play. The same is true if a goal is scored or goes over the glass. Shifts should last anywhere from 25-40 seconds and ends with a whistle from the coach and the players leaving the puck in the playing area and skating back to the waiting lines. At the same time the next 4 players in the lines enter the game to keep the play continuos.

Although the play begins with 2 v 2 one additional player can be added to your team if you create a cycle play with the next player on your colored team on either side of the rink (you are allowed to add one additional player). To add this player you must skate toward either of the lines on the sideboards and create an overlap situation with that line. You are not allowed to pass to the players in line waiting until you create this overlap (criss-cross) play. The other rule that is a big part of this tactical play is that the player carrying the puck does not have to pass to the overlapping player for that player to be activated. The teaching point that must be stressed here is that puckcarrier must read the defending player pressuring them to make sure the reverse cycle pass is the best option or to fake it and carry might be the better option. Besides the potential of creative offensive play there's an equal opportunity for your players on the defensive side of the puck to gain a better understanding of how to defend the cycle tactic. Personally, I have always allowed the offensive players gain an understanding on how to have success in this game before I'd stress the defensive tactics needed.

Both teams are trying to score on the lone goal which may make for an occasional goal on a rebound that has the goalie in a big disadvantage with all 4, 5 or 6 players trying to score on the same net. To counter this or make the game more realistic if you are looking to make the scoring more fair, I have put in a rule that a goal scored on a rebound by the other team does not count and immediately spot a new puck. We also tell the players to keep the same puck in play, they must get the puck below the goal line before going on the offensive. Like most small games they can last anywhere from 10 to 12 minutes or you might have a rule of first team to 5 goals wins, whatever you believe might be in your teams best interest at that time.

This game, like most games, should be played at a very high tempo and you should encourage your players to play with more and more speed. You should also encourage your players to communicate at a high rate. We had our players call either "back" or "reverse" to let their teammates know they were available to the spotted pass along the wall. Playing much of the game in tight areas under pressure is a great workout for your team and your goaltender will get a great workout, as well, as they are under continuos pressure. Like all the small TAGS we used, the tactical understanding can be increased in many different ways. There will be times where you allow the game to play out as the players seem to be gaining a better understanding of how to create plays in this setting. There will also be times where you need to stop the game and address an area where they are not having success. A common area on that idea is the puckcarrier not reading the pressure when they overlap with a teammate and passing the puck "back" instead of faking the pass and carrying it to goal themselves as their check was over playing that option. There will be numerous other teaching points that evolve, but be careful to not overwhelm your players with an excessive amount to process at one time. This is especially true with young players that are new to learning the cycle tactic.