Camp Focuses

Ever been to the same camp year after year and been taught the same old thing time and again? It gets boring after a while and players tend to lose interest. At RMHS we do something different by offering rotating Camp Focuses at all of our locations. These intensive, week-long camp topics cover different technical and tactical aspects of the game each year thus allowing our expert coaching staff to teach different skills, different drills, and different tactics each year.

The age groups that we will work within these camps will be 6 to 10 years of age. As all of us know players under 10 need to work on fundamentals and skills in a fun learning environment. 

The skating that will be covered will work on edges, skating stride backwards and forward, crossover, stopping, turning, quicker starts, and transitional skating. Puck skills like passing, stickhandling, and overall better control of the puck will be covered in full detail. All of these skills will be taught in full detail. After the skills are improved the staff will show how to use the skills in game situations within small area games and hockey specific drills. 

Pure skating fundamentals will be covered in-depth, including edges, power, speed, quickness, forward & backward stride, drive leg, turns, cross-unders, starts, stops, lateral mobility. The stickhandling segment of the camp will focus on pure stickhandling creativity. We will cover soft hands, fakes, dekes, puck protection, movement, and ice awareness and vision.

The Defensive segment will cover defensive tactics, coverages, checking, body play, gap control, positioning, defensive theory, transitions, jumping into the play, and defending odd-man rushes. The Offensive segment will focus on offensive theory, face-offs, sustaining an attack, cycling, attacking with speed, odd-man rushes for, offence at the puck, offence away from the puck, and support.

Reading and reacting is one of the most important aspects of the game of hockey. Each player must be able to read what is happening, anticipate correctly, and react properly by moving to the appropriate space to make the play or support their teammates in advance of the puck. As we sat, it is much easier to anticipate where the puck will be and go to a particular point in the rink ahead of it, than it is to chase it around.

In this camp, we will cover the correct diagnosis, and response needed, for game situations such as cycling, odd-man rushes (both for and against), power play and penalty kill, movement through the neutral zone, defensive zone coverage, offensive zone coverage, face-offs, playing away from the puck, offensive and defensive play at the puck, back-checking and fore-checking.

The full spectrum of the RMHS developed stickhandling progression from basic dribbling to advanced puck control concepts such as puck protection and creating space will be the foundation for this camp. Also covered in depth during the stickhandling portion will be passing lanes, vision, play away from the puck, support, and the proper execution of advanced fakes and dekes. All conditioning drills will be based on the European Training Method of incorporating pucks into all skating drills to ensure proper puck control skill and habit development. Fundamental knowledge of how to properly train one's body for the athletic competition will be discussed, stressing proper work to rest ratios, hydration, and optimal physical conditioning. Advanced powerskating drills will also be included, focusing on speed and power development while conditioning.

Pure skating fundamentals will be covered in-depth, including edges, power, speed, quickness, forward & backward stride, Agility, & and small area games to build reactions and response time essential for the game of hockey. These camps are half-day camps and offer 90 minutes of on-ice training and a 60-minute dryland training session per day.

Checking Covered here will be the body check, hip check, stick check, hook check, sweep check, and poke check as well as the optimal timing, positions, circumstances and situations for the use of each check along with their optimal results. Also, the full Heads Up Hockey curriculum will be covered in depth including angling, body positioning, puck protection, and the proper ways to both give and receive a body check.

Goaltending has two primary inputs - technical, psychological - and each receives equal attention at RMHS.  From goalie specific skating techniques to proper angle play, body control and stopping breakaways, we help goalies of all skill levels improve their game and boost their confidence.

Advanced level drills focusing on the development of seasoned travel players will be the focus of this camp. Topics will include advanced-level powerskating, including power and speed development, team skills, situational exercises, time and space, scoring, and small space games. This camp is recommended for players who have competed on travel teams and have experience with complex team system play.  

Since reading and reacting is the basic foundation of the game of hockey, it is the main topic covered in this camp.  We will cover how to read and react to situations in play such as cycling, passing, the execution and defence of odd-man rushes (2 on 1's, 3 on 2's), power play and penalty kill theories, defensive zone coverage, offensive zone coverage, face-offs, neutral zone play, playing away from the puck, offensive and defensive play at the puck, backchecking and forechecking. Also covered will be some of the newer systems being played in the NHL today such as the left-wing lock and the neutral zone trap.