Variable Goals Training Model

English version of the first part of the two part cycle Innovative Teaching of Ice Hockey developed by famous Czech coach Ludek Bukac and his son. DVD provides new organizational methods of teaching tactics and skill. Completely in English.

Czech version of this DVD: Modernizovaná výuka ledního hokeje

Foreword from Ludek Bukac

For the past 7 or 8 years now we have been perfecting a new and innovative way to challenge young hockey players to stimulate their read and react skills and puckhandling creativity under authentic game-like conditions. We call this training method Variable Goals Training (VGT).

This type of training is used to focus on the development of individual skills and so it is very different from habitual team training practices.

In Variable Goals Training - we place multiple hockey goals in different positions within small areas of the ice in a way that challenges players to work on technique while giving them the opitons and the freedom to make creative decisions. The goals act like imaginatory opponents that the players has to "beat".

In traditional drills the coach tell the players exactly what to do, where to skate and when to make a pass. In our VGT training we always try to give the players skating, deking or passing options, to make them develop their own decision-making and judgement. Finally, the best reason to try VGT training is because players love the opportunity to compete, to be creative and to improve their individual skills. Players watch each other`s technique and they quickly adopt what works and incorporate it into their own game. The drills provide an enviroment where players will stretch beyond their comfort zone. The drills are short of duration and high intensity which is very game-like.