If God’s silence is beneficial for us, then how should we respond when we feel as if there’s a wall blocking our access to Him? The answer is to keep praying. It’s important that we continue talking to the Lord even when we can’t sense Him responding.
First, pray. While Jesus was on the cross, He demonstrated that we can approach God with our deepest questions (Mark 15:34). The Lord invites us to talk with Him about anything because He understands us perfectly.
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Designing a great hockey practice plan isn’t just about filling the hour—it’s about using that time to maximize player development, build habits, and prepare for real-game situations.
In this guide, you’ll get:
- A complete breakdown of how to structure your practice
- Example drills for each time segment (from warm-up to game play)
- Two proven drills pulled from elite-level coaching clinics
- Links to video demonstrations of featured drills
As a coach, you have a limited window to teach, correct, and motivate. A well-built plan keeps players engaged and ensures you’re hitting the right development goals each day.
A simple 60-minute practice might look like this:
0–10 minutes: Dynamic Warm-up – Get players moving and focused
10–25 minutes: Skill Development – Build core puck and skating skills
25–40 minutes: Situational Drills – Reinforce breakout habits and reads
40–50 minutes: Small-Area Games – Build pressure, pace, and creativity
50–60 minutes: Special Teams/Scrimmage – End with energy and fun
Objective: Build explosive lower-body power and skating strength through resistance
How it Works:
- One player kneels on the ice
- A partner grabs their stick or jersey and pulls them to the far blue line
- Run it as a race or timed event for fun competition
Coaching Points:
- Emphasize strong posture and stride from the pulling player
- Reinforce lower-body drive and arm movement
- Use cones or designated lanes to stay organized
Drill 6: Controlled Scrimmage (Half-Ice with Constraints)
Add constraints like:
- Goals only off passes
- One-touch rule
- Only 2 passes allowed in the zone
Let players have fun but still build habits.
Want to help kids stick with sports? Prioritize fun and #PhysicalActivity over competition in #YouthSports programs. Learn more in @HealthGov’s National Youth Sports Strategy: https://bit.ly/2lQ85f6
In this live broadcast of The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton analyze major national security, legal, and political headlines. They open with an in-depth breakdown of the thwarted hijacking attempt on a Fly Dubai flight bound for Israel, discussing how a pilot previously flagged for radical ties bypassed international security screenings and whether automation or stricter cockpit protocols could prevent future incidents. The hosts then examine the Cornell University sexual misconduct allegations and the appointment of New York Attorney General Letitia James to the investigation, debating concerns over prosecutorial bias, due process, and the politicization of high-profile legal cases. Later, they touch on escalating campaign issues leading up to the midterms, energy and fuel prices, and recent comments from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito regarding judicial vacancies and the leak of the Dobbs draft opinion. Now streaming on US Sports Radio
Have you ever felt as if God were giving you the silent treatment? Perhaps you prayed and asked Him for direction but didn’t hear a thing.
When the Lord doesn’t appear to be answering our prayers, it’s natural to struggle. We may feel disappointed, discouraged, confused, or even angry. Some of us begin to wonder whether God has forgotten us altogether.
Good defenses and defensive coaches evolve, and that’s exactly what has happened for Jason Makrinos and the University of Findlay defense. Having lived in a quarters world for a long time, Coach Makrinos felt that his defense was constantly in conflict. That’s not a good thing in an RPO era where placing players in conflict is a key for offensive success.
That led him on a search for something better and allowed him to evolve his defense. He found it with quarter-quarter-half coverage. It gave him a run fit of a Cover 3, which allows a plus one in the box, but still allows him to be in a split safety coverage that allows him to play the field and the boundary how he would like it.
In 2019, it helped the Oiler defense to a #5 ranking nationally in turnovers. Everyone knows the importance of turnover margin as a key factor in winning.
Prior to coming to Findlay, Makrinos was the co-defensive coordinator at FCS Duquesne University. Makrinos coached a defense that statistically improved in multiple important measurables including: points allowed, pass defense, interceptions, and third down defense. In that season, the Dukes' red zone defense was seventh in the country in the FCS. He has the Oilers on that trajectory as well.
For Makrinos, quarter-quarter-half, or Cover 9, was an answer that helped take his defenders out of conflict. Playing coverages that allow for multiple forms of run support from a two-high look can allow for numbers advantages over offensive alignments.
A key to stopping RPO is determining where you want the ball to go. It’s something that you want to be able to dictate differently from week to week. The offense is always trying to manipulate the defense, but Makrinos takes that same approach to his game plan and what he is going to allow the offense to do, and what he will absolutely have the defense take away.
Why is this important? Maybe one week you face a top talent receiver who is dangerous with the ball in space. You probably want to take that option away and put it in the hands of someone different. Maybe the next week the running back is a difference maker that can pick up big chunks when there’s not an extra hat to stop him, but the receivers are average. Committing your numbers to stop the run would be the move that week. Considering what your defenders do best is also a factor. Strategic flexibility is a key to defensive success.
Consideration also becomes where on the field you want the ball. Do you want it on the field or the boundary? Where do you want your extra run support? These are all important considerations in game planning, and in designing your defenses for multiple answers.
This is an approach that is effective for the Oilers and Makrinos shares their Evolution, Communication and Structure, as well as their base Cover 9 Trick in free these videos:
The idea of having strategic flexibility on defense really allows you to put your players in the best situations. That’s alway been a number one priority for every staff I have coached on, and I am sure it is true for you. The way Coach Makrinos explains and illustrates this in his course gives you a powerful weapon in taking away the offense does best as well as highlighting your own strengths.
He shares his Cover 6 & Cover 9 as well as the various techniques and adjustments he uses, and illustrates all of it with game film. This offseason is a chance to evolve your defense, and like it was for Coach Makrinos, quarter-quarter half may be the answer.
All kids deserve a chance to play #YouthSports – regardless of their ability. Help expand inclusive programs as part of the National Youth Sports Strategy from @HealthGov: https://bit.ly/2lQ85f6
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