he ice sessions are directed primarily at improving skating technique, leg quickness and the application of these factors to game situations. The changes in the player's skating are made through on-ice demonstrations and repetition of specific skating movements which enhance speed, quickness, agility and balance, including the use of appropriate body angles, arm swing, the effect of centre of gravity and centrifugal force and how to respond to these forces by altering body position.

The On-Ice Program moves from the technique stage to applying this technique at top speed while shooting, passing, stickhandling and checking in game simulated drills. Good skating technique is useless to hockey players unless they can apply it in game situations.

Even when players have ingrained the proper skating technique into their skating style, sometimes they will still not perform in game situations with the increased raw speed that they now possess. Usually, the problem revolves around the fact that players have not been trained to use their speed, to think, and to read the ice, all at the same time.

Another problem is often players' lack of focus and slow reaction time. In other words, players now have the "jump" to get to the puck first but they aren't doing it because their response time is too slow when there is a turnover or a transition in the play. We have developed specific drills and training methods to help correct these deficiencies so that the transfer of their newly improved skating technique can be applied in game situations at high speed. A simple example is not using a whistle when we start our drills. In a game, players react to what they see not to what they hear. In a game, the only time a whistle is used is to stop the play. Wherever practical, we start the drills with the movement of the puck so players are constantly having to focus on the loose puck, i.e., what they see not what they hear.