Overtime Huddle and Execute
Communication
Legend
- player
- coach / parent
- movement path
How it works
Develop game-pressure communication by having players self-organize a verbal game plan during a simulated 3-on-3 overtime drill.
What you need
- hockey stick
- puck
- ice
Your focus
At advanced levels, the best communicators are players who initiate communication without waiting for a coach , particularly in high-stakes situations like overtime. Training players to run their own pre-shift huddle builds leadership communication and team cohesion under pressure. Teams that talk through a plan before executing it win more 50-50 overtime situations.
Before each 90-second 3-on-3 overtime segment, both teams have 45 seconds for a player-run huddle, no coach input.
Each team must verbally agree on one offensive zone entry and one defensive coverage scheme.
Teams play the 90-second overtime segment.
After, debrief: did the team execute what they communicated? Where did communication break down?
Helpful cues
- The player with the plan needs to say it out loud
- If two people talk at once, nobody hears anything, one voice at a time
- Communication in overtime is a competitive weapon
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Coach provides the game plan framework and players only need to confirm assignments
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Give teams 20 seconds instead of 45 for the huddle, increasing the speed and efficiency of their communicationNo account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.