When you are playing organized hockey it is important that everyone on the team plays their positions and does “their job”. I like to teach each player what their job is so they understand where they need to be and what they should be doing in each situation on the ice. If just one player on the ice is out of position it can alter the outcome of the game, so it is important to understand your role on the ice is and the role of the other players. I have already written an article on the role of a winger in hockey, and in this article I will detail what a centerman should be doing in various situations on the ice.

The Responsibilities of a Centerman

In general the centerman is the “support man” this means he is helping out the other players when they are in trouble, the centerman is also considered the quaterback as he will win faceoffs, and lead breakouts. The wingers typically stick to their side of the ice, however the centermen has more freedom to roam. Even though the centerman covers the most amount of ice (and usually does the most skating) that does not mean you can just skate around and hope you get the puck. Your general duties as a centerman are to win faceoffs, cause trouble in front of the other teams net, stop players and pucks in front of your own net, score goals, make passes, help out your wingers, lead break-outs and back check.

Duties of the Centerman in the Offensive Zone

In the offensive zone (as in other zones) the centerman’s job is to offer support to the other team members. A good “general area” to hang out until you are needed is in the slot on whatever side the puck is on. Remember to always keep your feet moving and always be skating, this makes it easier to get going when you need to!

While you are in front of the net you will be reading the play, keep an eye on what the other team is doing and what your team is doing. If your winger has possession of the puck get open in front and call for a pass. Remember your other winger will also be trying to get open in front of the net so don’t block him. If your other winger is close to the net then go to the high slot, if your winger is in the high slot then go to the “backdoor” of the net or if you think your winger will get a pass and shoot just screen the goalie and be there for the garbage goal (rebounds).

If your winger does not have possession of the puck then read the play, will he get possession? If you are unsure get a bit closer so you can help him out if help is needed. Remember you are the support guy, so if your winger is getting double teamed along the boards get in there and dig for the puck to help him out.

Remeber to Give your players options if your winger has the puck and is looking for a pass either get open in front of the net, or head behind the net so your winger can cycle the puck back to you. If the winger is heading up the boards and cycles the puck back to you then look for him moving to the net, this is a great way for the winger to shake the D and then get open and then you can feed him the puck for a shot on net.

What if the other team has the puck?

If the other team has possession in the offensive zone then you should switch to defense. They will be attempting to break out and you don’t want that to happen. While on defense in the offensive zone you need to read the play, see where guys are moving, and watch where the guy with the puck is looking, this will help you predict their moves and hopefully intercept a pass or strip the man of the puck and re-gain possession. Usually when they get possession you should start moving towards the blue line, that way if they try to make a break out pass you can intercept, or at least have a bit of speed going to back-check / keep up with the play, you don’t want to get caught deep in your end with the other team breaking out.

Duties of the Centerman in the Defensive Zone

In the defensive zone your team is trying to stop the other team from scoring and you are trying to get the puck out. Just like in the offensive zone your job as a centerman is to offer support. Also similar to the offensive zone you will be hanging around the slot area, but this time for different reasons.

When the other team has the puck and is trying to score they will be trying to get open in front of the net, usually they will have a winger and a centermen, and sometimes a D-man will sneak in close to the top of the circle if the opportunity arises. This means there are 1-3 men who are looking for a puck in front of the net. On your team you have two defencemen, one is usually busy trying to get the puck, while the other is in front of the net being a BOSS and not letting people get near the net or get open. As a centermen you want to help him out and pick up anyone who might be open. Hang out in the slot, block the cross ice passes, and tie up any open man.

A lot of the goals that get scored come from cross-ice passes, one-timers, and back door tap in goals, these occur when a player on the opposite side of the ice gets open and his team mate feeds him the puck for a nice open net goal (especially if you have a slow goalie). As a centerman you want to make sure this does not happen. Try to see what lanes are open and block them, you don’t have to shadow a player, but keep your head on a swivel and take away any passing opportunities while your d-man battles in the corner to start the break-out. If your defenseman is outnumbered along the boards you can go and help him out, just make sure you aren’t leaving a man wide open in front of the net (in this scenario there would probably only be one person in front of the net and your other defensemen should have him covered anyways).

Tips for clogging up the center area and blocking passes

• Read the play and think about the ice in “lanes” what lanes are open? what options does the opposing player with the puck have? if you can get in their head you can stop a lot of plays
• Watch the eyes of the player who has the puck, they usually look before they pass so it can give you some clues to where they will be skating or passing
• You can take up a lot of ice and still stay mobile, take a look at the picture to the right. This is a good pass-blocking position. The player uses his stick to block in front, his front leg is in a position to block a saucer pass but still allow him to get up quickly if he needs to, and his back leg is kneeling which covers some ice behind him. Of all the pass-blocks I see this one is the most effective (I used this method to stop the other team from scoring an empty net goal recently!)
• Remember that this is a good technique for blocking passes, but as good if the person is taking a slapshot, for that you could read our article on how to block a shot.

What happens when your team gets the puck?

When your team gets possession in the defensive zone it is time to start the break-out. There are a number of ways to break out but it usually starts with the d-man passing to the centermen who then feeds a breaking winger, or the winger getting the puck and feeding it to the centerman.

Make sure the puck gets out of your end!

Sometimes when the defensemen gets the puck all three forwards start skating for a breakout pass, but this can cause problems. Read the play, does your d-man have a clear pass to a winger? If he does then great, start skating out of the zone for a pass from your winger. If the defensemen doesn’t have a clear pass you can circle in and get an easy short pass to start the break out. Another option is when the defense have the puck behind the net, this is your cue to skate hard behind the net and either pick up the puck, or leave it and then get a pass from the d-man, or head to center for the d-to-winger-to-centerman pass. Remember you are the support man so you should always be giving your players options for passes

Duties of the Centerman in the Neutral Zone

In the Neutral zone you are either attacking or playing defense. For the break out you will either have the puck, or looking to get the puck. If you have the puck you can pass to the head man (if that’s an option) skate with the puck into the other teams end, or if the defense have you covered just go for a dump and chase, or dump and change.

If your team mates have the puck you have a few options, if your defencemen has the puck you can skate across lanes in the neutral zone in order to give your defencemen someone to pass to, if your winger has the puck you will either get a pass from him in the neutral zone or break into the offensive zone. While breaking in the first man in should go hard to the net, and the second man in will stay high.

If the other team has the puck you are basically trying to stop them from getting into your zone. In most cases you will be playing catch-up so skate hard to get into the play and try to get in the way of passes, or sneak up on the guy with the puck and strip the puck from him. If you are in front of the play you can help the defensemen, try to either pick up the man closest to you who is trying to get open for a pass, or if you are closest to the guy with the puck match his speed and force him to the boards.

Tips for taking and winning Faceoffs

Winning the faceoff is very important no matter who’s end you are in, below I will outline a few tips that should help you win more faceoffs

• Choke up on the stick, having your lower hand closer to the blade of the stick allows you to get a lot of power on the draw and react quickly
• If you are winning the puck to the back hand turn both your hands over (like the picture to the right) this helps you pull the stick back quickly and gives you a slight advantage
• Talk to your wingers and defencemen first and let them know what you plan to do off the faceoff, usually a quick head nod will do the trick but it helps if you have a plan
• You don’t always have to win the faceoff with your stick, you can tie the man up and have a winger come in, or you can tie up the wingers stick and kick the puck back with your foot
• Watch the refs hand or elbow, if the ref holds the puck high then watch his elbow as this will move first, if the ref holds the puck lower then watch his hand. You don’t have to stare at it, but keep an eye on it in your peripheral vision. When his hand moves you should start moving to win the faceoff.
• Read the other player and try to predict what he is going to do, this may help you change your strategy and win more faceoffs.
• A good trick for faceoffs in the neutral zone is to tap the puck forwards and try to blast through the defence, it’s a risky move but it works.

In Summary

WOOH, that only took me a few hours to write and edit, hopefully I covered everything In summary the centermen will usually be hanging out in the slot / circles in the offensive and defensive zones. While in that area the centermen should be looking for opportunities to get the puck either by calling for a pass, intercepting a pass, or by recognizing a moment when his teammate needs help and then going in and getting the puck. The wingers and defence have areas they should always be, but the centermen has the freedom to roam around these areas and help out. Faceoffs are very important so the centermen should take this skill very seriously and always be working to improve his faceoff win percentage. Centermen should also be good skaters and be able to give and receive passes very well.

I think that pretty much sums up the role of the centermen, if I missed anything or you are unclear about something just let me know in the comments below and I will do my best to respond.

Lets be honest, there is a lot to learn when it comes to positioning in hockey and you might have heard it 20 times but some of us just aren’t verbal learners. For all the visual learners out there I have created the hockey cheat sheet. This is an all encompassing guide that pretty much covers everything that your coach will yell over the boards at you. If you like this guide be sure to share it with your friends

How To Hockey Cheat Sheet

This guide should help you figure out what to do wherever you are on the ice!
(Click to see full-sized image)

Want to download or print?

You can grab a pdf version here

 Kid Friendly Version

In the first version we used bad words like damn and screw, while not the worst out there it might not be the friendliest for the mites out there so here is a version that the whole family can enjoy!

CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE THE FULL SIZED VERSION

There are two wingers in hockey, right wing, and left wing. Both wing men, as well as the centermen are referred to as forwards. The forwards are offensively minded and will score the majority of your teams goals. As a winger you will mostly play on your side of the ice, right wing will play up and down the right side of the ice (to the right of the centermen at faceoff) and the left wing will play on the left side.

The responsibilities of a winger

Your general duties as a wingman are to dig in the corner, feed the centermen and defence, wreak havoc in front of the other teams net, and outsmart the other teams defensemen on both ends of the rink. I will explain more below

A wingers duties and positioning in the defensive zone

The defensive zone is your teams end of the ice (the side where your goalie is in net) When you are playing in the defensive zone your team is trying to get the puck out (break out) and get into the offensive zone (the other teams end of the ice). When you are in the defensive zone you should generally stay between the blue line and the hash marks. You want to stay in that area for a few reasons:

• To stop the other teams defensemen from getting the puck and getting a shot on your goalie.
• To get a break out pass from your own team member
• To block shots or passes if the other teams defensemen does have the puck.
• To intercept passes and break out.

When you are in the defensive zone it is your job to cover the other teams defencemen. When the other team has the puck you should keep a close eye on the defensemen as some times they will sneak in front of you, or move over to the center. When you are in the defensive zone the defensemen is your man, but it is also your job to accept passes from your own team members. If your team has the puck there are a few ways to get the pass. The easiest way to get a pass is to take a few quick strides forward and take a pass at the hash marks along the boards, now your job is to break out. The safest way to break out of your end is to bank a pass off of the boards to your center men who should be breaking out, or if the defensemen is right against the boards you can gently redirect the puck to your centermen, or your winger who should be cutting to center (Always look before passing because the last thing you want to do is give a one timer to the other teams defence!). Another option is to carry the puck out yourself, don’t try anything to fancy because if you mess up and the other team scores it will be very embarassing.

A wingers duties in the offensive zone

When you are in the offensive zone your team is trying to score a goal. You will mainly play in the corner, inside the circle, and in front of the net. When the puck goes into your corner it is your job to get it out. If the puck is in your corner you have a few options, the most common and usually the best options are.

• Carry the puck out and get a shot on net (your centermen or other winger should be there for a rebound).
• Look for a man in front of the net and set him up with a pass
• Look to see if the D is open, if so give them the puck.
• Carry the puck up the boards a bit and cycle it back. Cycling the puck may be a bit advanced, so we will cover that in another article

Sometimes when the puck is in your corner the other teams defence will get there first, as it is their job to get the puck out. If this happens you can try to take the puck from them, or tie them up and wait for your centermen to help you out. A good trick is to put your knee between their legs and press them up against the boards, this makes it hard for them to move the puck.

If the puck is in the other corner then you have a few new jobs. When the puck is in the other corner you can.

• Go to the net and look for a pass from the winger
• If your winger looks like he is going to be tied up you could skate behind the net and call for a pass
• If it looks like the other team may get the puck you could skate to the hash marks and try to cover a man / take away a pass.
• If the other team does clear the puck being closer to the blue line makes it easier to back check.
• Do not go into the other wingers corner unless you have learned a special drill in practice that calls for this. If your winger is in trouble, it is the job of the centermen to help him out.

Wingers duties in the Neutral Zone

Typically in the neutral zone you are either breaking out, or back checking. If you are on the attack you make hard passes through the neutral zone and feed the head man. This means if you get the puck out of your end you should be looking for a streaking centermen or your other winger. If there are no options try to break into their end, and if that is not an option just cross the red line and dump the puck in (then chase it, or get a line change). If your team mate has the puck and you are breaking out skate for open ice and try to get that lead pass.

If the other team has the puck in the neutral zone you are playing defense. You should be hustling to get back into position and get the puck from them / cause a turnover. Keep an eye on who has the puck, and where they might be skating to or who they might be passing to. If you see a potential passing lane try to block it.

I like to always think of the ice as lanes, lanes for them to skate and lanes for them to pass. I am always looking at the guy with the puck and thinking “what are his lanes, what are his options” I try to get in their lanes and take away options.

What about the faceoff?

For a winger you also have a role on the faceoff. When you faceoff you will be facing off against the other team. When you are on the face off both teams want the puck, but only one team can have it. This means your role during the face off is to either get the puck, or stop the other team from getting it. Talk to your centermen before the faceoff because he usually has a devious plan as to what he is going to do with the puck. Most face offs involve winning the puck back to the defensemen, when this happens your job is to tie up your man so your defensemen has time to make a play. Sometimes the centermen will pole the puck forward and have you pick it up with speed, or the centremen could tie up the other centermen and have you get the puck. This means you have to explode off of the hash mark and go right for the face off circle.

A wingers responsibilities on the power play

A power play means that the other team is playing with one less man on the ice. Your position does not change during the power play unless you have a set play with your team. When the other team is down a man they will play with two defensemen and two forwards, this means that on the faceoff there will one open spot. This means if you are on the open wing, and the centremen wins the faceoff to you, you will have some time to skate with the puck and set up a play.

Wingers duties on the penalty kill

When your team gets a penalty there will be one less man on the ice. This means that on the faceoff you need to pick a side to faceoff on. The proper side to faceoff on is the side closest to the center of the ice. If you were to faceoff on the side closest to the boards then the side closest to the center would be wide open, and give the other team more of an advantage if they win the faceoff.

When you are on the penalty kill you should think of your position more like another centermen. If the puck goes into the offensive zone either you or the centremen will go in after the puck, only one man should go deep into the offensive zone, while the other hangs back near the blue line.

When the puck is in the defensive zone most teams play in a box formation, this means your two defensemen will play down low, and the centermen and the winger play up high. The idea is your formation will look like a box, and you want to keep the other team outside of the box, and take away any passing or shooting opportunities.

If you have any other tips for positioning for forwards you can add them below. I will be adding positioning for the centermen and defence soon.

The Role of a Centerman

Want to read more about hockey positioning? Check out our article for the role of a centerman

Photo Credit: Thumbnail – Dan4th Nicholas, Breakout - U16 Panthers, Faceoff – Michael Erhardsson, Penalty Kill – C Stein

Good players need talent but they also need good coaches

The most important quality you need to coach is enthusiasm. People respond brilliantly to an eager, hard working leader.

It takes time to build up coaching skills and experience, but help is available. A task of the OMHA is to look after the development of coaching and coaches at every level in minor hockey.

To become a qualified coach in a particular sport, you will need to take the appropriate coaching qualifications offered by the national governing body of that sport.

In the meantime here are a few tips for coaching success.

• Know yourself
  • Why do you want to coach and what do you want to achieve?
• A Question of Sport
  • The better your understanding of the techniques and skills of a sport the better equipped you
    are to pass these on.
• Be Positive
  • Patience and praise work a lot better than criticism and shouting.
• Variety is the Key
  • Avoid games where kids have to sit out and don’t make all your sessions competitive
• Teach Skills & Demonstrate
  • Demonstrating a skill works much better than talking about it. If you can’t do it, find someone
    who can.
• Involve Everybody
  • Always make sure there’s enough equipment or kit for all. Create small groups of children
    rather than one big group.
    Communicate
    Actions speak louder than words. Body language is important. Smiles and positive gestures work
    wonders.
• Mind & Body
  • A grasp of how the body responds to exercise and training and an ability to adopt safe practices
    and prevent injury are important. So too is confidence building, goal setting, emotional
    control, concentration skills – coaches work on the mindset as well as the body.
• Sense and Sensitivity
  • Some children take longer than others to learn so adopt your style accordingly. To keep
    children motivated it helps to be consistent, set achievable goals and give frequent feedback.
• Take it from the Top
  • Lead by example and gain trust and respect. Coaches of children are role models and this
    carries responsibility. How you behave, dress and your attitude all set an example. If you
    adhere to consistent high standards this will rub off.

Thanks to home town hockey for this great article

Many players may ask what is the role of a captain in hockey? or What does a captain do? Well I think the NHL summed it up nicely in this video, featuring some of the best captains in the NHL

NHL CAPTAINS

CONSIDERATIONS FOR PLAYER DEVELOPMENT IN HOCKEY

HOCKEY PRACTICE V S . HOCKEY GAMES

published with permission from Home Town Hockey

Many hockey players and parents have questioned whether hockey games or practices help a player develop more? Take a look at the stats below and you will know which is better.

One of the biggest issues surrounding the development of hockey players is the number of practices they have compared to the number of games they play. An ideal, realistic ratio is 2 practices for every 1 game played for ages 7 – 13. While some associations have no problem in meeting the recommended ratio, others have great difficulty in finding enough ice time meet this practice to game ratio. Are games really necessary, or all they are cracked up to be? Not when you look at the stats below, especially if you are trying to develop skills.

Howtohockey note: Keep in mind that children can practice hockey almost anywhere. You do not have to wait until a planned practice to practice your hockey skills. Encourage children to practice at home and with friends. Look for outdoor rinks in the winter and places to practice shooting and stick handling in the summer.

If you look at these stats, how can we expect kids to develop when they are playing more games than practicing? Studies show that the better kids are at something, the more they will enjoy it, and the longer they will play. Many kids quit hockey because they get to the level where they can’t compete due to lack of skill – therefore it is no longer fun. At the ages of 5 – 6 or 5 – 7, the practice to game ratio should be even higher (6: 1) and realistically there is no need for formal games.

Big thanks to the OMHA for allowing us to publish some of their hockey tips and hockey drills

HOCKEY PRACTICE PLANNING

Hockey Skill Development can be a straightforward task once you have taken the time to develop a good hockey practice or seasonal plan. A practice / seasonal plan is made up of a number of important components that should be given strong consideration each time you develop a plan.
Information republished with permission from Home Town Hockey

1. Practice plan format to record your plan:
   • Meets all your needs for information
   • Archive your plans for easy reference at a later date.
2. Measurable outcomes for the plan:
   • Players of all ages need to know the goals of each practice
   • Record information about the execution of the plan
3. Elements of the plan:
   • Practices / drills should be more active than passive
   • A well balanced practice contains about 5 activities
   • Elements of a plan may include warm up, teaching components, technical skill execution, drills under game like conditions, fun elements, competitive activities, and a cool down
4. Assign the coach responsibilities to lead the drill:
   • Ensure that all support people understand the purpose of the drills so they can provide appropriate feedback to guide improvement
   • All coaches should be engaged in the delivery of each drill
   • Coaches may be required to provide stimuli to start or maintain drill focus
5. Clear illustrations:
   • Take pride in illustrating good plans
   • Make it a habit to use international symbols
6. Descriptions to include:
   • Written descriptions should include details of the drill execution, key teaching points, and key execution points
   • Plans should note any extraordinary equipment required

HOCKEY PRACTICE SKILL DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES

The following is a guide to what types of skills should be taugt during a hockey practice. As you can see for the initiation stage you should focus mostly on technical skills such as shooting, skating, stopping and so on, however for Bantam and Midget all skills should be taught equally.

INITIATION  85% Technical skills •    15% Individual tactics
NOVICE            75% Technical skills •    15% Individual tactics •      10% • Team tactics
ATOM               50%  Technical skills •    20% Individual tactics •      15% • Team tactics •    10 % Team play •    5% Strategy
PEEWEE           45% Technical skills •    20% Individual tactics •        15% • Team tactics •    10 % Team play •    5% Strategy
BANTAM        40%  Technical skills •    15% Individual tactics •        20% • Team tactics •    15 % Team play •    10% Strategy
MIDGET            35% Technical skills •    20% Individual tactics •       20% • Team tactics •    15 % Team play •   10% Strategy

10 HOCKEY PRACTICE TIPS

Below are tips that will help a coach run a successful and productive hockey practice.

There are 10 key ingredients a coach should mix into each practice. Collectively these lead to enjoyment and learning for both players and coaches

1.  Coaches should have a minimum of 50 pucks in their bucket.
2.  Players must be on time, all the time. Coaches set the standard and lead by example. Parents must be encouraged to buy in.
3.  Don’t waste ice time stretching. Stretching should be performed in the dressing room prior to the ice time.
4.  The use of stations in practices leads to a dynamic practice. Stations keep participants active enabling them to achieve high levels of repetitions. Have players spend 3 – 8 minutes per station before switching. 2 – 3 stations are recommended. ( Must be a coach at each station )
5. Basic Skill Development (skating, puck control, passing, shooting) should comprise 90% of your practice time. Remember you can work skills in game-like drills. Skill Development should not be considered boring.
6. Positive and Specific Feedback are imperative. Consider the Head Coach who always stands at center ice and runs drills. How often during the practice is this coach able to effectively teach??? Teaching is done in the trenches (corners, lines).
7. Routines in practice are dangerous. Players will pace themselves and become bored very quickly. Routine practices develop great practice players. Strive to change things up, create an element of surprise, utilize variety, and generate enthusiasm. Players also enjoy time on their own. 2 – 5 minutes per practice should be sufficient. This enables players to be creative and try new things.
8. “Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I might remember, involve me and I’ll understand.”
9. Practice Execution by coaches is of principle importance. Great drills that aren’t executed properly by coaches are useless. Execution involves using all staff on the ice, having pucks spotted in the proper areas, informing players of the whistle sequence (1st whistle begin, 2nd whistle stop, 3rd whistle begins next group) and providing appropriate feedback. To assist in practice execution, name your drills ie. “Killer Bees”.
10. Relate what you do in practices to games and vice versa. “Players, we are doing this drill because in our last game we were unable to finish around the net.” or “This drill will assist you in keeping your stick and body away from the checker and in an effective scoring position.”

These hockey tips are provided to How to Hockey by Hometown Hockey

HOCKEY PRACTICE PHILOSOPHY

Originially printed in the OMHA Hockey Drill book. Published with permission from OMHA Hometown Hockey

KEEP THEM MOVING

Whether its practice, clinic, or camp, ice sessions should be designed to engage every participant consistently. Kids don’t attend practice to watch others play. Kids enjoy practices when they have fun and they experience an improvement in their overall skills.

EMPHASIZE THE FUNDAMENTALS

Build a foundation that will never crack by properly teaching the basics. Learning the fundamentals and perfecting the same basics at every level of play is essential to having any chance of success.

If one player does not execute the fundamentals of his position correctly, the most sophisticated drill or play in the world will not work. It is unfair and not fun to focus on running plays that will fail 9 out of 10 times. Kid’s practices that focus on Team Play over executing fundamentals are cheating every participant out of the chance to learn the game properly.

Do not attempt to replicate plays you see in NHL and Junior games! Every scheme that is attempted in a junior or NHL game is supported by years of training in the fundamentals of the game.

INCORPORATE A PROGRESSION OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT FOR EVERY PARTICIPANT

Regardless of a player’s skill level, it is your responsibility as a coach to teach every kid on your team. It is no secret that if kids experience improvement in their skills, no matter what their athletic ability may be, they will continue to participate and return to learn more. Teach the skills in the proper order so you can continue to improve and build on each training session.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT

Following are some general observations of youth sports as stated in the Long Term Athlete

Development Plan.

• Young athletes under-train, over-compete; Low training to competition ratios in early years
• Training in early years focuses on outcomes (winning) rather than processes (optimal training)
• Poor training between 6-16 years of age cannot be fully corrected (athletes will never reach genetic potential)
• The best coaches are encouraged to work at elite level;

Basically it takes 10,000 hours or 10,000 repetitions (Permanent Muscle Memory) to master a skill. With the ages of 9 – 12 being the most important for skill acquisition it is during this time period that the skills included in the specialty clinics need to be repeated consistently. To that end, the skills were chosen so that a coaching staff can work on these specific skills until a reasonable level of mastery is achieved and then move onto more advanced skills. The focus of this session is to provide examples of how to introduce drill progressions focusing on skill development and the use of small-sided games to re-enforce and develop player’s skills. These drills force the player to think in a game-like situation, fun, competitive environment.