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This is a letter that Dean Holden sent this morning with suggestions for coach reading. Dean coaches at a Junior High School Hockey Canada Skills Academy, runs his own High School Sports Performance program, does coach development / evaluation for Hockey Alberta and private mentoring.

“I thought I would some of the book titles I am reading this month. There may be some possible Christmas gifts here!

"The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle. "Talent is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin. Both are easy and enjoyable to read with some real-life examples that make you say ‘wow.’ Pop culture meets science. Both books get you thinking…

"Coaching Champions - Soccer Coaching in Italy" by Frank Dunne. It is an interesting coaching perspective with interviews with top age-group coaches from U11 to U21, in the Italian Azzurri club. There are some developmental / leadership lessons that can apply to hockey. It details how the best coaches in Italy run their club program. We should take the positives from their experiences and bring these back into our own programs.

"Whose Puck is it Anyway?" by Ed Arnold. Forward by Bob Gainey and Afterward by Steve Larmer. Should be a ‘must read’ for Minor Hockey coaches and those who care about the game. Real life chronicles from a minor hockey league season in Ontario.

"I'd Trade Him Again" by Peter Pocklington, Terry McConne and J'Lyn Nye. The history behind the decision that signalled the beginning of the dismantling of the Oilers core and ultimately helped enhance interest in hockey in California (and some say, the USA in general.)

"Leafs Abomination" by Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange and "Why the Leafs Suck" by Al Strachan. Both are timely titles for an Original Six franchise that has clearly lost its way. Reading between the lines, one can clearly see ‘what NOT to do’ and hopefully this advice can be put to use in a positive fashion. It remains to be seen if Brian Burke can turn things around.

'When the Lights Went Out" by Gare Joyce. An account of the 1987 Punch-up in Piestany. This one is more for pure enjoyment / hockey history. Timely as New Years means it’s time yet again for the World Junior Championships!

I also highly recommend another of Joyce’s books, "Future Greats and Heartbreaks”. One of my fascinations is with Talent ID and how can we do a better job of detecting it? It is the Billion Dollar Question! Here is one reader's comment on "Future Greats”: The reader is “... taken along in the Blue Jackets' war room for the 2006 NHL Draft and travels the junior hockey scouting world through the 2006-2007 NHL season. There are tons of interesting inside information, including a different view on Phil Kessel, the Russian prospects' situation and Akim Aliu."

"Think like a Champion" by Donald Trump, Meredith McIver and "Trump - the Way to the Top. The Best Business Advice I Ever Received" by Donald Trump. Any time you can gain insight into an entrepreneur like Trump, it is time well spent.

"Reallionaire" by Farrah Gray and Fran Harris. Truly an amazing story... a particularly good read if you need to be inspired. Gives you an appreciation for the ability of young kids to learn and understand; especially when they are motivated!

"Made to Stick - Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Good stuff. Turn the business angle into a coaching perspective for your players.

These books are best to get from a library (free) or order online through Indigo. It's way cheaper than buying them for full price from a Chapters store!

Finally, my highest recommendation goes to "Hockey Coaching ABC's: A program to develop the complete player" (BOOK 2) by Juhani Wahlsten and Tom Molloy. Tom gave me a copy a few years ago and I have read it cover-to-cover several times. It is the one book I consistently carry with me in my coaching bag. It has been highlighted, underlined and written in – something I don’t do in lesser tomes. This is the BEST hockey coaching book I have read to date. I consider it the modern Bible of hockey coaching; much like Anatolyi Tarasov considered “The Hockey Handbook” by Lloyd Percival (published in the 1951.)

“Originally published in 1951, and rejected at the time by one NHL coach as “the product of a three-year-old mind,” Lloyd Percival’s The Hockey Handbook went on to become an internationally recognized classic. Russian and European coaches seized on the book as the first authoritative, analytical treatment of hockey fundamentals and based their training regimes on the principles Percival described. The father of Russian hockey, Anatoli Tarasov, wrote to Percival: “Your wonderful book which introduced us to the mysteries of Canadian hockey, I have read like a schoolboy.” Now, nearly half a century later, The Hockey Handbook remains in a class by itself. It is the first book required by players or coaches at all levels of proficiency who are setting out to develop their own or their team’s hockey skills.”


Although I am friends with Tom, he didn't ask me to PR his book; nor am I receiving any kickbacks from recommending his book. This is an unsolicited comment. I have read thousands of books since I started coaching in 1986 and I truly believe it is THAT good! In my opinion, the use of small area games help players discover the right decisions to make in game-like conditions (random situations and under pressure.) This is the absolute best way to allow the players to develop their hockey sense; as opposed to ‘patterned drills’ which deny creativity and independent problem-solving. I have recommended to Hockey Alberta that this book should be part of the future curriculum manuals we hand out for our Development 1, Development 2 and High Performance 1 coaching courses.

Amazon has Book 1, but you want to order Book 2 directly from Tom as it has more information, drills and games than it’s predecessor (it has a black spiral-bound cover, not red like BOOK 1). It can be ordered from Tom's website (which is also full of good info) at: http://hockeycoachingabcs.com.
Tom can be reached at tommolly@hotmail.com

As a close second recommendation to Tom's book, I also highly recommend Bruce Brown's work (he has a number of CD's / DVD's / coaching pamphlets and does public speaking). Bruce is a former coach and Athletic Director in the Pacific Northwest. Bruce is all about teaching life lessons through sport and in my mind, that's what it should be all about. I HIGHLY recommend this stuff. I bought a bunch of it. It is great to be able to listen to one of his CD’s while you are driving. Bruce’s site is located at http://www.proactivecoaching.info/


Enjoy your holidays.

Dean


'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'
   
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Dean,

I share your zeal for talent ID and would recommend for anyone else that is these.

This is a good article by Malcom Gladwell. I enjoy his writing style and this article he discusses why football QBs are so difficult to rate in the NFL.

http://www.gladwell.com/2008/2008_12_15_a_teacher.html


I also recommend the book that was talked about in "Future Greats and Heartbreaks" about famous baseball scout Tony Lucadello titled, "prohet of the Sandlots" by Mark Winegardner.


Any other books that people have read since this I would love to hear about them.

   
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Eric,

Thanks for your article by Gladwell. I will check it out. I too enjoy his writing. I will also look for the "Prophets of the Sandlots" at the library.

"Moneyball" by Michael Lewis (2003) is a baseball book that discusses the use of statistics and the predictors of success. (I admit I had to slog through it as I am not a baseball fan; nor a big fan of statistics, in the slightest!)

If memory serves me right, one of the most important stats is about 'getting on base'. I know the NY Rangers used this book as inspiration to redesign their scouting system. Their operating procedures are a closely guarded secret and I am not privy to all the details. However, it will be interesting to see how they do in the draft over the next 5-10 years.

I have read another 75+ books since I posted this initial list. If I can find some time to list the best ones around Christmas again this year, I will do so.

I encourage other people to post their favourite books. Also, check out the "Articles" thread for some more good ones...


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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Registered: 08/05/09
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Just bought The Talent Code. Its a good book huh? Is this a book you would recommend 1st or is ther another one thats just as good?

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Aberdeen,

"The Talent Code" is a great place to start!

I would recommend "Talent is Overrated" as a second book - Geoff Colvin.

Third, I would read "Bounce" by Matthew Syad.

With Malcolm Gladwell's trio of books ("The Tipping Point" and "Blink" ), "Outliers" is the one most closely related to expertise and would be a good fourth book to read.

Enjoy!


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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Thanks, Whats weird is this is the 1st year Im not coaching yet bought this book to help continue my coaching skills. Whatever “coaching” means.

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I have thought about "Moneyball" as a book to try to relate hockey too, but haven't been able to muster up the will to read it. It was discussed in "Three Nights in August", another baseball book that follows the Cardinals skipper around for a big series late in the year. Lou was the anti-moneyball according to the book.

"Drive" by Daniel Pink talks about motivation. Although you can probably save yourself a decent amount of time and just watch the video of his presentation on it.

It's not a book but www.ted.com is a fantastic website for people from all different backgrounds discuss the latest "ideas" and theories. Each presenter is limited to 15 minutes so you they pack it full of information. You can get lost on that site for weeks and learn so much. Great thinkers.

"The five dysfuntions of a team" is a good read as well that is in fable form.

   
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Quote by: Aberdeen

Thanks, Whats weird is this is the 1st year Im not coaching yet bought this book to help continue my coaching skills. Whatever “coaching” means.

I suspect you have the "coaching disease". It is blood born and usually genetically inherited. I promised my dad on his deathbed that I would leave coaching and get a "real job"... I tried to get treatment and get away from the game to detox, but after two years, I had to go back. It's like an addiction. I haven't done Meth, but I suspect coaching / hockey is THAT addictive.

Now I don't "coach a team" per se; but through my work in the skill academies; my work with Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta; all my reading and researching; my involvement with my mentor coaches; my evaluation and mentoring of other coaches... I am still very active in the trenches and in the pursuit of coaching / leadership knowledge. I have an open Mindset; am a student of the game; and know I am a lifelong learner!

I made a conscious decision to step away from the "team coaching" commitment and travel once we started to raise a family. It has been a great time to refresh my passion for coaching and one day when the kids get older, I hope to return to Major Junior or else go back to Europe...!

Enjoy your time away Aberdeen and continue to fuel your passion! You will be a better coach / person when you return! This time off is all about finding and replenishing balance... because at the higher levels, when you are coaching a team, it is tough to find balance of any kind...if you can find it, you are a better man than I!

Speaking of balance.... Friday night with a Blue Monk Barley Wine - able to watch the Flames (Shames) and the BlackHawks on HD... rather than on the road... I guess it is the next best thing... for now, this is balance... until I pull out the rye and get unbalanced!


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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hyper
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Quote by: Eric

I have thought about "Moneyball" as a book to try to relate hockey too, but haven't been able to muster up the will to read it. It was discussed in "Three Nights in August", another baseball book that follows the Cardinals skipper around for a big series late in the year. Lou was the anti-moneyball according to the book.

"Drive" by Daniel Pink talks about motivation. Although you can probably save yourself a decent amount of time and just watch the video of his presentation on it.

It's not a book but www.ted.com is a fantastic website for people from all different backgrounds discuss the latest "ideas" and theories. Each presenter is limited to 15 minutes so you they pack it full of information. You can get lost on that site for weeks and learn so much. Great thinkers.

"The five dysfunctions of a team" is a good read as well that is in fable form.

Eric, Thanks for sharing. Moneyball was (for me - a person totally uninterested in baseball, even though I played it until grade 7) a tough slog. Learned a few things though... Can't say I will read "Three nights in August" - a baseball book - unless you HIGHLY recommend it. I would rather... drink beer and think deep thoughts. Or clean out the kitty litter. Hmmmm... something smells....

Check out "Win Forever" by Pete Carroll - the new Seattle NFL coach. (I would rather read a book from an NBA or NFL coach than baseball... other than freaky eye/hand coordination, it ain't a sport... when you can drink beer WHILE PLAYING and effectively play at a weight of 250+ lbs (right Cecil Fielder?), then it's a hobby... right darts?)

I will look up the Drive video to save myself some time as it is indeed precious with two kids, a wife and way too many other things going on (teaching hockey, reading, motorbikes, bicycles, beer, rye, etc!)

I will also check out this TED site you mention. Never heard of it but it sounds like another thing that warrants my attention.


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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lazy
Registered: 08/05/09
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Location: Calgary AB Canada
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Some "fun" books to read over Christmas:

The Final Call by Kerry Fraser.

Tough Guy by Bob Probert.

The Making of Slapshot by Jonathon Jackson

The Day I (almost) Killed Two Gretzky's by James Duthie

Don Cherry Part 2 by the MAN himself!

They Call Me Killer by Brian Kilrea and James Duthie


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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mellow
Registered: 08/05/09
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Location: Calgary AB Canada
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I'll have to check out some of these...

I would not highly recommend the "Three Nights in August." It is a good read and I have a better understanding of baseball and more respect for what the skipper in baseball actually does after reading it. But, you probably won't take a lot back to the rink with you after reading it.

   
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Thanks for the review Eric. I probably will take a pass on this one after reading your comments. Blah is all I can say about baseball. Too slow moving for my liking!

I just picked up "The Genius in All of Us" by David Shenk (2010). Looks like a good one...!


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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I bought The Talent Code. There is an issue with it. They talk about myelin a lot and how deep practice can build more of it. “Nerve firings grow myelin, myelin controls impulse speed, and impulse speed is skill”.
But that’s not true. Myelin is created during fetal development and continues rapidly until age two which is why babies require high fat diet. Myelination continues more slowly through adolescence but there is nothing to be done to control it. And myelination has nothing to do with skill beyond the fact that it facilitates nerve communication which allows movement.


Neural firing has nothing to do with myelination. Neural firing is the electrical and chemical impulses jumping the synapse from one nerve cell to another. Schwann cells supply the myelin for peripheral neurons (arms, legs, etc.) and oligodendrocytes myelinate the CNS (brain, spinal cord).

The other side is there are diseases caused from a lack of myelin. If you could just grow it then there wouldn’t be diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

My wife is a medical writer and has case studies about this very topic.
-----------------------------
Aberdeen, interesting insight. You should write Daniel Coyle about this on his website and see what he has to say. I thought he explained how deep practice thickened the myelin. Ask him. I would be interested in the response.

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Interesting x 2. I never thought to question the science but I should have. Would be interesting to hear Coyle and a medical professional discuss this...


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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Isn't here something about myelination ( my english is not for this kind of text)? At least he's the expert that Coyle uses in the Talent Code.

http://2007annualreport.nichd.nih.gov/snsdp.htm

And here's he's book:
http://theotherbrainbook.com/about.php


Kai

   
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Since Christmas, I have finished reading several books on my reading list, started a few more and sourced out some additional books that interest me in the future.

Read:

Presentation Zen
Garr Reynolds

Creating Extra-Ordinary Teachers: Multiple Intelligences for the Classroom and Beyond
Branton Shearer

Tough Guy: My Life on the Edge
Bob Probert, Kirstie McLellan Day

The Making of Slap Shot : Behind the Scenes of the Greatest Hockey Movie
Jonathon Jackson

The Score Takes Care of itself: My Philosophy on Leadership (Bill Walsh)
Steve Jamison and Craig Walsh.

Win Forever: Live, Work and Play like a Champion
Pete Carroll, Yogi Roth, Kristoffer A. Garin

Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar
James Marcus Bach

The Dirty Truth:
T. J. Anderson

Always compete : an Inside Look at Pete Carroll and the USC Football Juggernaut
Steve Bisheff


Reading:

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
Lou Aronica, Sir Ken Robinson

The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About Genetics, Talent and IQ is Wrong
David Shenk

Think Smart
Richard Restak

Herb Brooks
John Gilbert

A Game Plan for Life : the Power of Mentoring
John Wooden

Urban's Way: Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators and his Plan to Win
Buddy Martin

Scorecasting : the Hidden Influences Behind how Sports are Played and Games are Won
Tobias J. Moskowitz


To Read:

The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success
Jeff Brown, Mark Fenske

The Mentor Leader
Tony Dungey

Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer
Bruce Boudreau and Tim Leone

Eddie Shore and that Old Time Hockey
Michael C. Hiam

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
John C. Maxwell

Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovations
Steven Johnson

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Daniel H. Pink

Selected: Why Some People Lead, Why Others Follow, and Why it Matters
Anjana Ahula, Mark Van Vugt

The Psychology of Abilities, Competencies and Expertise
Robert Sternberg, Elena L. Grigorenko

Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers and Changemakers
Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, James Macanufo

Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error
Kathryn Schulz

The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Applied Intelligence
Robert J. Sternberg, James C. Kaufman, Elena L. Grigorenko

Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative
Sir Ken Robinson


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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thoughtful
Registered: 08/05/09
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Location: Calgary AB Canada
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I just heard of a new book. "The Art of Scouting" Shane Malloy

I ordered it and it is on the way so I'll update more later. It's about the scouting process and what and how a NHL scout looks for and does. The author has a website and there are reviews listed if you simply google the name.

   
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Quote by: Eric

I just heard of a new book. "The Art of Scouting" Shane Malloy

I ordered it and it is on the way so I'll update more later. It's about the scouting process and what and how a NHL scout looks for and does. The author has a website and there are reviews listed if you simply google the name.

I want this too. I messaged Tom on Facebook asking Shane was related. He isnt Smile

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Shane was on a local Calgary radio show (FAN 960) last week promoting his new book. I have read the first chapter and look forward to getting into the 'meat' of the content.

Not sure if you have read Gare Joyce's "Future Greats and Heartbreaks" book about scouting - it came out a few years ago. He also wrote a blog for some time afterwards that he updated with some of his thoughts.

(PS Tom spells his last name with an "o", not an "a"!)

My experience mirrors what numerous pro coaches and scouts say - some of the qualities that are placed in high demand (after skillset) are competitiveness, work ethic and passion for the game. Maybe we should start a new topic for this? ("Player Qualities in Demand?)
-----------------------------
The Finnish association held a symposium for the IIHF about 4 years ago because the Russians didn't put one on while hosting the World Championships. I went and Kai was there as well.
It came down to raknkings like this.
1. Game intelligence.
2. Competitiveness.
3. Skating
4. Skill sets.
These were tought to predict the players success along with adequate size..


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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I just received an email from a company (PHE Canada) that I order books from. I just received this one about a month ago and it looks good. For any coaches looking to gain further insight on the "Game Sense" methodology, I would recommend you take a look at this book. The title is TGfU - Simply Good Pedagogy: Understanding a Complex Challenge. It is normally $49.95 but is on sale for $32.18 - I think it may have a time limit - check the site.

http://www.phecanada.ca/store/tgfu-simply-good-pedagogy-understanding-a-complex-challenge.html

The description is as follows:

A product of the 4th Annual International TGfU Conference
An ideal text for preservice teacher education programs!
This Canadian TGfU resource brings together the ideas and perspectives of leading global TGfU proponents as presented at the 4th International TGfU conference held in Canada. This text highlights the current research and practice from around the world in games teaching/coaching as inspired by the TGfU approach. A selection of accepted papers form the basis of the texts:

Learning to play games as a complex challenge
TGfU generating new ideas in the PE curriculum
Coaching approaches for developing game senses in novice and expert players
Worth the work: Lessons learned from implementing TGfU

This book includes a detailed introduction of the TGfU long term planning approach and outlines how TGfU promotes problem solving, critical thinking, decision making and overall better games players. This resource will help teachers to understand and apply the concept and implementation of quality physical education programs.


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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I have added yet another item to my 'to do' list this summer - update the book list with those I have read this year or so... There have been some good ones! (Summer's are time to do some PD and prepare for next year!)


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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Dean,

Lucky me! I purchased Book 2 from Tom's website the day before they went on mail strike , so it couldn't be mailed. I will be like a little kid checking the mail everyday , hoping that the book arrives soon.

Purchasing the book is the least that I could do for Tom , as I feel I have gained so much knowledge from his website and all the time Tom puts in each day with the drills (Games) etc.

I haven't coached a team for years , but still run and help with practices of different levels each year.
I have a passion too find and gain knowledge of the game of hockey , which I can pass on to young players today.

Coaching seems to be something you can't let go . I t always draws you back in.

The best part is , parents can't complain (sorry,Don't complain as much) when you are a NON parent coach.

I will give my feed back after going over the book when it arrives.

RookieCoach

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Quote by: RookieCoach

Dean,

Lucky me! I purchased Book 2 from Tom's website the day before they went on mail strike , so it couldn't be mailed. I will be like a little kid checking the mail everyday , hoping that the book arrives soon.

I haven't coached a team for years , but still run and help with practices of different levels each year.
I have a passion too find and gain knowledge of the game of hockey , which I can pass on to young players today.
Coaching seems to be something you can't let go . I t always draws you back in.

The best part is, parents can't complain (sorry,Don't complain as much) when you are a NON parent coach.

I will give my feed back after going over the book when it arrives.

RookieCoach

RK,

I consider Tom's book the 'bible' of coaching! I hope you like it and will be curious to hear what you think.

When Tom first gave me a copy of Book 1 late in the 1990's, I wasn't advanced enough in my thinking to understand or like it. I got overwhelmed by all the coding and practice setups. So I threw it on my bookshelf and ignored it (like any good Neanderthal, old-school hockey coach. After all, if I don't understand it, there must be something wrong with the book - it couldn't be me!)

Anyways, fast forward to 2007 when Tom gave me Book 2. The light bulb had been clicking since 2003 and voila - "the bible" appeared! WOW! It actually was epiphanic when I read it. I have highlighted the entire thing and made notes in the margin. It is well worn and well used. I have promoted it to many people and have been helping sell them for Tom. It is well worth the $25!

Tom can correct me on this, but I don't think there is much difference between books in content - rather he has a much better format and binding for Book 2. (Tom - feel free to chip in here!)

I am writing a new coaching 'bible' based on the activities and philosophies I have learned from John "The Colombian" Castrillon that will continue to shed light on Game Intelligence Training. Once we get it done, perhaps Tom will advertise it on his site. I will probably have to buy him a couple of beers for that...! (Had a great lunch today with Tom, Dan MacDonald and "The Colombian". Tom used his RIM Playbook to video some of our conversation and diagrams; he said he might put it onto this site if it turns out OK.)

I agree about coaching - it is a 'sickness' that once it gets in your blood, you can't get rid of it! There is no cure!

Parents - in Russia, after about age 8, they are not allowed into the rink for practice.

Regards,


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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Rookie Coach, I put the book in the mail a few days ago when they took the lock of the mailbox. It should get there next week. I look forward to your comments.

Dean you are right and wrong about the similarities of book 1 and book 2.

Book 1 has 80 pages of text that describes the coaching philosophy, using games to teach the game, the coding system and finishes with removable coaching cards for the beginning levels 0-1-2. These 55 coaching module cards are double sided with 110 modules and are thick enough to stay rigid and can be carried in a pocket. The idea is for a coach to move through the levels taking skating, skills and game cards as his practice plan. If you go through all of the cards by the end of level 2 the players will have practiced a lot of skating, learned to shoot and carry the puck as well as how to pass. Each one of these skills has games that use these skills under game condition as well as games to teach good playing habits.

Book 2 has the same first 80 pages in the first 86 pages. The game table on page 77 in book 1 is better than the one in book 2. Page 87 is new and it is about Playing Principles and has 8 pages written by Juhani on how game situations teach the game. It finishes with a page describing the international playing symbols.

Page 97 starts the section on How to Play in Various Offensive and Defensive Situations and I go over each situation starting with a 1-1 and progress to team play including specialty teams finishing with how to practice specialty team play on page 147.

We had to put the practice modules on regular sized paper instead of the thicker removable coaching cards because the book would be too thick.

The first three beginning levels 0-1-2 are the same as book 1 and are followed by more advanced levels 3-4-5-6. Levels 5-6 are transition games.

Level 3
Level 3 focuses on game playing roles 1-3, the player with the puck and the player checking the puck carrier as well as more advanced skating exercises and routines. It has an exstensive body checking section as well as a large games section. Most exercises are from the B formations. The games focus on using individual skills within a game situation.

Level 4
Level 4 uses more advanced flow drills which are coded C and use the length of the ice and focus more on teaching game play situations and team play. So game situations 2 and 4. Offensive and defensive support. The games focus on Learning to Play the Game more than on individual skills.

The system has a total of 295 cards. So the last 185 are only in book 2. In book 1 the cards are numbered 1a - 1b because they are double sided. Levels 3-6 there is only one number.

Book 1 is for the first 2 or so years of hockey and book two is for after that. Juhani and I are both PE teacher/hockey coaches and it is written following a Progressive Scope and Sequence.

The videos Cancoach did that are on this site are all from book one.

The levels are only and example of how to use the system and were prepared for the Austrian Ice Hockey Federation. It is there official national program in the Geman version.

I started this site to compliment the book much like Daniel Coyle has his site about the Talent Code. Once you have written a book it is written and the purpose of this site is to answer questions about the coaching method and to keep up to date with the changes in the game. When I see a new drill or think of something new I code them within the ABC system, so they can be found easily and add them to our data base.

I learn new things all the time and am happy that organizations like USA hockey and German hockey are finally seeing the benefits of using games. It is too bad that they have to go through the whole process and try to re invent the wheel instead of acknowledging that a lot of work has already been done and then adding to the existing body of work. They are still in the infant stages of understanding how to use games in practice and how to progress from situation drills to Transition Games. But that is a topic for another day. (not only our method by Bill Beaney and others have been using games for years)

Probably not too exciting of a posting but I thought I should explain how Book 1 and Book 2 differ.


'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'
   
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Tom,

This is a great overview of how your Books 1 and 2 are similar and different. Thanks for taking the time to explain. Suggestion: you might want to link this (or a shortened point form brief) to your message on the home page under your books for sale - so coaches know the similarities and differences.


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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Thought I would cross-post these comments about two good books... they were under another thread "Tarasov leading training with music"


Last week I finally started reading "Russian Hockey Secrets" (Pocket Books / Simon & Schuster) - otherwise known as "The Road to Olympus" (Griffin Press, 1969) by Anatoli Tarasov - (Standard Book Number 671-78619-9 / SBN 88760-002-6). This is a very hard book to find - I had to go online and search used bookstores to find it. It was $1.25 new back in the day - I spent $30 plus shipping for a decent used copy. Well worth the money - I am up to page 50 and it is excellent. He provides great descriptions about the evolution of Russian hockey on and off the ice. Particularly interesting are the off-ice exercises and games he played.

The North American 'experts' at the time (1950's and 1960's) thought that Canadian Lloyd Percival was insane, ridiculing him about his beliefs about hockey and how one should train. (I recommend picking up his original book, "The Hockey Handbook" 1960 SBN 498-08846-4 A.S. Barnes and Co., Inc South Brunswick and New York). It is another tough book to find... again I had to search online for a decent used book. I ended up buying three for my collection as they are significant works. One to use as a working copy; the other two are for display!

Anyway, the Russians used Percival's book as their guiding light to design their hockey system - to outstanding results. Obviously, the cultural differences between Communism and Democracy allowed the Russians to have quicker results in a top-down system. "Tarasov's way or the highway" - and hockey provided a better lifestyle than strictly a military life - so the same ideas would germinate differently and have different results in the two widely opposite cultures.


Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
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Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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I finally finished "The Genius in all of Us" by David Shenk. Well worth the read!

"... David Shenk debunks the long-standing notion of genetic "giftedness." We are not prisoners of our DNA, and greatness is in the reach of every individual."

"Forget everything you think you know about genes, talent and intelligence. In recent years, a mountain of scientific evidence has emerged suggesting a new paradigm; not talent scarcity, but latent talent abundance."



He mentions similar stuff to the "Talent Code", "Mindset", etc.

Half the book is his consolidation of recent research, stating that the equation to predict one's potential for greatness is G x E... not the Mendelian belief of G + E - a critical distinction. The other half he uses to provide a detailed reference on his sources... also interesting to those who want to learn more about expertise, etc.

I was taught Gregor Mendal's genetic's in Junior and senior high... and it was accepted that Genes were the primary component to what we would become... we had very limited influence on them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Mendel

Shenk, using the research of others, says that while Genes play a role, they are not nearly as significant as previously thought. The Environment has a much larger role - fortunately! And we can all choose to impact our own environments! I look at it as a philospohical difference between Determinism (Genes) and Freewill (Environment)...



Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training

"Great education depends on great teaching."

   
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Tom,

I received Book 2 Hockey Coaching ABC's today in the mail.
I had the book in one hand , the tongs in the other hand , and the glasses on the end of my nose while attending too the BBQ.

Being a new viewer or user of your website , I never really thought about the meaning of the book. I figured it was something about teaching the game , but never thought about the ABC part.

I understand that the A or
A formation drills are for the individual skill.
B formation- are for the partner skills .
C - formation exercises use the skills learned in A and B in a game like situation .

I will go back over this again I'm sure , so I totally understand the coding or formations.
Understanding these formations will help with drills or games selected from your library to fit the theme of the practice.

Being a bench coach for a game really means nothing too me. But teaching the young players skills for the game and for the coaches, then watching them apply the skills in a game is what I enjoy most. Seeing a young player gain confidence from practice , and not hating going to practice is the best reward.

I have been coaching for over 20 years now (at a different level than yourself ,Dean ,obviously) , and the one thing I always believe is that as a coach ,/ mentor ./ instructor / if I can gain the respect for young players by showing that I am organized and am there to help them get better and enjoy the game , they will always give a great effort regardless of their ability.
I don't know what it is , but I keeping coming back too this site daily looking for new things.
As said to Hockeygod the other day ," coaching keeping pulling you back in, it's in your blood I guess"
Thanks
Tom

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Rookie Coach, I am glad you got the book and have had a chance to go through it.
When I first met Juhani and he explained the system and how it is organized I didn't realize how logical the system is and it took me a few years to really implement the ideas.

I taught my Physical Education classes using lots of games and tournaments but I coached hockey like everyone else. So I implemented the method more in my classes than on the ice and slowly adapted so that all of my instruction on and off the ice followed the ABC philosophy. This made me a much more organized teacher and a coach who won almost all of the time and not just when I had a lot of really good players but most importantly my practices really improved for effectiveness and enjoyment.

I am in this group called 'Drill of the Week' which consists of coaches all over the world in pro, jr. and college who take turns contributing drills and other practice activities. I find it very difficult to understand most of the diagrams. Some use international symbols and some don't. Without a coding system like the ABC's it is hard to figure out just where the drill fits into the larger scheme of things. They are great drills but if everyone used the international symbols and coded 1-the starting formation, 2-drill focus it would make it a lot easier. Right now I have to go through all of the drills to find anything instead of just looking for C2 and knowing it is a games situation drill starting from a lineup on one side of the ice in the nzone, or D4 and knowing it is a game in one zone.

My practice plans are usually on the back of a business card from places I used to coach. It will look something like A3 - 2 puck overload 5', B6-3pass,3 lanes, 3 shots 5', D4 - 2 pass x 2 x 5"-10', C2 - 1-0,2-0,3-0 4-0,5-0 -10'. B600 - 2-2, 2-1 Regroup with D-10'. DT 1-1, 2-1, add regroup-15', E1-2 shot S.O 5'. The code eliminates the need for a diagram because it tells where the drill starts and flows to and I name the drills.
The drills and games in the seven progressive levels at the back of the book are only examples of how to organize a program and can easily be added to.

I plan on eventually coding the material I have but a consistent international language of letters and numbers would make it easier for coaches who use the same alphabet and would be easy for nations like Russia to adapt to their alphabet.

The coding is only part of it because the two themes of the program are: "Enjoy the Game" and "The Game is the Great Coach"


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Tom &Dean ,

Day 2 - of reading Hockey Coaching ABC's Book 2.

The first day I made it through the first 86 pages.

Day 2- I started in with the Playing Principals and Team Play. I found myself in this section reading one page then going back to the section with the 3 Phases and 4 Roles.
The book would talk about ex; creating a 1on1 situation then the playing roles and game phases. Well I guess I didn't read that section well enough so I had too back pedal a bit. Now I wrote out a book mark with the phases and playing roles on it so I could keep with the page i am reading for reference.
Dean , now i see why you used a high light for everything.
It is kind of a different language for coaches , something that we are not used too. I guess i;'m not anyways.
I am finding a different view point on coaching so I seem to be taking more time with each page. Kind of studying each page as I go.
I totally understand most structures,, zones , plays in the game of hockey but i' am trying to see it from this new view point.
I am enjoying the book so for , and it is making me think things over trying to find a balance .

I will report back when I get another moment to read. Going to be a while though 1 page at a time.

RookieCoach

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