Quote by: Aberdeenamazes me how many coaches see something an NHL team does and then try to do that with their team.
I agree.
Professional sports are much publicized and accessible via various media. Pros are seen as role models because they are 'at the top of the mountain' and people want to emulate their 'heroes'. When someone like Tiger Woods 'falls', it becomes bigger than life.
It's great when there are positive things deserving of attention (pure skills, examples of sportsmanship and respect, healthy competition, etc.) but these seem to be occurring far less (or go unreported) than less desirable acts. (Thus, becoming fodder for my violence in sport and general stupidity topic... which I maintain to try to convince people there are better ways to act! The preponderance of 'bad news' becomes absurd in itself; hopefully people begin to recognize this and work towards creating 'good news' stories.)
Speaking of skills and tactics, what pro players are capable of are far beyond the realm of youth players (and a lack of 'true' understanding of the game by 99.9 % of youth (and pro!) coaches... the 'why' and 'how')... when the youth coaches should be focusing on developing the basic skills (challenging, yet realistic goal achievement... setting "SMART" goals), learning life lessons through sport and having FUN!!! Why do we complicate things so much?
Kids (and adults) just want to PLAY and enjoy the competition! Not too many people, when given a choice between games or drills, pick drills! Kids need to skate, control the puck, pass and shoot, understand and perform the 4 game playing roles... with their head up, at game speed, under pressure in a competitive environment, consistently. This is success.
Coaches seem to think kids are miniature adults and can't understand (or get frustrated) why they can't perform like the pros, or don’t understand the game like the pros. Coaches need to realize their kids are a work in progress. I believe that within each kid lies the seeds of greatness... a Jordan, a Pele, a Gretzky in waiting... sadly, far too few ever become actualized. The kids need to be in the ‘right time at the right place’ to experience a master coach whisperer who nurtures their inner greatness.
"Shoot!" "Pass!" "Stop! Move over there!" “Don’t do that!”... Coaches TELL kids what to do all the time... as if to impress them with their vast knowledge. This encourages DEPENDENT ATHLETES instead of letting them struggle, fail, learn, problem solve for themselves... so they become independent of the coach. They will figure things out via the game... intelligent coaches can help guide them using experiential learning (appropriate activities and games), and a questioning approach. Coaches should SHUT UP more, watch, guide the process... don't TELL them what to do and hold them accountable.
I think the best players ‘accidentally’ become the best despite coaches trying to tell them what to do and crushing their spirit. We must strive to protect and nurture the seeds of greatness within each player.
Many coaches lament the abilities of their kids and blame the previous coach for their shortcomings. "What the Hell did that person teach them? They don't even know how to breakout" ... (____ insert shortcoming here.)
I say that coach needs to take a long, hard look at himself (or herself) - their philosophy and their actions; not 'blame' the previous coach. My typical response to a coach who blames the previous coach on his players’ shortcomings is, “The previous coach is yesterday's news. You are their coach now. It's YOUR JOB to help them get better. Take some personal responsibility to help make your kids great. What are YOU doing to enable them to become their very best? How are YOU going to do that?”
Tough question... and most coaches don't (truthfully) have an answer... and I bet they didn't want to have to face that question.
I ask each coach to take this challenge themselves. Ask yourself the tough questions. Think carefully. Develop an action plan. Don't place blame; take Personal Responsibility In Developing Excellence. (PRIDE).
Get back to playing games, especially early on, to teach the game. Enjoy the game because it is a game... it ain't rocket science and it ain't gonna cure cancer. Keep it in perspective!
This past weekend, Hockey Alberta hosted a coach & player development clinic in Beiseker, a small town NE of Calgary. I couldn't attend the coach training on the Friday night, but did 6 hours of ice on Saturday. We had 17 kids and 4 coaches for the Novice group; 34 kids and 6 coaches for the atom and peewee groups; then 34 kids and 4 coaches for the bantam and midget kids. Each group had two hours of ice. Apparently, 24 coaches were there on Friday night but only 14 came to run the ice with their teams. I guess a few coaches even walked out of their training session on Friday night. Kind of sad but that isn't uncommon. The organizer put it down to 'Know it all" coaches who have to put an appearance in to be able to coach. Plus being harvest time, a lot of these guys are farmers; they couldn't come Saturday as they were getting the crops in.
By parachuting into this association, we gave them some valuable stuff, but without follow up, it is like going to hear a motivational speaker for an hour or two. You leave all motivated, then by the end of the week, you are back to your 'Groundhog Day' life! We, like motivational speakers, are only providing a brief spark of education and energy; it is up to the individual coach (or hopefully) the association to continue to support the coaches with further professional development (if they want it).
I am still trying to 'convert' Hockey Alberta to the benefits of the Game Intelligence methodology. We did some fun warmup games (3 tennis ball x-ice; the basket game; tire relay), with about 20 minutes at the end for some competitive 1 vs 1 / 2 v 2 stuff. My preference would be to forget about the power skating and technical instruction (especially given the needs of this association and the type of kids) and use games to teach the kids and the coaches, but this approach is still considered too radical...!
I spoke with almost every coach during the ice sessions. All of them agreed that the games were much more fun than the drills; plus the coaches didn't always seem comfortable (or sometimes capable) demonstrating all of the skills. (I know they could try to find someone else to demo or use technology to show the kids, but my impression was that most here don't have access to these things... this is a very small town with kids from nearby farms coming in to play out of this community.) Playing games allows the kids to learn from the game and doesn't put these coaches into the uncomfortable position of having to demonstrate something they can't do.
The more I watch, the more I study, I see that kids want to move - be they novice or midget - and standing around in lines waiting for 1 minute to do a 'drill' for 15 seconds is not anybody's idea of fun. Even adults struggle to maintain intense focus ('deliberate practice') under these conditions. For some reason, this is how we were taught and we are byproducts of our own upbringing; so we expect 5 - 17 year-old's to learn this way? We need to recognize that this is a wrong presumption - it's Industrial Revolution thinking - and implement change for the better. Time to get with the 21st century! (See www.ted.com for some great videos - in particular, search For Sir Ken Robinson and read some of his books if you get the chance...
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html )
We need to stress more activity! Be cognizant of the work to rest ratios, explanation time, management time, different ways to use the ice, etc. Play games with a purpose and keep score! Hold the kids accountable. Don't kill their creativity! Nurture their talents...
Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."