Reply To: Coaching philosophy

[Tom Molloy]

Tom

Your comments above are perhaps the best I have read on this site to date. Where does one start…

1. "common sense is a most uncommon thing" applies to hockey as well.

I call it "UNCOMMON SENSE" as it isn't that common…

2. When learning individual technique everyone should have a puck and not wait in line for their turn. Reps are the key. (with correct mechanics). This applies to shooting skills as well.

Agreed 100%. Eliminate 'down time' and make it useful – as long as you are practicing the proper mechanics!

3. Every individual skill learned should move into a gamelike situation.

Halleluiah brother! Game-like = MORE FUN!

4. Partner skills such as passing should be done with one partner and then multiple partners all at the same time and all over the ice. Not waiting for a turn in a lineup where you make a few passes then move onto the next drill. These skills should also move to a competitive situation so they can be performed under pressure. REPS with proper technique.

Competitive situations expose the true character of people. It would be simplistic to say that it brings out the best in people – mental focus, intensity, the desire to get better, fun, etc. – as it also can bring out the worst in people (disrespect, quitting, cheating, etc.) But it least it shows one's true colours.

In other words there are NO LINEUPS with individual and partner skills. The coach has to create situations where everyone is active at the same time. Develop ROUTINES like the skating routing Gaston uses at the start of each session. Do this for all the individual and partner skills. Give them a name and let the players "get at er" I am thinking of setting routines to music (guys wouldn't like that but I think the girl's would.)

The only time players should line up is when they need recovery time between reps. Hockey is an anaerobic game and the w/r ratio in drills, games and transition games is very important. If players are waiting longer than the recovery time needed then the activity is a poor coaching choice.

This is the challenge we all face as coaches. Take the time to get better at it as your individual players will enjoy the development process and ultimately, the team will play better. Naming ROUTINES is an excellent idea as it cuts down on explanation time and helps one achieve the 80% AIM goal. Besides, it helps with training the fitness levels to replicate the hockey situation.

I have seen even pro men use music during a bag skate (Mike Keenan) and it helps take the pain / edge off – the players seemed to like it. I used music with the Dino girls for parts of practice, not a bag skate as I don't use these anymore… too 19th cy. for me) and it was a hit.

A.I.M.
Activity 80% (if the activity is anaerobic the recovery is part of this)
Instruction 10%
Maintenance 10%

We are teaching a game, so smaller games that isolate situations we want the players to experience and understand how to solve are the essential building block to development of the "Complete Player."

Yes – more timing 'doing' and less 'time filling' should be the goal. Practice scenarios should reflect game realities – this is where decision training is nurtured (of of our athletes have the capacity to become Gretzky's… it's the situations we place them in and how we encourage / inspire them that makes the difference! We teach defense and kill creativity / dash the hopes and dreams of far too many kids – way too early. Imagine if we just shut up and stand back and let the game be the best teacher… we would have more Gretzky's!)

We are competing with video games which give the kid's competitive situations that demand instant problem solving or they are kicked back to the beginning. We need to make practice exciting for them so they want to come to the rink instead of more "screen time."

That is our challenge in hockey and other sports. It isn't to produce elite athletes, (some will always rise to the top where that can become the focus.) It is to produce good citizens who are fit and who have learned to work with other people toward a common goal. Sports can help do that and video games can't.

Video games, especially the handheld ones on the phone, and the internet to some extent, are the 'new TV' and suck the brain power out of our youth (and some adults, too.) I used to play video games – actually I was of the era of pool rooms before pinball machines – and have played computer games, but have never owned an X-box / Playstation, etc. I think I am better for it. I read and it is way better for my mind! (Full disclosure, I do have an iTouch that I play games on sometimes while I am waiting, though… if I don't have any books.)

As a centreman who was known to be exceptional at winning face-offs, I would like to believe that playing video games helped improve my reflexes (as a partial justification for playing them – but can't prove it!) but I feel that by playing pool (my 'mispent youth') and having a pool table / air hockey at home helped me learn about angles – how to bank the puck or anticipate the bank – which certainly seems to be a 'lost art' while teaching today's kids…

Our goal should be to develop citizens who will give back to society; rather than become parasites and take – or develop an entitlement mentality and expect things to be given, not earned. By so doing, we create a positive contribution to society and strengthen the fabric of our communities. Our players become our legacy. Only a few will ever make the NHL and really, the focus should be on creating good citizens and teaching them how to deal with problems (problem solve and behave) in regards to real life – teach life skills through sport. Although it seems neat to be able to say, "I coached so and so who are / were in the NHL," I know I feel just as good, if not more so, when I talk about 'my' old players who went on to succeed in whatever field they choose – because 'a real job' is far more likely than the NHL!

Thanks for posting your opinions Tom… maybe this should be moved into it's own thread? "Coaching Philosophy"?

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Dean

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