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hockeygodFinnish Development Program Overview
I think this is why I was so impressed with the U17 team from Finland… we (hockey in Canada) need to put more resources towards people – educate coaches with practical activities – and then provide ongoing support.
We also must educate the parents – we shouldn't ignore them. After all, they make decisions with their pocketbook on what sports their kids will play…
The current Canadian model violates principles of adult learning (sit through lots of boring lectures where the taskmaster 'tells' the clinic attendees what / how / when to do everything; it is drill and system focussed ("DMO" = "Drill Manual Obssession" – even at the youngest levels); and barely covers the important topics of coaching philosophies and methodologies… not to mention incorporating accountability through realistic game-like situations!
Content concerning the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) plan seems to be an afterthought – simply providing information to the coaches without really showing them how to apply it (or asking them how they think they should apply it).
Local MHA's in Canada need to recognize the Finnish model and adopt these practices. Fund them through increasing registration fees so they can hire their own TD's and put the emphasis on training and supporting the coaches. (Soccer has this model in Canada). Then these coaches can take their training and provide it to their players. It would be cost / time prohibitive to have the TD work with every team / every player on a daily basis; rather, equip and support the coaches so they can deliver their message to their players. Once the season (and this system) is well underway, the TD can target certain coaches / teams who are struggling; run 'camps' or 'skill academies' on a regular basis to help improve the basic skills and understanding of the players (and coaches as they could volunteer as on-ice helpers within this model.)
I see some organizations hire specialty people to come in – once or twice a year! – to present to a group, then leave. I have done this for organizations myself – with the hope they will bring me back to follow up. Many times, they don't do this! This is a stop-gap measure with very little long-term success. They need to recognize how important consistency is and have someone (or a few people) working with the same organization long-term.
Hopefully this development model will get turned around sooner rather than later… for the betterment of all of our kids and coaches!
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Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
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