Reply To: Good Habits at Practice? The Art of Coaching!

[DMan]

Dean,

Thanks for the feedback. A few points for clarification.

Skating low: We have a relatively unskilled group for their age, and they tend to play the game very straight-legged. By skating low I'm referring to deep knee bend / low center of gravity. I think this improves every aspect of a players game, but it's a hard thing to change. We spent a good deal of time in the weight room in the off-season trying to improve leg strength. It still needs a lot of attention and work though.

Calling for the pass: I like your idea of silent hockey. Unfortunately we already play silent hockey, but it's a different quality. I agree that calling tips off the defenders, but we are not at that level yet. For us communication speeds up our puck movement, which is a primary challenge.

Minimizing puck handling: We tend to overhandle the puck in game situations instead of driving / transitioning with the puck already in passing / shooting position. As a result we are very predictable to other teams because we have to pull the puck into position before passing or shooting. Again, we're dealing with much lower talent level than you do though.

Thanks again…..looking forward to that video. Sure wish you could attach one of those beers to your post….they sound awfully good.

ps. I played some pick-up yesterday with that wood stick I picked up and what a difference! I was able to spend way more time looking up at the play (what a concept) instead of playing catch-up with the puck. I'm inspired to convert some players. Thanks again.