Game Intelligence / Decision Training

[hockeygod]

I think you mean by silence the Game Sense approach. Where you don't shout nonstop to player what they should do. Players are allowed to make their own choices and mistakes.

Netball, basketball and soccer are invasion games just like ice hockey. So they share same "laws of nature".
The book reference for off ice games and modified games to on ice.

I'm really working hard to shut up……

Kai, you are 100% right! "When you don't shout non-stop to a player what they should do". EXACTLY! Let them make mistakes and learn from them. Smart players learn more quickly…

Wally Kozak talked about "F.I.O."

FIO. Feeeee-O

FIGURE IT OUT

As in, let the players figure it out!

Yes, all of the above are invasion games, so they share similar laws of nature. Although American / Canadian football is a scripted sport with lots of discrete breaks in the play, players would still benefit from training with Game Sense and silence! Most 'athletes' would!

And hey, I am not perfect either. I still find myself having to work hard at shutting up… more often! I am a product of my upbringing under all of those coaches who used to yell non-stop! (Although I just try to keep it to cheering now…)

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[Tom Molloy]

Great discussion guys. Joan Vickers talks a lot about limiting coach input to only the extremes. Comment way the players execution is exceptional or really poor but now on every decision they make. (in her Decision Making booklet) When yoou comment do it like Dave says and ask for the reasons they made the choice.

My Tuesday practice focuses on game playing roles one and three. Individual offensive and individual defensive skills. We do a lot of small area and transition games.

I will try the 'Silent Treatment' in some of them and see how it works.

I have a couple of players with Tunnel Vision and it may be a way to help them.

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

[RedWingFan]

Artists have been known to block certain senses to help develop the other senses. Sculpting blindfolded or painting with ear plugs. I have to use ear plugs from time to time with my work. Sometimes I will leave the noisy area to grab something at my desk, where it is quiet, and it is interesting how different my surroundings are when I cannot hear a thing. I have typed a quick email before without taking ear plugs out and I am not sure if I think clearer but I can tell I think differently.

If one was to have a scrimmage or SAG with the players wearing ear plugs, I would think that it would need to be stressed that there is no checking for safety. Just a bump here and there would work to let you know that you could have been hit. I could imagine that skating to the corner and not hearing anything would for sure make you turn your head to see where the defenders are prior to picking up the puck.

As far as the silence in coaching, I always think back to the days where most everyone involved in hockey, played pond hockey. That is as silent of a game as one can get. The movie Pond Hockey has a few scenes where there is only the sounds of the puck and stick and blades.

[hockeygod]

TomM wrote:
Great discussion guys. Joan Vickers talks a lot about limiting coach input to only the extremes. Comment way the players execution is exceptional or really poor but now on every decision they make. (in her Decision Making booklet) When yoou comment do it like Dave says and ask for the reasons they made the choice.

My Tuesday practice focuses on game playing roles one and three. Individual offensive and individual defensive skills. We do a lot of small area and transition games.

I will try the 'Silent Treatment' in some of them and see how it works.

I have a couple of players with Tunnel Vision and it may be a way to help them.

Back when I taught with Joan, she talked about "Bandwidth Feedback" – it starts out fairly wide (generic) then gets narrower (more specific) as time goes on. Kind of like fine-tuning; it requires participants (and coaches) to pay LARGE attention to small details. I recommend you read her booklet or her latest text, "Perception, Cognition and Decision Training" from Human Kinetics (even if she misspelled my name inside…!)

I will be interested to hear how your silent treatment goes, Tom. When John and I come out to your skill academy, perhaps we can try something there… although the best approach is to try it in a gym off-ice (much more quiet).

Let me know if you want to bring your "Turk" out to our "Supergroup" session on Friday morning. Email me for more info.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

RedWingFan wrote:
Artists have been known to block certain senses to help develop the other senses. Sculpting blindfolded or painting with ear plugs. I have to use ear plugs from time to time with my work. Sometimes I will leave the noisy area to grab something at my desk, where it is quiet, and it is interesting how different my surroundings are when I cannot hear a thing. I have typed a quick email before without taking ear plugs out and I am not sure if I think clearer but I can tell I think differently.

If one was to have a scrimmage or SAG with the players wearing ear plugs, I would think that it would need to be stressed that there is no checking for safety. Just a bump here and there would work to let you know that you could have been hit. I could imagine that skating to the corner and not hearing anything would for sure make you turn your head to see where the defenders are prior to picking up the puck.

As far as the silence in coaching, I always think back to the days where most everyone involved in hockey, played pond hockey. That is as silent of a game as one can get. The movie Pond Hockey has a few scenes where there is only the sounds of the puck and stick and blades.

RWFan,

Welcome to the site and thanks for posting! Nice to see some 'new blood' around here!

Interesting observation from your workplace. I too can 'feel' the difference between a noisy work environment and a loud one. I think each individual has their own environment in which they work best. Sometimes it helps to 'shake it up' to see what a change will do… if anything at all.

I never though about scrimmaging with earplugs – neat idea. You are right on the money with the safety issue. We just say, "No talking, etc." and it usually works fine – after a few 10/10's or so! Then they get it!

Yeah, pond hockey… those were the days! I remember when you didn't know anybody, and you were younger then the majority, you just shut up and played. I haven't seen the movie, but I would like to look it up.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[RK]

Dean,
Very informative post. I must say that I read great deal of new info. just looking around at different articles. I will have to practice being quiet , or in your words "SHUT UP" and let there be silence.
Great job.

Thanks
RK

[hockeygod]

RK,

That's the principle of implicit learning (or the game teaching the game)… I could have 'told' people my 'answer' here (explicitly) at the outset; but instead I used the principle of guided discovery to help 'lead' people to think / read / research for themselves. I think most of the guys posting here on this thread did just that… my intent was to get people thinking for themselves and everyone contributed some excellent points. I learned too. So – mission accomplished!

I look forward to hearing reports on the use of silence during training AND how people do with 'less talking' as a coach and more 'letting the game teach the game' – followed by guided discovery for the players!

Glad that I was of some help…

Regards,

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[RedWingFan]

Pretty good documentary. Follows the US pond hockey championships and a few of the players that take part. Interviews players on their thoughts of todays game and pond hockey Gretzky Broten Lou Nanne

http://www.pondhockeymovie.com/trailer.html The Trailer

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/pond_hockey Full Film on Snag Films

http://www.hulu.com/watch/118204/pond-hockey Full Film on Hulu

[hockeygod]

Apparently, Hulu doesn't work from Canada… 🙁

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[DaveM]

Aren't we (USA) still at war with you guys? Oh wait, that was just a movie….it's tough keeping track of all our wars these days.

[hockeygod]

DaveM wrote:
Aren't we (USA) still at war with you guys? Oh wait, that was just a movie….it's tough keeping track of all our wars these days.

What movie are you referring to? The one with both of our windsurfers patrolling the arctic?? Some navy… 😉

Regarding 'real' wars from history… all I can say is, "Scoreboard DaveM – we won the last one!" 😛

Isn't Sarah Palin at war with everyone?! 🙄

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Trap play causes standstill in Tampa

Sportsnet Staff | November 10, 2011

A bizarre strategy from the Philadelphia Flyers drew the attention of the hockey world during their 2-1 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

Early in the first period, the Lightning lined up in a 1-3-1 defence. To counteract this, Flyers defenceman Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen held the puck in their own zone to avoid the Lightning's trap.

The Lightning chose not to attack the Flyers and the play came to a standstill.

After 30 seconds of the Flyers holding the puck in their defensive zone, the refs blew the play dead. The Flyers used the same strategy later on, and the play was again blown dead.

It is unclear if the league will get involved after this strange sequence of events.

http://www .sportsnet. ca/hockey/2011/11/10/bizarre_trap_play/?source=video

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

A game of trap

Mark Spector, November 10, 2011

BOSTON — We'd like to begin by thanking Philadelphia Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette for the free seminar he conducted Wednesday night in Tampa, revealing to the hockey world this salient fact: The trap is boring.

Where would the game be without Peter Laviolette? No doubt wandering in darkness without a forecheck or a flashlight, forever ignorant of the fact that coaches like Tampa's Guy Boucher value winning over entertainment value.

We can only be thankful that Laviolette had Chris Pronger slow the game down to our level, so the rest of us could recognize what Prof. Laviolette had been able to detect at game speed: That Tampa plays a 1-3-1.

"They have a set forecheck in the neutral zone, so we have a set breakout," Laviolette told reporters in Tampa after Thursday's game. "As soon as we get some pressure, we'll get into our routes. … They should come after us. Otherwise, we can just stand there."

Well, they CAN just stand there — if being part of the problem is going to be Laviolette's grand contribution to the game of hockey. But we're not sure how that furthers the goal of scoring, and by extension, winning. (Which, by the way, Philadelphia did not do Wednesday.)

One would think, with a brilliant tactician like Laviolette holding the chalk, the Flyers might be provided with a system of attack that exploited Boucher's risk-averse trap. But perhaps Laviolette's ploy was not aimed at instructing the hockey world on how boring Boucher's game plan is?

Could it be that it was simply an admission that the Flyers coach has no answer for the Lightning's defence?

So, behind the veil of self-righteousness and "keeper of the game" sanctimony, what Laviolette has really admitted Wednesday in Tampa was, "I can't devise a system to beat this system under the existing National Hockey League rules."

Tampa is 8-5-2. So five other guys out there have figured out a way to deal with it, Pete.

Look, no one is standing around in admiration of Guy Boucher this morning. Guys like him, Jacques Lemaire, Ken Hitchcock when he was coaching the obstructionist Dallas Stars… They are, at worst, bad for the game, and at best, conflicting forces.

They sell the game in their own markets, because winning is the best sales pitch — no matter how it is accomplished. But they do/did so at the expense of the game's greater good. They ruin the game for everyone else, by draining it of its speed and skill.

Lemaire's trap was dependent on obstruction; on "getting a stick on him" as a player made his way into and through the neutral zone.

In response, the NHL spent hundreds of man-hours aimed at devising a rule to outlaw the trap, but was unable to accurately define an "illegal defence" penalty, the way they have in the National Basketball Association.

So instead, the NHL took the teeth out of the old trap by eliminating obstruction and taking out the red line. It has worked well enough, though we knew a time would come that someone like Boucher — and every other coach in the NHL, because they all trap to a degree — would find a way to return the game to what Mario Lemieux once referred to as "a garage league."

There are tactics that exist, however, that can pry a trap open far enough for a player to dart through with the puck. Then the pendulum swings, and a group of Tampa forwards who are standing still are apt to take a penalty on a speedy Philly puck carrier.

Score on the resulting powerplay and you've got the lead, and like Tylenol for a headache, the surest way to stop your opponent from trapping is to get ahead of him on the scoreboard.

But, either Laviolette does not have the confidence in his team to use speed and skill to attack the trap. Or (gasp) he hasn't game-planned a way to do it.

The latter is highly unlikely, however. Because the Flyers coach is, as we are all aware, one of — if not THE — sharpest minds in the game.

Don't believe it? Just ask him.

http:// www .sportsnet.ca/hockey/2011/11/10/spector_mind_trap/?source=video

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

The Trap…

I didn't like it from either side as presented by the Sportsnet video – the fans are paying good money to be entertained and this is not entertainment. While it is within the rules and Tampa has been doing this since Guy Boucher took over last year, it makes for boring hockey. The Sportsnet staff refers to a rule that allows for the officials to stop play and force a faceoff (no penalties) and perhaps it's time to get rid of the 'trap'. I don't think it's fair to make a rule change during a season as teams make decisions on their style and personnel ahead of time. I hope they do change things after the season.

That all said, I tend to agree with Doug MacLean: if they don't know, Philly needs to learn how try to solve Tampa's 1-3-1 trap – because they will be facing Tampa more during the regular season and maybe in playoffs. The coach ultimately needs to figure out how to beat this system… not mock the other team (who is within their 'rights' to play this system); if they were indeed mocking them. Maybe Philly / the coaching staff just didn't know how to play it?

It is all about winning at the NHL level (and sadly, at a lot of minor hockey levels; even when hypocritical lip service is paid to 'development'). If Tampa is allowed to use this system, and it gets them wins, the coach gets to keep his job. They might even win the Cup with it! (Thanks to the NJ Devils of the 1990's… BORING… but can be effective… especially if the high foreheads being paid good money behind an NHL bench can't figure out how to beat it… or ask around for help!)

Back 'in the day'…

When I was coaching Team Canada with Tom Renney in the early 1990's, I remember the topic of conversation one day in particular. It was NJ who was trapping big-time in the playoffs, with much success – can't remember the opponent – and Tom was mystified why the coach of the opposition team couldn't figure out how to 'beat the trap' – as it was really played up in the media as a new system. Since we played lots of European teams, we had seen this style of play – we could play it ourselves and we could play against it. Tom wondered why that coach never called him (Tom knew the guy)… or figured out another resource to get the solutions. That team subsequently lost the series.

I was amazed that a head coach involved in a series during the Stanley Cup playoffs (lots on the line!) wouldn't / didn't call someone for help!!! (Maybe it was ego? I don't know… But I do know that if that coach had looked at video from a European hockey game, he would have seen the trap (among other things 'novel' to the NHL – perhaps from the soccer influence) and how to beat it. Now I have come to see this lack of communication between coaches as endemic; it seems to be the norm (more on that in a minute.)

Interesting fact: Eventually, this conversation with Tom turned into an addition to the "40 of the Best" booklet (in hindsight, ironically, a 'drill manual'!) we put out at Hockey Canada. At the end of the booklet is a brief overview of how to beat the trap – spurred by our discussion that day and it's topical nature at the time!

What does this mean to me now?

Thinking about this today really emphasized to me that coaching (hockey) at the highest level was (and still is) a 'closed shop.' Head coaches didn't talk too much between the teams regarding their systems and strategies. They will talk about other things, but not the guts (systems / strategies) of their team. One of my friends, who coached in the NHL for 12 years, said that he got so caught up in the day to day minutiae, that he rarely took time to 'think' about things, get outside the box, or make time to share with other coaches. Sad that the sharing and open-mindedness isn't there. Perhaps it comes down to ego and / or to a fear of losing a competitive edge and subsequently, losing one of 30 jobs to someone else?

I see this in other levels of the game – junior, (a little less in college / university, but it is still there) and of course, in minor hockey too. Heaven forbid the 'volunteer coach' share info and lose their edge to a colleague / competitor… or appear weak if they don't know it all… they might never get another volunteer coaching position again! Not a lot of ongoing coach support / forums / PD opportunities for coaches. That's why this site is so invaluable!

One of the only times 'the veil gets lifted' is when people attend a coaching conference. And even then, I remember listening to Scotty Bowman speak less than a week after the Rangers beat Vancouver (at Roger Neilson's coaching conference in Windsor, 1994); he talked for 1 hour WITHOUT REALLY SAYING ANYTHING! Granted, there were lots of other NHL, AHL, ECHL and college coaches in attendance, (pens poised over paper) but… I was SO disappointed! I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the genius to impart some words of wisdom upon myself and the audience… and it never came. I imagine everyone else was disappointed, too. I couldn't believe it. He might as well have been the Prime Minister of Canada (a politician); in other words, a master of saying nothing of substance about the topic du jour! (The topic was, "The Playoffs" and aside from common-sense stuff… the best thing about the whole thing was Harry Neale's intro: "Makes me sick to go to his house to see six Stanley Cups on his mantle. Most of us have a picture of the Cup somewhere in the house…" Actually, re-reading some of these older presentations and my notes was kind of neat!)

I approached Scotty afterward and had 10 minutes with him on the front steps of the university. He knew my grandfather; so once I introduced myself and made him aware of this connection, we had a great conversation. (He had signed a Montreal Canadians photo of himself, along with autographed, individual photos of all the players for me; then had the team mail them to me – wish I had kept the envelope with the Habs logo and address on it!) He really opened up; perhaps because I wasn't a direct coaching threat, or a relative of a friend, or a much younger person… I don't know the reason why. But I gained much more insight of 'who' Scotty Bowman was (is) in that 10 minutes than anything I heard in 1 hour! Not a bunch about hockey tactics, but what type of a person he is.

Our challenge, as coaches and educators, moving forward:

Game Intelligence doesn't just refer to the players vis-a-vis Hockey Sense: it starts with the coaches educating themselves so they can develop a deeper understanding of the game and transmit this to all the stakeholders: players / coaching staff / parents / administrators. You can't learn everything (anything?!!) from a 'drill manual' or 'the existing culture'. We need to be lifelong learners – take the 'hockey only' blinders off – challenge ourselves! Look to other sports and additional ways and means on how to improve ourselves and the coaching profession. Spreading the word of GI starts with us coaches!

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[RK]

hockeygod wrote:
Trap play causes standstill in Tampa

Sportsnet Staff | November 10, 2011

A bizarre strategy from the Philadelphia Flyers drew the attention of the hockey world during their 2-1 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

Early in the first period, the Lightning lined up in a 1-3-1 defence. To counteract this, Flyers defenceman Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen held the puck in their own zone to avoid the Lightning's trap.

The Lightning chose not to attack the Flyers and the play came to a standstill.

After 30 seconds of the Flyers holding the puck in their defensive zone, the refs blew the play dead. The Flyers used the same strategy later on, and the play was again blown dead.

It is unclear if the league will get involved after this strange sequence of events.

http://www .sportsnet. ca/hockey/2011/11/10/bizarre_trap_play/?source=video

Dean, Thanks for posting this video. I had a buddy ask me if I had watched the highlights of this. I was going to check it out tonight.

On a similar note ,I went and watched a few different games last night at different rinks. Thae last practice I worked on a tandem forechecking transition drill with accountability between forwards and D. ( pressure). I go and watch the game and the team is doing a semi aggressive ( at times ) 1-2-2 forecheck. They did an ok job , but the problem I found was as the game went on they seem to play more passive. When the other team picked their game up , we struggled and had a hard time getting our feet moving.
I think it is ok for this forecheck some times with a combination and certain situations when the other team has full control and are breaking out (ie- line change , dump in , no close support on forecheck). But young players can fall into a passive trap and not even realize what's happening.

I n Minor hockey young players will make mistakes under pressure , why would we make it easier for the opponent ?
Coaches always talk about keeping your feet moving , but then we slow their feet down with passive systems.

RK

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