The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
I helped coach a low level Pee Wee team for 2 years. One thing I haven't seen talked about above is not get frustrated with some kids not listening or caring. Some of them are there because their parents are making them play and they could care less about getting better. They would rather talk about videos games (or whatever 11-12 year olds talk about) on the bench and before/after games.
Commonplace and expected at all levels including the pros. At school and elsewhere they will talk about hockey. Very few people have perfect or ideal attention spans or the ability to focus 100% all the time.
Recognize this and put it to good use. Off ice team bonding activities, teaching analogies, etc.
I helped coach a low level Pee Wee team for 2 years. One thing I haven't seen talked about above is not get frustrated with some kids not listening or caring. Some of them are there because their parents are making them play and they could care less about getting better. They would rather talk about videos games (or whatever 11-12 year olds talk about) on the bench and before/after games.
I've dealt with this, I had a goalie like that, made it fun for him. Turned it around.
... theres a Coach in the amateur system in Minnesota (name escapes me, but he's a former pro & US Ntl Team Player) who handles kids of the same age. He starts with laps, then stops & starts, shots & dekes on the goalies, then just drops a coupla buckets of pucks on the ice & lets the kids have at er', have fun. They run the practice thereafter. No rhyme or reason to it whatsoever. Sometimes they'll just split the team in half and play shinny for a half an hour, having fun. Meanwhile, he'll go & work with the goalies, a defenceman or forward, whoever "asks" for for guidance, while all around, anarchy prevails.
This is the best way to do it. Work on their skating skills, and mix skating with handling. The reason is, and I've seen it, kids can skate amazing but aren't really comfortable with the puck. But it's mainly about ice time while building their skills.
A great, fun way to improve skating is to play tag on quarter of the ice.
This is the best way to do it. Work on their skating skills, and mix skating with handling. The reason is, and I've seen it, kids can skate amazing but aren't really comfortable with the puck. But it's mainly about ice time while building their skills.
A great, fun way to improve skating is to play tag on quarter of the ice.
Another one the younger kids liked (I did it with my high school team but just the defenseman and not for fun) was to scrimmage with their sticks upside down. They have to play with their feet a lot but still score with their sticks.
Any tips, advice, sharing experiences, anything positive or helpful is welcome.
Have a parents only meeting and a players only meeting before the first practice or game.
Set your own rules of parents not speaking to you until 24 hours have passed after a game, regardless of the outcome.
Have a strong manager to deal with parents and finances.
Bring in two assistant coaches and have the parents understand that these two coaches are for the players and support and any issues should be brought to you and not them. This keeps them from being barraged or accidentally contradicting you.
Have it in your head right now that at least two times a month you will have a game where you are mad, the kids are mad about their play or ice time, the parents are mad about your decisions and you go home to a mad girlfriend or wife because you were at the rink for four hours or more.
Don't compromise or give in and do what a parent wants over what you think is right. The parent will turn on you eventually anyway and if you stuck to what you thought was right you will feel better and stronger and not upset that you gave in and they still turned on you.
Don't try to please everyone. Make sure the players are enjoying hockey and the rest will follow.
The practice, systems, drills and development will be the easy part.
Have a parents only meeting and a players only meeting before the first practice or game.
Set your own rules of parents not speaking to you until 24 hours have passed after a game, regardless of the outcome.
Have a strong manager to deal with parents and finances.
Bring in two assistant coaches and have the parents understand that these two coaches are for the players and support and any issues should be brought to you and not them. This keeps them from being barraged or accidentally contradicting you.
Have it in your head right now that at least two times a month you will have a game where you are mad, the kids are mad about their play or ice time, the parents are mad about your decisions and you go home to a mad girlfriend or wife because you were at the rink for four hours or more.
Don't compromise or give in and do what a parent wants over what you think is right. The parent will turn on you eventually anyway and if you stuck to what you thought was right you will feel better and stronger and not upset that you gave in and they still turned on you.
Don't try to please everyone. Make sure the players are enjoying hockey and the rest will follow.
The practice, systems, drills and development will be the easy part.
Welcome to the brotherhood.
Parents only meeting before you know all the players is asking for trouble. Parents' night at schools happen after the first report or progress report. Do not allow input before you have your own evaluation of each player to go along with the associations.
Association rules will always trump your rules. This one is hard to enforce if you or the assistants have your own kids on the team.
Two assistants are handy. When I started coaching in the sixties, assistants were unheard of. Ask for volunteer helpers from amongst the parents to help during practises or various team related tasks. Encourage cheer squads, party organizers, etc. These parents will provide valuable feedback.
Getting mad? Why? You and the other coaches are the adults in the situation. Also everyday life has enough problems, don't add to them. If you are having fun, the players and everyone else will have fun. Use the flashpoints as teaching aides. Hard to teach on ice and off ice discipline if you are losing yours.
Parents only meeting before you know all the players is asking for trouble. Parents' night at schools happen after the first report or progress report. Do not allow input before you have your own evaluation of each player to go along with the associations.
This is a meeting to go over the rules, schedules, expectations, tournaments and policies of the team and association and has nothing to do with the individual players. Sorry I wasn't clear that this is a group meeting, not individuals.
Association rules will always trump your rules. This one is hard to enforce if you or the assistants have your own kids on the team.
True, but I have avoided that for the most part and the one instance I had, I made sure the father was helping the defense (his strength) while his son was a forward. Made it a lot easier.
Two assistants are handy. When I started coaching in the sixties, assistants were unheard of. Ask for volunteer helpers from amongst the parents to help during practises or various team related tasks. Encourage cheer squads, party organizers, etc. These parents will provide valuable feedback.
Getting mad? Why? You and the other coaches are the adults in the situation. Also everyday life has enough problems, don't add to them. If you are having fun, the players and everyone else will have fun. Use the flashpoints as teaching aides. Hard to teach on ice and off ice discipline if you are losing yours.
That was my point about getting mad. You need to keep your cool and know that you are upset but remain in control and confidant. Inside, you will be as upset as the players because it is an emotional game but to a new coach it's important to understand that days like that will occur and you have to be coaching for the kids and for the love of the game. Hell, a good portion of the coaches I coach against each year have this as a career.
Your reply hilites some of the differences between coaching in the various provinces and regions in Canada. I coached and the OP will coach in the province of Quebec. Your comments seem to reflect experiences in B.C. Playing against associations across the river from Ottawa where you have a national representation of families and coaches, saw this difference first hand and it was reinforced during mixers.
My comments were directed to the nuances of coaching in Quebec.
About the frustrations of coaching. Comes down to realizing that doing your best in all aspects of hockey or life means not letting frustrations win or even get a tie.
Other coaches. Yes, they may be difficult, simply use their issues to motivate those around you.
Another one the younger kids liked (I did it with my high school team but just the defenseman and not for fun) was to scrimmage with their sticks upside down. They have to play with their feet a lot but still score with their sticks.
1. Do not bag skate low level Pee Wees. Waste of time, find more constructive discipline measures. It's more work for the coach, that's why many like to bag skate the kids.
2. Conditioning is done off ice, way cheaper and more effective.
3. Do not do the same old stretching while the kids are on the ice. Muscles need to be warm when stretched, should be done (most of it) before hitting the ice. Do not lay on the ice with warm muscles and expect to stretch effectively.
4. Spend your time on skating and puck skills. Bag the slapshot stuff. Total time waster. One slap shot per game that's maybe the right choice of shots. Kids can shoot 100 slapshots off the plywood everyday at home if they like.
5. Encourage your players to push themself and make mistakes, particularly early on in the season. Correct the mistakes and at the end your team will have improved greatly.
6. Keep it fun, these are lower level players, the ones who blossom will reach for the next higher competetive levels, the rest should look forward to every hockey event on the schedule.
7. Relax, you're not grooming the next generation of NHLers. It's just a game for 99.5% of the kids, remind the parents of this.
Good luck.
PS lose my pet peeve; coaches who train robotic players with their take it wide, drive the net and have a high guy. (wide, drive, high- I can hear them screaming it now) Hockey is a beautiful game of read and react, to have kids take it wide when the Dmen are already out at the dots is insane! Read it, split the D and make a freaking play.
Your reply hilites some of the differences between coaching in the various provinces and regions in Canada. I coached and the OP will coach in the province of Quebec. Your comments seem to reflect experiences in B.C. Playing against associations across the river from Ottawa where you have a national representation of families and coaches, saw this difference first hand and it was reinforced during mixers.
My comments were directed to the nuances of coaching in Quebec.
About the frustrations of coaching. Comes down to realizing that doing your best in all aspects of hockey or life means not letting frustrations win or even get a tie.
Other coaches. Yes, they may be difficult, simply use their issues to motivate those around you.
Agreed. For the last couple years coaching Bantam AAA out here in B.C. I have seen the Bantam WHL draft take over minor hockey. Because the draft is held looking at Bantam players (my understanding is that it is still midget players in Ontario, Quebec and most of the East Coast) parents, scouts, WHL teams and outside coaches (coaches that run clinics outside of a team for profit) have turned it into a pressure-cooker. Expectations are sky-high and all you need to do is look at the prospect page above to find names of kids I coached against this year. Already they are being talked about and compared to their Ontario counterparts and they are 14-15 years old.
My advice was to exercise caution and be clear with parents right from the start. Be ready for the stressful days where you had to keep it all in and make a positive of the many negative instances and do what you think is right for the team and players.
Always a pleasure talking coaching with coaches from different parts North America.
1. Do not bag skate low level Pee Wees. Waste of time, find more constructive discipline measures. It's more work for the coach, that's why many like to bag skate the kids.
2. Conditioning is done off ice, way cheaper and more effective.
3. Do not do the same old stretching while the kids are on the ice. Muscles need to be warm when stretched, should be done (most of it) before hitting the ice. Do not lay on the ice with warm muscles and expect to stretch effectively.
4. Spend your time on skating and puck skills. Bag the slapshot stuff. Total time waster. One slap shot per game that's maybe the right choice of shots. Kids can shoot 100 slapshots off the plywood everyday at home if they like.
5. Encourage your players to push themself and make mistakes, particularly early on in the season. Correct the mistakes and at the end your team will have improved greatly.
6. Keep it fun, these are lower level players, the ones who blossom will reach for the next higher competetive levels, the rest should look forward to every hockey event on the schedule.
7. Relax, you're not grooming the next generation of NHLers. It's just a game for 99.5% of the kids, remind the parents of this.
Good luck.
PS lose my pet peeve; coaches who train robotic players with their take it wide, drive the net and have a high guy. (wide, drive, high- I can hear them screaming it now) Hockey is a beautiful game of read and react, to have kids take it wide when the Dmen are already out at the dots is insane! Read it, split the D and make a freaking play.
Rant off.
Great rant that is very much in line with Hockey Canada's philosophy and current protocol. Having the captains warm up the kids before practice gives them a small leadership role that they can be held accountable for.
Getting the kids to move the puck as fast as possible through passing has always been a challenge at the start of the year that has paid off huge at the end. Your comments about forcing errors is spot on and nothing makes me happier than seeing a player commit an error, work on it, and then come out and be able to accomplish it easily at the end of the season. Coaching in a nutshell and you'll see the pride on their faces when you let them know that you noticed and are proud of their progress.
My goal is to make it fun, and improve their skating and puck skills. And to have every one of them enroll in hockey the following year. If I succeed then hopefully wins will come, but most importantly, a smile on their faces when they walk in the door.
How should I discipline players ?
Also I don't want my players going wide and stuff like that, I want them to play beautiful hockey.
My goal is to make it fun, and improve their skating and puck skills. And to have every one of them enroll in hockey the following year. If I succeed then hopefully wins will come, but most importantly, a smile on their faces when they walk in the door.
How should I discipline players ?
Also I don't want my players going wide and stuff like that, I want them to play beautiful hockey.
Tough to make blanket statements about a case-by-case type of thing.
Some things I've used are make the "offenders' run around the rink while we're on the ice practicing. Let them see what they're missing type of thing.
Mostly I've used the only carrot that a coach has, ice time. You screw around, you lose ice time. If the kid wants to play, that's really powerful messaging. If a kid is not that interested, well, those are the tough ones and sometimes it requires counsel with the parents and in extreme cases, the kid is off the team.
Short of those nutcracker guys, I ALWAYS leave the kids with a positive message. These kids will come with varied life experiences (divorce, illnesses, poor schoolwork etc.) and I want them enthused to come to the rink and have the best couple of hours of their week.
My goal is to make it fun, and improve their skating and puck skills. And to have every one of them enroll in hockey the following year. If I succeed then hopefully wins will come, but most importantly, a smile on their faces when they walk in the door.
How should I discipline players ?
Also I don't want my players going wide and stuff like that, I want them to play beautiful hockey.
Discipline. Usually the association has a Discipline Code with guidelines. Also the serious issues are handled either by Hockey Quebec, the region, the tournament, or appropriate bodies. Discipline issues that fit under the team umbrella are few and far between. Fairness and openess are the keys.
Going wide is getting a bad rap hear. Kids in single letter hockey, including Pee Wee tend to cluster, making it possible for 1 to cover 2 or 3. This habit has to be broken.
Also the wingers staying wide on a rush open the middle of the ice creating passing lanes and scoring opportunities. Work with the players explaining the objectives and the recognition involved in making the right choices. When to go wide and when to cut to the middle.
Discipline. Usually the association has a Discipline Code with guidelines. Also the serious issues are handled either by Hockey Quebec, the region, the tournament, or appropriate bodies. Discipline issues that fit under the team umbrella are few and far between. Fairness and openess are the keys.
Going wide is getting a bad rap hear. Kids in single letter hockey, including Pee Wee tend to cluster, making it possible for 1 to cover 2 or 3. This habit has to be broken.
Also the wingers staying wide on a rush open the middle of the ice creating passing lanes and scoring opportunities. Work with the players explaining the objectives and the recognition involved in making the right choices. When to go wide and when to cut to the middle.
I don't disagree at all. My beef is with the boneheads who know ONLY wide. One of my favorite plays on a rush is middle carry, pass to a wing, as soon as the Dman looks to the winger, a return pass right to wide open slot. Requires 2 passes, sometimes. If my puck carrier senses the Dman as much as being interested in the winger (yet without puck) he blows up the middle for a clear opportunity.
I don't disagree at all. My beef is with the boneheads who know ONLY wide. One of my favorite plays on a rush is middle carry, pass to a wing, as soon as the Dman looks to the winger, a return pass right to wide open slot. Requires 2 passes, sometimes. If my puck carrier senses the Dman as much as being interested in the winger (yet without puck) he blows up the middle for a clear opportunity.
One of the few common links between all hockey regions.
I dont have a problem with my players going wide around .... It's just I want them to have the know how and the courage to cut to the net, and don't want them to be afraid to deke.
3. Do not do the same old stretching while the kids are on the ice. Muscles need to be warm when stretched, should be done (most of it) before hitting the ice. Do not lay on the ice with warm muscles and expect to stretch effectively.
Where do you find room for all of the kids to do a dynamic warmup before they take the ice?
Where do you find room for all of the kids to do a dynamic warmup before they take the ice?
The organization usually has an age appropriate warmup program that is easy to do at the home arena(s). Such a program is adapted to circumstances at away arenas.
