I usually hate the crazing terms that arise in hockey coaching circles, because most of them hardly describe the technique or principle they’ve been applied to. That, however, isn’t the case with the expressions “read” and “react”. To me, “reading” a play is a mental skill, and it also requires a high degree of alertness. …
A lot of this piece is really about troubleshooting, because it’s such a huge part of what we coaches and parents have to do for the sake of our young players. Actually, I’ve always been constantly on the lookout for problems in my kids’ games (no matter their age). And, I’ve mentioned often to you…
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As many of you might know by now, I once ran 2-teams under the New England Hockey Institute banner. The high school guys were with me from late-May until Thanksgiving (when the local school teams began), and my junior high school aged kids were with me for almost 11-months. For sure, I did a lot…
One night I happened to notice one of my centermen reversing his lower hand on his stick just before moving in to take a face-off. I’m sure you know what I mean… He switched his lower hand in the opposite direction, supposedly to gain more strength for pulling the puck rearward. The good part of…
As a hockey coach, your goal is to help your players reach their full potential. One way to achieve this is by adopting a scientific approach to coaching. Just like scientists, coaches can benefit from curiosity, objectivity, evidence-based reasoning, and experimentation. By thinking like a scientist, you can make informed decisions about player development, team…
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I’ve seen versions of the following numerous times over the years. And, while each point is valid, I’ll suggest that key “commandments” in hockey probably aren’t limited to just ten (in fact, I’ll someday let you know my rather extensive list). Anyway, I some time ago happened upon the following graphic on Facebook. And, although…
To begin, I like to use drills that simulate real game conditions. Secondly, I like to use drills that sorta force players to deal with problems, consequently forcing them to solve those problems on their own. Thirdly, I’ll quite frequently just toss players into a set of conditions and let them initially sink or swim…