Posts by CoachC
Our New Website Updates
Over the past few days, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes at CoachChic.com, and I want to take a moment to walk you through what’s new, why we made these changes, and how they’ll help you get even more out of your hockey development journey. Whether you’re a player trying to sharpen your skills, a parent looking for reliable guidance, or a coach searching for deeper teaching tools, these updates were made with you in mind. Hockey is always evolving, and a good hockey website should evolve right along with it.
Read MoreMYTH #5: “Kids should learn speed before edges.”
REALITY: Edges are the foundation of speed. EXPLANATION: Without edge control, speed becomes sloppy, unsafe, and impossible to build on.
Read MoreMYTH #4: “Power skating is separate from hockey skating.”
If a drill doesn’t connect directly to game movement, it’s conditioning, not skill development.
Read MoreThe Truth About “Shoulder Checking” — And Why Most Kids Do It Wrong
The truth about shoulder checking in hockey is that most young players think they’re doing it right simply because they make contact, but real shoulder‑to‑body checking is a technical skill built on timing, posture, and controlled force. A proper shoulder check isn’t about throwing your weight around or trying to “blow someone up.” It’s about using your shoulder and upper body to legally bump a puck‑carrying opponent and separate him from the puck without losing your own balance or taking yourself out of the play.
Read MoreMYTH #3: “Edge work means doing fancy patterns.”
”REALITY: Edgework is simply the ability to control your edges under pressure. EXPLANATION: It’s not about cones or choreography — it’s about balance, weight transfer, and being able to move efficiently in game situations.
Read MoreComing… April 2026
Long‑time hockey friends should know that I create this page each month as a courtesy to my members and potential members, trying to give everyone a sense of what’s “coming” within the next month. (As always, I’ve purposely saved a couple of slots for this coming month, so please keep an eye out for those…
Read MoreMYTH #2: “You need to stay low all the time.”
Most players hear “stay low” so often that they treat it like a permanent commandment. They drop into a deep crouch, lock themselves there, and wonder why they feel slow, stiff, or stuck. The truth is, skating isn’t a single height — it’s a living, changing posture.
Read MoreHow to Teach Young Defensemen to Close Gaps Without Getting Beat Wide
Closing the gap is one of the most important defensive skills in hockey, but it’s also one of the hardest for young defensemen to get right. Every player has heard a coach yell “Close the gap!” from the bench, yet very few kids actually understand what that means in real time. They either charge forward too aggressively and get burned wide, or they back off too much and give the puck carrier all the space in the world. The real art of gap control is learning how to shrink the distance between you and the attacker without giving up your inside positioning, your skating base, or your ability to react…
Read MoreHelping Players Recover Quickly After Mistakes Without Losing Confidence
The real difference between strong players and struggling players isn’t the number of mistakes they make, but how quickly they bounce back from them. When a player learns to reset, refocus, and keep their confidence steady, their entire game changes. They stop playing scared, they stop hesitating, and they start trusting their instincts again. That shift alone can turn an average player into a reliable, resilient one who can handle the ups and downs of a long season.
Read MoreMYTH #1: “Skating faster comes from pushing harder.”
A lot of players grow up hearing that the key to skating faster is simply pushing harder, and it sounds reasonable enough on the surface. But the truth is, the fastest skaters aren’t the ones muscling their way down the ice — they’re the ones moving efficiently…
Read More