This project caused me to scurry through YouTube.com to see what others had done so far in this area. To be honest, almost all the various videos on backyard rinks were nearly the same, with most of them only varying in extras — like lights, high boards, doors in the boards, etc. I finally settled on the video just below, mainly because it’s a really basic set up, and because it gives a pretty good view of everything. So, please have a look before we go further on the subject. (Don’t panic that you don’t hear a soundtrack; there is…
Ya, that’s pretty much what the pitchman said on the radio this morning… The reason I’ve decided to comment on this particular advertisement is because I immediately thought of my buddy, Jerry Z, as soon as I heard it! Actually, the sponsor was a well known hockey equipment super store, but the message wasn’t really for us serious hockey players, coaches or parents. Naw, what they were peddling was “pond hockey gear”! I mean that, and that’s exactly the expression the announcer used: “pond hockey”. And, as best I can recall, that equipment was selling for $40 to $60, or…
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This is about a note I took as I watched my beginner (or Mighty Mites) team play one day long ago… Let me start by stating that my kids seemed as though they already skated faster than most opponents. What caused me to jot that note, however, was that I knew my little guys could be much faster, and that I’d want them to be far, far faster as we got deeper into our season. As an aside here, I think this might be a way of conveying how helpful note-taking can be — for a coach like me, for…
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Q: An Arizona-based hockey mom writes me seeking some oft requested advice… She says that her boy has been complaining about his skates a lot lately, and that he’s even cried at times because his feet hurt so badly. Then, noting that the current skates are hand-me-downs from a cousin, she asks for advice in the purchase of her son’s first pair of new hockey skates. A: Not that there is a single piece of UNimportant hockey gear, but… If I had to prioritize equipment purchases, I’d allot the majority of my budget to 1) good quality, properly-fit skates and…
If you’d like a crash course on strength training for hockey, this is it. And, as I so often promise, you’ll find ideas and advice here that you’re not likely to find anywhere else… Below please find the Show Notes for Episode 30 of Coach Chic’s Hockey Secrets. Please remember that this podcast might be well over a decade old, but as the intro says, most of the principles shared within are just as valid today… During the recording of this show, a dad and his son stopped in to visit. PS: I got a kick out of saying during…
The reason I jumped on that question was that I could just envision the answers that would soon roll in. I mean, I can see some coaches quoting numbers — like 15, 25, 40, 80, whatever. And I can tell you that none of us would be right if we got hung-up on a number. What I’m going to suggest instead, is our need to constantly troubleshoot our players’ needs, or continuously help them solve problems. Ironically, I had a brief conversation with a few of my assistant coaches the previous night after a AAA Bantam practice, not realizing that…
Dean Robinson begins his article suggesting that pro athletes tend to have more influence on a game’s outcome than the coach (think Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James here, maybe a Michael Jordan in years past, the stars who comprised the 1927 New York Yankees, the Islanders and Oilers during different parts of the ’80′s). This isn’t to say that coaches don’t influence outcomes. But, as Robinson suggests, their contributions aren’t measurable — or there aren’t any stats we can go to for comparisons. True enough? I’d say so. That established, I’d like to look at amateur hockey. And, no, there…