Equal Playing Time Helps Develop The Whole Team - Sport Ngin
MICHIGAN HOCKEY
GET BETTER
GET BETTER
Equal playing time helps develop the whole team
To recognize and promote the commitment of youth coaches in the state, Michigan Hockey would like youth coaches to tell us a few things about yourself and why you coach youth hockey.
SUBMIT TO WIN COACHES, SEND US THE FOLLOWING INFO FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COACH MATE BOARD AND BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE OF MICHIGAN HOCKEY IN THE BEHIND THE BENCH SECTION.
Please include: YOUR NAME WHERE DO YOU LIVE THE LEVEL, TEAM AND ASSOCIATION WHERE YOU COACH NUMBER OF YEARS COACHING WHY DO YOU COACH MOST MEMORABLE COACHING MOMENT COACHING PHILOSOPHY/STYLE FAVORITE DRILL COACH YOU ADMIRE MOST AND WHY ONE THING YOU’D CHANGE ABOUT YOUTH HOCKEY PLEASE ATTACH A DIGITAL PHOTO OF YOURSELF WITH YOUR ANSWERS AND EMAIL EVERYTHING TO: [email protected]
800-667-5141
www.coachmate.com
8
On most youth teams, there are players who are physically ahead of their teammates in size, speed or strength. These players often form a core of talent that coaches can use to their advantage to win games. The temptation for many coaches is to use this talent more during a game to go for the win. While this method is appropriate at the highest level of athletic competition, it seldom has any place in youth sports. Here is why playing everyone is a good strategy for having a fun and successful season:
both a player and a person.
Plans for the future - Injuries and illness are a part of every team’s season. That’s why it’s important to get everyone involved early in the season. If you don’t improve your entire team, how do you expect a fourth-line player to step up and contribute at a crucial point in the season? Many coaches will tell you that winning seasons and championships take a back seat to seeing a former player years down the road and he or she says how much you helped them as
Better reflects coaching abilities - Winning games with kids who are physically more mature is more a success of drafting or picking players than coaching. Winning games by developing all the kids on a team is a better test of a coach’s abilities.
Avoids contention between coaches, parents and players – The resentments that can build between coaches and parents can often build among parents for the same reasons. More than a few youth teams have had successful seasons poisoned by hard feelings arising out of a coach’s game decisions. And if players feel that coaches have favorites, they may stop trying their hardest.
Minimizes player fatigue - In tough, Good enough to play - If they’re good physical games, coaches will lack skilled enough to make my team, they’re good players if the top players are exhausted enough to play. It’s a coach’s job to ensure and lesser players have had limited game that everyone has improved from the experience. beginning of the year to the end. If that doesn’t happen, you need to re-evaluate Simplifies coaching decisions - Coaches your roles as a coach. don’t have to guess or decide which players Early in the season you can mix and Getting all your players equal playing time are most likely to play well in a given situation. match your lines, and allow everyone an can help your team in many ways. opportunity to be a part of the power play Improves team chemistry - When players and penalty killing units. As the season hits its full stride and your feel everyone is treated fairly, they are more likely to focus on working No. 1 power play and penalty killing units take shape, it’s even more together. When players feel they can succeed by making someone important to find enough ice time for all your players. else look bad or themselves look better, they are learning the wrong A coach who shortens his bench may somehow think he’s lessons about team play. advancing his career, but even if that were true, would it be worth it? Wins mean more to everyone - When everyone contributes to Maximizes player development - Without playing time and a win, there are no lingering resentments that will interfere with opportunities to play in special situations, players cannot learn. the celebration.
PUCK SUPPORT TIMING PURPOSE: To develop good offensive puck support positioning and timing skills to promote quick puck movement on the attack. SET-UP: Players line up in one of two lines as shown, either at the red line along the boards or at the blue line in the center of the ice. On the whistle, X swings in and toward the boards for a pass from the coach and O times his movement to swing into the center lane to receive the pass from X, then breaks up-ice and around the cone for a shot. Players move from the X line to the O line, then to the X line at the other end as they progress through the drill.
PUCK CONTROL RACE DRILL PURPOSE: To improve physical conditioning and work on puck control and scoring skills at high speeds while tired. SET-UP: Divide players half on each side of the ice and try to pair them up by skating speed. Two players leave from the hash marks at each end on the whistle and skate to the red line, back to the blue line and up-ice again. The first player to the far blue line receives a pass from the last player in line and skates in for a shot, continues around behind the net and begins the same pattern on the other side of the ice. The second player receives his pass, skates down around the cone and cuts to the middle to deke the goaltender, then continues the same pattern on the other side of the ice.
October 26, 2009 | michiganhockeyonline.com
Source: Developing Your Total Team by Harry Thompson/ BetterHockey.com and 10 Reasons for Equal Playing Time by Jeff Farris/Sports Esteem.com
GET BETTER
GET BETTER
Equal playing time helps develop the whole team
To recognize and promote the commitment of youth coaches in the state, Michigan Hockey would like youth coaches to tell us a few things about yourself and why you coach youth hockey.
SUBMIT TO WIN COACHES, SEND US THE FOLLOWING INFO FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COACH MATE BOARD AND BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE OF MICHIGAN HOCKEY IN THE BEHIND THE BENCH SECTION.
Please include: YOUR NAME WHERE DO YOU LIVE THE LEVEL, TEAM AND ASSOCIATION WHERE YOU COACH NUMBER OF YEARS COACHING WHY DO YOU COACH MOST MEMORABLE COACHING MOMENT COACHING PHILOSOPHY/STYLE FAVORITE DRILL COACH YOU ADMIRE MOST AND WHY ONE THING YOU’D CHANGE ABOUT YOUTH HOCKEY PLEASE ATTACH A DIGITAL PHOTO OF YOURSELF WITH YOUR ANSWERS AND EMAIL EVERYTHING TO: [email protected]
800-667-5141
www.coachmate.com
8
On most youth teams, there are players who are physically ahead of their teammates in size, speed or strength. These players often form a core of talent that coaches can use to their advantage to win games. The temptation for many coaches is to use this talent more during a game to go for the win. While this method is appropriate at the highest level of athletic competition, it seldom has any place in youth sports. Here is why playing everyone is a good strategy for having a fun and successful season:
both a player and a person.
Plans for the future - Injuries and illness are a part of every team’s season. That’s why it’s important to get everyone involved early in the season. If you don’t improve your entire team, how do you expect a fourth-line player to step up and contribute at a crucial point in the season? Many coaches will tell you that winning seasons and championships take a back seat to seeing a former player years down the road and he or she says how much you helped them as
Better reflects coaching abilities - Winning games with kids who are physically more mature is more a success of drafting or picking players than coaching. Winning games by developing all the kids on a team is a better test of a coach’s abilities.
Avoids contention between coaches, parents and players – The resentments that can build between coaches and parents can often build among parents for the same reasons. More than a few youth teams have had successful seasons poisoned by hard feelings arising out of a coach’s game decisions. And if players feel that coaches have favorites, they may stop trying their hardest.
Minimizes player fatigue - In tough, Good enough to play - If they’re good physical games, coaches will lack skilled enough to make my team, they’re good players if the top players are exhausted enough to play. It’s a coach’s job to ensure and lesser players have had limited game that everyone has improved from the experience. beginning of the year to the end. If that doesn’t happen, you need to re-evaluate Simplifies coaching decisions - Coaches your roles as a coach. don’t have to guess or decide which players Early in the season you can mix and Getting all your players equal playing time are most likely to play well in a given situation. match your lines, and allow everyone an can help your team in many ways. opportunity to be a part of the power play Improves team chemistry - When players and penalty killing units. As the season hits its full stride and your feel everyone is treated fairly, they are more likely to focus on working No. 1 power play and penalty killing units take shape, it’s even more together. When players feel they can succeed by making someone important to find enough ice time for all your players. else look bad or themselves look better, they are learning the wrong A coach who shortens his bench may somehow think he’s lessons about team play. advancing his career, but even if that were true, would it be worth it? Wins mean more to everyone - When everyone contributes to Maximizes player development - Without playing time and a win, there are no lingering resentments that will interfere with opportunities to play in special situations, players cannot learn. the celebration.
PUCK SUPPORT TIMING PURPOSE: To develop good offensive puck support positioning and timing skills to promote quick puck movement on the attack. SET-UP: Players line up in one of two lines as shown, either at the red line along the boards or at the blue line in the center of the ice. On the whistle, X swings in and toward the boards for a pass from the coach and O times his movement to swing into the center lane to receive the pass from X, then breaks up-ice and around the cone for a shot. Players move from the X line to the O line, then to the X line at the other end as they progress through the drill.
PUCK CONTROL RACE DRILL PURPOSE: To improve physical conditioning and work on puck control and scoring skills at high speeds while tired. SET-UP: Divide players half on each side of the ice and try to pair them up by skating speed. Two players leave from the hash marks at each end on the whistle and skate to the red line, back to the blue line and up-ice again. The first player to the far blue line receives a pass from the last player in line and skates in for a shot, continues around behind the net and begins the same pattern on the other side of the ice. The second player receives his pass, skates down around the cone and cuts to the middle to deke the goaltender, then continues the same pattern on the other side of the ice.
October 26, 2009 | michiganhockeyonline.com
Source: Developing Your Total Team by Harry Thompson/ BetterHockey.com and 10 Reasons for Equal Playing Time by Jeff Farris/Sports Esteem.com
