Coaches Wrap

Coaches Wrap: Coaching Concern

2007-10-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

My son plays Bantam house hockey and we have a coach that is out of control. Specifically:

- Use of foul language during games when things don't go well

- Excessive negativity, berates the kids when they make mistakes

- Lots of yelling, can not control his emotions

I am an assistant coach and have tried to calm him down a bit, but I have not confronted him directly with his behavior. This coach and I do not have any history together so I am trying to build a mutual respect relationship with him.

My question is this, should we:
- Confront him and see if he will change;

- Ask the gentlemen that runs the league talk to him or perhaps to watch one of our games and see if we are over reacting. He can then take action if it is warranted.

- Ask for my son to be moved to another team.

Please advise,

-Hockey Dad

Dear Hockey Dad,

An interesting, but unfortunately, not uncommon predicament that you are in. For many coaches, their frame of reference for coaching comes from the way they were coached as a kid, and years ago that involved a lot of yelling, intimidation and bullying. Some coaches just get so excited that they do not know what they are doing.

Your first two suggestions for a solution are very good, and it really is up to you as to how you want to proceed. If you want to handle it face-to-face first with the coach, that is a viable option, but you should make sure that you do it prior to a practice (definitely not before or after a game). Just mention that you notice that many of the kids do not react well to yelling/negativity and that it might be a good idea to use a different approach, and give him some examples. Then see how it goes.

The other option is to go to the league administration and see if they can observe the situation and make a recommendation to the coach. They will be very concerned about a coach creating a bad experience for the players, and will definitely want to correct it. If they choose to address it with the coach, then they can leave you out of it, and mention that they have noticed the behavior or have had several complaints from families about the situation.

Good luck.

Coaches Wrap: Positioning of Wingers

2006-12-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

I currently play in a over-40 hockey league (this is my 4th year of ever playing hockey, so I am still learning). I play left or right wing. My question: When play is in our zone, where is the ideal position of the wingers?

--Omer, Hockey Player

Anytime that a team is defending (meaning the other team has the puck) anywhere on the ice, they should try to break it down to a 1-on-1 game. In other words every defending player should identify the opposing player that they are responsible for and be in the proper position accordingly. In the defensive zone, typically the wingers cover the two opposing defensemen at the blue line. That means that below the tops of the circles, it is essentially a 3-on-3 game with the defending team's two defensemen and center working against the offensive team's three forward players. The left winger should cover the the right point and the right winger the left point, usually in the area from the top of the circles to the blue line, from the boards to the middle of the ice. Most of the time the puck is deep in the zone, so it is important for the wingers covering the points to position themselves so that, just by turning their heads, they can see the puck and also the point man they are covering. It is not good to get mesmerized watching the puck, losing track of the player to be covered, or vice versa. Proper positioning is always "between the offensive player and the puck, and the offensive player and the net". When the defending team gets clear possession of the puck, the wingers should quickly get to the hash marks on the boards to be in good support position for a pass from their defense, then they can carry it out of the zone or pass it to their center supporting them.

Coaches Wrap: Positioning for Mites

2006-12-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

I help coach a mite house team. I'm curious about positioning our kids for games. Some coaches play their kids in the same position every game; some move kids to different positions every game. What’s the school of thought on this?
Craig F., Mite Coach

There are a few different schools of thought on this, and a number of ways that it can be handled. It is very important that every player has the opportunity to learn and experience all positions. At some point they will gravitate to the position that they feel most comfortable with. To give your players the best opportunity to really experience and learn how to play a certain position (i.e., defense/forward), it is best to have them play that position for several games in a row. For example, you might want to keep four or five players on defense for a period of time like a month, then rotate others through the position the next month. That way, they can focus their attention on learning the "tricks of the trade" of that particular position by playing it in practice and then being coached on it before, during and after games. Keep in mind that a coach's role is to put a player in a position where they have the best chance to succeed. So be aware of the teams that you are playing against and try to make sure that if you have kids who are less experienced and might struggle at defense, that they are not playing that position against a really strong team that will make it that much more difficult for them. From a "team success" perspective, it is also probably a good idea not to change up the whole defensive unit at the same time. For example, if you have five kids playing defense for a month, the next month change up three of them, so you have a couple with experience still back there. Then the following month, change up the rest.

Coaches Wrap: Passing the Puck

2006-12-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

I coach a mite team and we have a few players who just won’t pass the puck no matter how much I emphasize this before and after games. I’m frustrated and don’t know what else to do.
--Mike S., Mite Coach

Don’t sweat it! Not passing the puck at the mite level is not really such a bad thing, depending on the reason for it. Sometimes they just don’t want to give up the puck. Sometimes they know if they pass it to a teammate, they won’t get it back. Sometimes their parents tell them not to pass. Sometimes, they just have never been coached why and when to pass. Actually, it is good for kids to be aggressive and want the puck and want to carry it. It is difficult for them to skate, control the puck, keep it away from players on the other team and be able to see the ice to make a pass. It might look easy and potential passes might seem obvious from the bench or the stands, but it is much tougher than that on the ice. Forcing them to pass might create a worse situation than not passing at all, because then they might pass the puck at a time when you think that you what them to, not when it is necessarily the right play. Teaching them (allowing them to learn) how, why and when to pass takes plenty of time. Be sure to teach them the fundamental skills of stationary passing and receiving, and then progress to moving and spend plenty of time practicing these skills each practice. Then gradually introduce the concepts of “give and go” and “getting open” without the puck to receive a pass. Then create some small area games (i.e. team keep-away) where they have to make one or two passes before they can take a shot on goal, and then progress from there. In games, point out situations where it might have been a better play to pass the puck rather than carry it. Ultimately, they need to be able to make the right decisions with the puck in the heat of action.

Coaches Wrap: How to Run Half-Ice Practices

2006-12-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

Once a week our Pee Wee team splits our practice ice with another team and we are having a difficult time running a practice on half of the ice. What would you suggest to make these practices more beneficial? --John P., Pee Wee Coach

Splitting ice for practice is a great thing as it helps cut down on the cost for the players. It also allows teams to get on the ice for a practice that they might not otherwise have, plus with more players on the ice, the practice has the potential to be more up-tempo, lots of energy and less down time for players resting, provided that you are smart with your ice usage. If possible, try to run the first 15 or 20 minutes of some warm-up drills with the team you are sharing the ice with. You can do some skating warm-up drills, plus some full-ice stickhandling, passing and shooting drills to get the players handling the pucks and the goalies warmed up. You can even do some full-ice one-on-one or two-on-one drills if time allows. Aside from that, anything else you want to work on can be done on one half of the ice. If you think about it, in a game, the puck is typically in one end zone or the other, which means all skaters on the ice are inside the blue line at one end. There is no reason why you can’t break down game situations and create drills in a small area. In fact, they will be much more game realistic. There is plenty of room for several different skill stations. Small area games are one of the best tools coaches can use to allow players to develop their skills and learn new concepts related to the game. As far as skating/conditioning drills go, half a sheet of ice is more than enough. Skating the length of the ice in a straight line might be the easiest, most unproductive skating drill that you can do. Quick stopping and starting drills, directional changes, pivoting, tight turning and quick feet crossovers can all be done in a relatively small area and are way more game realistic and useful in terms of developing skating skills.

Coaches Wrap: Scorers Born or Taught?

2006-12-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

My team just cannot score goals. We get plenty of chances every game, but just can never seem to put the puck in the net. Are scorers born, or can it be taught?
--Bill T., Pee Wee Coach

A little of both. Some players just seem to have the natural ability to score. Others have to really work at it. The really productive goal scorers are a combination of both. Shooting ability is a big part of scoring, with a quick release, accuracy and velocity playing a big role in whether a puck gets past the goalie or not. Be sure to spend a lot of time in practice on shooting and progress from stationary shooting to shooting off of a pass to shooting on the move to shooting in different situations. Players love to shoot and you can never do enough shooting drills. If your players are Pee Wee age or above, design your drills to begin with a shot on goal, then to end with another shot on goal. Be sure your players are aware of "the eyes of the puck", meaning what they see in terms of open net/shooting angle is different from where the puck is positioned. There will be more room to the far side and less to the near side than what it looks like. Changing the angle of the shot by drawing it closer to the skates before releasing it also makes it tough on goalies. Teach your players to get a goalie to move, either across the net or out or back, and then take advantage of the openings created. To focus more specifically on teaching scoring, work on rebounds as simple math will tell you that most goalies stop 85-90 percent of shots, and in most cases, they stop the first shot. Most goals are scored on rebounds. Other skills to teach and develop in practice are backhands, wraparounds, breakaways, one-timers, deflections, driving to the net, and shooting on the move, while moving across the front of the net, and while moving toward the goalie. Be patient. It takes time, and a big part of scoring is confidence.