Kids: teaching the game

[SolarWind 23]

It's been a while since I've posted, but I did remember to search and nothing really came up so here it goes:

How can you teach the game (ie the ever illusive hockey sense - what to do and when vs how to do things) to a kid in the quickest way possible?

I have a 13 yo player who has Very good technical skills - skating, shooting, passing, puck control, puck protection etc are advanced, and he's doing great in practices. He's physically very capable as well and is above average height/strength wise for his level, not afraid of contact etc so technically he should make a good hockey player.

Yet he has absolutely ZERO success in games!

Basically ends up aimlessly skating around barely touching the puck, rarely is ever end us in scoring situations, doesn't open up for passes - calls for them sometimes, but doesn't really present himself as a passing option etc etc

From what I've concluded observing him his game skills are just not present (despite being on the ice for over 8 years!) - he doesn't think ahead, always ends up where the puck was vs. is or will be, read& react just doesn't engage and the creativity is limited.

What can I possibly do to bring him up to speed so that he could start contributing?! He was drafted quite high based on his technical skills, but until he learns how to translate them into tactical skills so that they could be applied to the game situations at the right time at the right place to create right plays he can't utilize them hence this call for help.

Any advice from coaches or experienced hockey parents would be much appreciated!

[MThockeydad 469]

How coachable is he? Open to suggestion or hard-headed?

Does he self-criticize at all, or is he sorta oblivious?

Does he seek approval?

Every kid is different....you've described his weaknesses, but "how to" communicate improvements depends on the kid.

I have heard of coaches having success with USAH IntelliGym for 3-D hockey thinking like you described.

[SolarWind 23]

I've described both his strengths (advanced technical skills - he's a very fluid skater and has pretty good hands and shot) and weaknesses (not thinking the game, not seeing the ice and how the play develops, being inefficient on the ice - skating hard when there is no action and slacking behind @ the opportune moments) so the only thing to add is that he is quite "hard-headed" at times and is certainly complacent most of the time...

I have heard about IntelliGym but thought it's a gimmick? anyone used it before?

[badger_14 601]

So his motor skills are strong, but his strategy is weaker - it sounds like he's not sure how to prioritize 'tasks' in play. Does he play other sports, as well? Can you try alternate methods of explaining the concepts to him using other sports or games (or academic things, or video games) he's familiar with? If you took apart a practice or game scenario with him, would that work? As in - 'in this situation, you [and your teammates] did [x], what other things could you have done in this situation? What about [y], or [z - even if z is something outlandish that makes no sense, give him some ends of a spectrum to play with]?' He's probably aware he's not quite grasping it, and he's being hard-headed because he doesn't want to admit that, so give him some opportunity to input and reflect from his own POV.

[MThockeydad 469]

If he's complacent, it will be harder to get new ideas into him than if he's seeking approval.

(and if he were really self-aware, then likely you wouldn't be having this problem.)

I coach girls. They're 180º different from boys...but one thing I've noticed with all kids is that you can lock something into their brains if you can "catch them doing it right" instead of drilling into their heads why it went wrong.

Know the old adage, "Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn"?

On that rare 1 in 20 or 1 in 50 chance that he's actually where the puck is going to be, grab him when he gets to the bench and praise him for it. "That's EXACTLY what you need to do. You moved into the open ice, you were open for Tommy's pass, and you got a shot off. Keep it up!"

As in - 'in this situation, you [and your teammates] did [x], what other things could you have done in this situation? What about [y], or [z - even if z is something outlandish that makes no sense, give him some ends of a spectrum to play with]?' He's probably aware he's not quite grasping it, and he's being hard-headed because he doesn't want to admit that, so give him some opportunity to input and reflect from his own POV.

Very good comment.

I have not used IntelliGym, but talked to a couple of coaches who said it worked really well for their Peewee and Bantam level players.

[Capt.Hook 23]

I'm a varsity high school coach and also have a daughter playing on an all boys pee wee team. The best thing I ever did was start them late in ice hockey. However, the reason it was good was because we had already played years of pick up hockey and roller hockey as a family. What you are mentioning is one of the biggest problems I see with players these days. It is what the movie 'pond hockey' was all about. Kids are doing drills and in organized skates from the start. Few coaches work on simply teaching kids to pick their head up and make good passes, THEN skate and get to open ice.

The best thing I think you could do would be to get him involved in small area games. If you are able to, play with him. Teach him simply to get away from his coverage, receive the pass, move the puck and get to the net. This is SO simple but so many kids struggle with the concept and instead think that when they get the puck THAT is the their time to do something with it. 3 on 3 hockey or just simple ball hockey, roller hockey, or floor hockey teaches these concepts. Often you can play it for free in the driveway, street, or a gym and you can teach him how to get open, how to move the puck quickly on net or to a teammate and then get to the net. Also, you can teach him defensively to take away passing lanes, intercept passes, and how to cover his man.

My son is one of the best players on his varsity team and all the time 'having fun' playing roller hockey, scrimmaging, and just playing small area games that we've done are the difference maker for him. He is not very fast, does not have the greatest shot, but he has good hands and excellent ice vision. Even my daughter who just started playing ice hockey on a team at 12 has great ice vision and is successful in her first year of hockey because she sees the passing lanes and gets to the net. She doesn't hole onto the puck but moves it to teammates.

I'm not saying this is a cure all but I've found small area games and scrimmages where you can encourage and teach your son to simply play the game with a little thinking is the easiest and most effective way to increase their hockey iq and ice vision.

Best of luck to you brother!

[trinituner 10]

About 16 years coaching experience here,

Seen it all in that time, this subject is very subjective but I will try and give some ideas. Indeed playing cross ice 3x3 is very good at teaching players to move quickly into open space and to get them thinking about where they need to be. The other thing is the lad could be playing out of his natural postion, I tend to find the hardest postion to master is on the wing. Pysically you get battered and you have quite a few points you need to be disciplined in such as picking up there defencemen in the defensive zone then moving back to the boards for the breakout etc etc etc and that is before we are in the offences zone where there are more situations to deal with.

If he has a real engine then maybe try him as a centre and task him with one or two very basic tasks, it may just be what makes him click and it all comes togeather. I have coached kids that had no right playing at the level they did but it was due to them doing a few things really well position wise.

Running a drill is all well and good but I see a lot of coaches that do not explain how the drill will work when you put it into a game situation, I run a shit load of breakout drills and we walk through them step by step and I explain why we need a player in that postion and what will happen if they are not. I make sure that every player on the ice understands what we are trying to do. It is all well and good running a overload drill but if they have no idea how to do this in a game situation then its garbage.

One to one coahing is something you should do with a player that needs a bit more help getting up to speed, I was always holding a coahing board whilst I was on the bench, again do not confuse the player make it straight forward and easy to understand.

[Vet88 673]

How good is his heads up play? Is he a puck watcher? I see and coach a lot of players with all the skills but no vision or game sense because they have spent their life staring at the puck.

Capt Hook covered this but my approach is slightly different - one of the best ways I have found, but the most time consuming, is to engage with them during scrimmage time. Be on the ice near him, talk to him about what should have happened, where to go, when to move etc. Anything you say can't be negative and how you do it without singling him out for special attention also has to be managed. I do this at every practice so the kids are used to it and if I see a player as you are describing then I can spend more time with them without it appearing any different. As previously said, if you can catch them at the time doing it right or explain why it was wrong and what else they could have done, they soak it up like a sponge. I am consistently amazed when a comment I have made to them at some stage gets repeated back me to months and even years later when they pull off a great move during a game and it was something specific that we talked about. Talking to them after the event, eg after scrimmage or even when they get to the bench, just seems to go in one ear and out the other!

Alternatively I've always wondered how they would react to a flea in their ear, wire them up with a earpiece and a ph strapped to their arm or under their chest protector. Set the call up at the start of scrimmage and talk to him when required.

Good luck as dealing with a player who has all the potential but doesn't deliver is really frustrating. A local saying we have is "trains like a lion, plays like a pussy".

[Capt.Hook 23]

I agree with the last two gents as well. A ton of coaching assumes the kids get why we are doing the drills. They are under explained and very few kids understand the point of most drills. Helping them in a scrimmage really does help because it basically inserts your brain into theirs while playing and helps them to be able to learn how to read and react to fast changing stimuli which is really what the game is all about.

[chk hrd 164]

One question nobody has asked: Does he really want to play organized hockey? You can have all of the talent in the world but if your heart is not in it nothing else will be. Maybe he likes the atmosphere, comradery, and the game but is satisfied with that. Does he have family driving him to play so he feels that he needs to?

Talk to him and find out what he's thinking. It may help you figure out how to coach him or what he wants/needs.

[leftwinger37 43]

For some reason, I am unable to quote the previous post, but I have to agree with the last comment made by chk hrd; you have to figure out what makes him tick to a certain degree to find out how to get through to him. As someone else said previously about the subject being subjective, everyone responds differently to instruction and criticism.

Generally, we see how good positioning can make up for a lack of individual skill. However, this case illustrates how bad positioning can cancel out your individual skill. Role modeling might be helpful. If you have a player that plays the same position that does all of the "little things" well (i.e. anticipates the play, finds the quiet ice, generally puts themselves in a position to be successful), you might have them observe that player and their habits. That will show him how the individual actions translate to successful plays and overall team success.

Whatever method you try, the change has to come from within the player. I've had certain parts of my game that didn't click until I was an adult. There are things that I lacked confidence to try, there are things that I didn't put the work into, and there are things that I just didn't get until I was playing the game at a different speed or had a different overall perspective on. Even if you aren't able to break through to him, maybe all you can do is continue to encourage him to improve on his weaknesses and leave the rest up to him. Ultimately, if he doesn't get with the program he'll be riding the pine, maybe on your team or maybe on another. Though it should be the last resort, there are some players out there that only respond to being benched.

[SolarWind 23]

thank you everyone for the insightful responses - much appreciated!

From talking with him more it seems that he really doesn't get the game aspect of hockey at all - it's very mechanical and not very fun for him for that very reason...

Every player plays their best hockey After they score a goal or make a good play - they get filled with confidence, legs feel lighter and the game slows down. Without that feeling it's definitely much harder and not as much fun, so playing simple games and keeping it light might be the answer - with positive reinforcement of any good habits he might be demonstrating...

I find that in general hockey even at the minor level has become very structured and mechanical with systems and set pays taking over from the flow and creativity...

[MThockeydad 469]

I just did my USAH 16U/18U Midget module yesterday. In the section on 'Cognitive Development in Young Athletes', coincidentally, there was a statement almost verbatim to what you said about "Every player plays their best hockey After they score a goal or make a good play - they get filled with confidence"

It was to the effect that only 4-5% of a player's confidence comes from what a coach or others tell them. Most of it is based on past experiences and a series of small successes.

You're spot-on. Good for talking to him, too.

Find some attainable goals for him and ways for him to have fun and success in simple games, etc.

Time for some pond hockey.