Coaching

[bpmd210 0]

Coaching a bantam team from Delaware, not a huge hockey area. We get just under 2 hours a week of practice time. Apart from games, this is about all the ice time a lot of these kids get, and our rink closes for 3 months each summer. The head coach always has 2 or 3 different skills to do each night e.g. cone drills, etc. This gives each kid about 3 or 4 minutes of puck time each night. I've always told them that we are not going to develop their skills at practice. There isn't time. They need to work on those skills at home if they want to improve.

Given our situation, I've always thought we should be working on game situations, tactics, and positioning. I think that in games these will help us more than 10 minutes (at the most) of stick-handling or skating drills each week.

Any thoughts?

[Project824 0]

Tactically, the game is overcoached. If anything, since your icetime is so limited, there needs to be an even greater emphasis on skating, skill development and reps than on systems.

Teaching systems might help you squeak out a game or two against a team that is equal or less talented a skating team than you in Bantams (obviously this is not a AAA program), but you'll almost never beat a team that can skate better than you, and worse yet, your players won't be talented enough to make the next cut. Even top talented college and professional players do some very basic drills to maintain skill.

[joshy207 15]

Can you incorporate off-ice training into your program? If you have time and space, you can set up some stickhandling stations as well as some exercises that would help their strength and conditioning. If you have access to a gym, parking lot (warm weather) or other large, open area, you can also run through breakouts and forechecks, allowing you to spend your limited on-ice time working on skating, shooting and puckhandling.

[SCATMAN 33]

my state coaches a few years ago made our team do on rink training 2 times a weeks for 1 or 2 hrs and once or twice a week 2 hours of off rink eg laps around lakes on skates or on foot, play football stretch, mini army drills etc

it worked really well

[fatwabbit 93]

seen some of the kids here, they arent interested in the practice. When you do drills and stuff, most of the cant be bothered to do it properly.

[SCATMAN 33]

thats just how some kids are man lol

[bpmd210 0]

Thanks for the replies. The last couple ones hit the nail on the head. Without this being a big hockey area, the only hockey some kids do are here. They don't play on ponds, because that's not an option, and they don't play in the street. There's only 4 rinks in Delaware, so some parents have a bit of a drive, and the dedication on their part isn't the greatest. This is my 1st year coaching bantam. I'm hoping as the kids get older, the less-dedicated get weaded out, and the ones that stay will have greater dedication.

[ktang 34]

Here are some "small area games" for keeping the practices fun (to motivate the not-so-dedicated players) while teaching the basic team tactics (cycling, regrouping, basic breakouts. We have 1 practice and 2 games per week here, so we need to keep the players active during practices instead of waiting in lines. These work for me:

USA Hockey small area games

Philosophy of small area games

Team Michigan

Hockey Coaching ABCs

The idea is that the players "learn by doing", which is a form of play and is more fun than doing drills. The games let the players switch quickly among the 3 possession phases (indeterminate, offense, and defense) and the 3 roles (at the puck, supporting / close to the puck, and away from the puck).

[bpmd210 0]

Those links are super. Great stuff.

Thank you

[Flack38 0]

BP, what team are you coaching, is it one of the Ducks teams at the pond?

[bpmd210 0]

No, the Stars down in Harrington. Fairly new program, only about 5 years

[Flack38 0]

I didn't even know there was a rink down there. Have you thought about maybe getting parents and the community to chip in for a synthetic ice surface? I suggest (if possible) having the kids walk through "tactics" and situational play and positioning off ice about a half an hour before practice. also if these are the only two times out of the week that they get to touch the puck (outside of games) they might be a bit awkward during game time. I suggest conditioning and skating one day and puck the next. slowly work in game play during the first "skating" practice. Let me know if you need any more help. By the way have you played in hockey in northern DE?

[bpmd210 0]

My son and I play up north also, because we live in Clayton, about in the middle. The rink down south is at the state fairgrounds. The ice is taken down in the summer so the building can be used for the State Fair. OK for us, because we can go north. Many other kids are too far away

[Trooper 8]

Skills, skills, skills. Tactics and systems can be taught off the ice with the same results, skills can be worked on off the ice but need on-ice time.

[Chadd 916]

Coaching a bantam team from Delaware, not a huge hockey area. We get just under 2 hours a week of practice time. Apart from games, this is about all the ice time a lot of these kids get, and our rink closes for 3 months each summer. The head coach always has 2 or 3 different skills to do each night e.g. cone drills, etc. This gives each kid about 3 or 4 minutes of puck time each night. I've always told them that we are not going to develop their skills at practice. There isn't time. They need to work on those skills at home if they want to improve.

Given our situation, I've always thought we should be working on game situations, tactics, and positioning. I think that in games these will help us more than 10 minutes (at the most) of stick-handling or skating drills each week.

Any thoughts?

I disagree with you almost entirely. You should be doing some of those skating drills with pucks to increase puck time, but skill development should be your primary focus. I always tried to include as many things as I could in each drill without making them too complex or confusing. There are times when they should be skating without a puck, simply to work on endurance. The rest of the time they should be carrying a puck and the more they shoot, generally the happier they are.

That said, you should set aside 10 minutes or so each practice and work on things like faceoffs. Later in the season, once the basics are understood by all, PP and some PK stuff is always good.

[bpmd210 0]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate the input. When I talk about positioning and tactics, I'm talking reallllllllllly basic stuff. I have defenseman that leave the slot wide open, and chase the puck, because they don't play enough to know better. Forwards that don't go to the net for rebounds or to wait for a pass from a corner or screen the goalie. Wings that have no idea what to do in the defensive zone, and how to even begin to break out. I'm hoping this will be better with increasing age when I take over the bantams.

[Chadd 916]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate the input. When I talk about positioning and tactics, I'm talking reallllllllllly basic stuff. I have defenseman that leave the slot wide open, and chase the puck, because they don't play enough to know better. Forwards that don't go to the net for rebounds or to wait for a pass from a corner or screen the goalie. Wings that have no idea what to do in the defensive zone, and how to even begin to break out. I'm hoping this will be better with increasing age when I take over the bantams.

Sounds like you need better coaching at the younger age levels. Without individual skills though, all the strategy in the world isn't going to help. My strength as a coach is the strategy side of things. Breakouts, forechecks and set plays are the things I love to teach, but the kids still have to be able to do what you're asking of them.

[thorpedo26 0]

my state coaches a few years ago made our team do on rink training 2 times a weeks for 1 or 2 hrs and once or twice a week 2 hours of off rink eg laps around lakes on skates or on foot, play football stretch, mini army drills etc

it worked really well

kinda sounds fun

[regularjoe 1]

On a similiar note, I am organizing a practice for my adult team. We're novice/rec level (average experience less than 6 months). I'm renting out the ice for about an hour and we're bringing in the rink's hockey director for instruction.

Should we do drills for individual skills or team play (basic breakout, defensive positioning, etc.) for this one time gig?

[Chadd 916]

On a similiar note, I am organizing a practice for my adult team. We're novice/rec level (average experience less than 6 months). I'm renting out the ice for about an hour and we're bringing in the rink's hockey director for instruction.

Should we do drills for individual skills or team play (basic breakout, defensive positioning, etc.) for this one time gig?

If you aren't planning on doing it on a regular basis, I would do some basic positioning and a breakout. A set piece for a faceoff wouldn't hurt either, especially in your defensive end. I would use the remaining time to get your guys handling the puck as much as possible. A little bit of confidence with the puck can go a long way. One session isn't going to be enough to develop proper skating technique or drastically improve your overall skill levels but it can be enough for guys to get on the same page in terms of getting out of the zone.

[chippa13 1844]

I've always believed that the season's practices should start out focused on skating drills, then progress to skills drills, and finally to team/system drills.

For example, the first few practices of the season should be about 70% skating, 20% skills, 10% team/system. Then shift the focus of drills as the season wears on.

Another thing I am a firm believer in is having the kids do skating drills while carrying the puck.

Moral of the story: If you can't skate then the rest doesn't matter.

[sabre09923 0]

The only suggestion I can make is to run some 1-on-1 drills during practice so your players learn how to take away the puck from the opponent and keep possession. All the systems in the world won't make a lick of difference if your players can't gain possession of the puck.