What it takes to be a Coach.
There are so many questions one must ask themselves before one decides if they have what it takes to be a coach... Questions like, Do you have your super hero costume pressed and cleaned, Do you have a job that will give you hours of time to work on hockey at the office, and do you have a husband or wife who is willing to have you out of the house every night at meetings, practices or games? Well, if you have all of the above you're lucky...but for the rest of us.... all you need is a bit of free time and a willingness to have the best time of your life.
I hear many coaches complain about "psycho parents", "problem players" and for sympathy sake they will tell you of all the long hours of dedicated service they have put in to minor hockey... what they allways leave out is the fact that THEY LOVE IT... that's why they do it! Sure there is the occasional conflict, and on some occasions you might have to put in an extra 30 minutes on some planning, but the reward and the feeling of accomplishment you will experience will outweigh all of that by a landslide..
In an effort to help coaches on their way, here's a list of the 'best tips' gathered along the way in speaking to many veteran coaches of minor hockey. It seems that when you speak to enough people, they all seem to have the same message, so by sharing them with you, I hope to help you along with your process. (Please remember these are not rules, they are suggestions from coaches who have been around for a long time)
Some Common Rules.
Be Organized
The better organized and prepared you are as a coach the better your team will practice, the more they will learn, and the better they will perform in games. Make sure you have a plan for each practice in place before the practice. Explain the drills to the players before going on the ice and stick to your plan as much as possible, this will decrease ‘talk times’ and increase your time to teach. An organized practice will keep players moving on the ice… there is nothing more frustrating to a parent in the stands watching a practice than watching their child stand around on the ice. Players respond and respect organization, It gives them confidence in your program, and makes your job that much easier and more enjoyable.
Respect and think about your player needs.
When coaching it is important to put yourself on your players level once in a while. This does not mean you become the biggest kid on the ice… this means look at your practice how they do. There is nothing wrong with asking your players if they like certain drills, or getting their advice on their favorite drills. If the team likes a drill they will work harder so you will reward them and do it again. A motivated athlete is a happier athlete, and a happy athlete performs better.
When coaching, it is important to realize that players like to have fun, and if you can design drills with fun and learning in mind, you will get a lot more out of your players.
I have a drill which involves a lot of skating at a high tempo, there's passing and driving to the net and I was suprised the other day when I figured it was time to move on to the next drill (after 5 or 6 repetitions) that they all wanted to go one more time. I learned even though the the kids were working very hard, they were still having fun!
Always strive to better yourself as a coach.
Every experience in coaching is a learning experience. Like your players, you will make many mistakes this season. If you are open to new ideas, and willing to try new ideas you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. During any season there are a lot of great courses that are offered by the Canadian Hockey Association, as well as many books on coaching. In addition to this you will be surrounded by many other coaches in your association. If you do not know something… ask someone, other coaches are always willing to share their knowledge and experience… its all part of the club..
Teach by Example.
Your players will look to you as a resource for not just hockey skills, but also for appropriate behavior. When you teach a new skill demonstrate it to your players. It does not matter if you do not do it well, your players will try to copy you or better you… it’s a natural instinct.
Unfortunately, because your players will watch everything you do, they will also pick up your bad habits if you have any. If you yell at referees, criticize players in front of them, or swear… they will too. The unfortunate part of this is that as a coach you will have to discipline them for their actions, and you are setting a double standard for them and will create problems with any code of discipline you have enacted.
Make sure you are having fun.
If you are not having fun.. your players are not having fun. Plan your practices to teach skills and be enjoyable. Players can learn while having fun.. they will have favorite drills and they excel when challenged. Do not be fooled into thinking that by not making players skate hard, or by being their friend that they will have more fun. You are the coach, they already have friends and they do not need another. Players get great pleasure from obtaining goals you set for them, and by being pushed to their limits. Fun does not mean easy.. it means that the player feels good about an event… succeeding is one of the best ways to make a player feel good.
Be honest with players and parents.
It is always easier to take the path of least resistance. However, as a coach you have the responsibility to be honest with players and parents about behaviors or skills that need improvement. This does not mean you ridicule a player in front of people with ‘brutal honesty’. If you take the time to explain all situations with parents and players they can deal with most situations. If you choose to ignore problems then they will come back to haunt you at a later time.
Remember you are coaching kids… not in the NHL
Many of the players you will encounter will come from different backgrounds and expectations. Because they are children, they are extremely sensitive to things you would not expect. Before you criticize or correct any child’s behavior or skill, take the time to find two things they do well. After you have 2 compliments in place, sandwich the criticism between the two positives and the player will accept it much better.
The second point in dealing with children is remembering that they will not understand drills and directions the first time it is introduced. YOU MUST TEACH BY REPITITION. Let the players do the skill over and over again and they will eventually learn the skill. If a player makes a mistake in a drill, do not stop the whole drill to correct the player, instead take the player aside and correct the problem… have them watch others, and let them go again when it is their turn….. IF EVERYONE IS MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE…YOU EXPLAINED IT WRONG.
The final point in dealing with children is to always remember that what a player hears in casual conversation between coaches or on the bench can be more damaging that a direct comment to a player. If you speak about other players on the ice in a negative way when players can hear you, they will certainly understand that you are doing the same when they are on the ice. If you speak ill of players, they will speak ill of their teammates.. and before long.. you will be dealing with a confidence issue… and that is a tough one to deal with.
I hear many coaches complain about "psycho parents", "problem players" and for sympathy sake they will tell you of all the long hours of dedicated service they have put in to minor hockey... what they allways leave out is the fact that THEY LOVE IT... that's why they do it! Sure there is the occasional conflict, and on some occasions you might have to put in an extra 30 minutes on some planning, but the reward and the feeling of accomplishment you will experience will outweigh all of that by a landslide..
In an effort to help coaches on their way, here's a list of the 'best tips' gathered along the way in speaking to many veteran coaches of minor hockey. It seems that when you speak to enough people, they all seem to have the same message, so by sharing them with you, I hope to help you along with your process. (Please remember these are not rules, they are suggestions from coaches who have been around for a long time)
Some Common Rules.
Be Organized
The better organized and prepared you are as a coach the better your team will practice, the more they will learn, and the better they will perform in games. Make sure you have a plan for each practice in place before the practice. Explain the drills to the players before going on the ice and stick to your plan as much as possible, this will decrease ‘talk times’ and increase your time to teach. An organized practice will keep players moving on the ice… there is nothing more frustrating to a parent in the stands watching a practice than watching their child stand around on the ice. Players respond and respect organization, It gives them confidence in your program, and makes your job that much easier and more enjoyable.
Respect and think about your player needs.
When coaching it is important to put yourself on your players level once in a while. This does not mean you become the biggest kid on the ice… this means look at your practice how they do. There is nothing wrong with asking your players if they like certain drills, or getting their advice on their favorite drills. If the team likes a drill they will work harder so you will reward them and do it again. A motivated athlete is a happier athlete, and a happy athlete performs better.
When coaching, it is important to realize that players like to have fun, and if you can design drills with fun and learning in mind, you will get a lot more out of your players.
I have a drill which involves a lot of skating at a high tempo, there's passing and driving to the net and I was suprised the other day when I figured it was time to move on to the next drill (after 5 or 6 repetitions) that they all wanted to go one more time. I learned even though the the kids were working very hard, they were still having fun!
Always strive to better yourself as a coach.
Every experience in coaching is a learning experience. Like your players, you will make many mistakes this season. If you are open to new ideas, and willing to try new ideas you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. During any season there are a lot of great courses that are offered by the Canadian Hockey Association, as well as many books on coaching. In addition to this you will be surrounded by many other coaches in your association. If you do not know something… ask someone, other coaches are always willing to share their knowledge and experience… its all part of the club..
Teach by Example.
Your players will look to you as a resource for not just hockey skills, but also for appropriate behavior. When you teach a new skill demonstrate it to your players. It does not matter if you do not do it well, your players will try to copy you or better you… it’s a natural instinct.
Unfortunately, because your players will watch everything you do, they will also pick up your bad habits if you have any. If you yell at referees, criticize players in front of them, or swear… they will too. The unfortunate part of this is that as a coach you will have to discipline them for their actions, and you are setting a double standard for them and will create problems with any code of discipline you have enacted.
Make sure you are having fun.
If you are not having fun.. your players are not having fun. Plan your practices to teach skills and be enjoyable. Players can learn while having fun.. they will have favorite drills and they excel when challenged. Do not be fooled into thinking that by not making players skate hard, or by being their friend that they will have more fun. You are the coach, they already have friends and they do not need another. Players get great pleasure from obtaining goals you set for them, and by being pushed to their limits. Fun does not mean easy.. it means that the player feels good about an event… succeeding is one of the best ways to make a player feel good.
Be honest with players and parents.
It is always easier to take the path of least resistance. However, as a coach you have the responsibility to be honest with players and parents about behaviors or skills that need improvement. This does not mean you ridicule a player in front of people with ‘brutal honesty’. If you take the time to explain all situations with parents and players they can deal with most situations. If you choose to ignore problems then they will come back to haunt you at a later time.
Remember you are coaching kids… not in the NHL
Many of the players you will encounter will come from different backgrounds and expectations. Because they are children, they are extremely sensitive to things you would not expect. Before you criticize or correct any child’s behavior or skill, take the time to find two things they do well. After you have 2 compliments in place, sandwich the criticism between the two positives and the player will accept it much better.
The second point in dealing with children is remembering that they will not understand drills and directions the first time it is introduced. YOU MUST TEACH BY REPITITION. Let the players do the skill over and over again and they will eventually learn the skill. If a player makes a mistake in a drill, do not stop the whole drill to correct the player, instead take the player aside and correct the problem… have them watch others, and let them go again when it is their turn….. IF EVERYONE IS MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE…YOU EXPLAINED IT WRONG.
The final point in dealing with children is to always remember that what a player hears in casual conversation between coaches or on the bench can be more damaging that a direct comment to a player. If you speak about other players on the ice in a negative way when players can hear you, they will certainly understand that you are doing the same when they are on the ice. If you speak ill of players, they will speak ill of their teammates.. and before long.. you will be dealing with a confidence issue… and that is a tough one to deal with.
posted by Coach John's Hockey Tips at 12:37 PM
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