A Message to Hockey Parents: Training versus Trying

My friend Shaun Goodsell and the folks from Mental Edge just keep coming with the gems, and the following article fits in that category.

So, as always, I’m psyched that Shaun shares his stuff — with me, and with all CoachChic.com members.

– Dennis Chighisola

A Message to Hockey Parents: Training versus Trying

By Shaun Goodsell

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I see a trend emerging in our young people that is troubling. Actually, I see many trends that are troubling but for purposes of this article I want to highlight one.

If you study athletics it doesn’t take long to understand that one vital aspect of becoming more skilled and a more experienced athlete is you HAVE to TRAIN. Training involves repetitively immersing yourself in the components of the sport to progressively improve and prepare oneself in an attempt to meet the demands of the sport. The focus here is on a process that involves ongoing discipline, commitment, sacrifice, and yes, deep struggle. Training is not a quick fix, it often has many ups and downs and these ups and downs provide opportunities for learning that build the solid baseline of learning for long term growth and self mastery. To truly improve and see that improvement stick when tested requires a mindset and lifestyle of training. To engage in this style of life you have to give up the addiction to comfort and embrace a lifestyle of struggle which provides the underlying basis for TRAINING.

Contrast this against the short term cramming effect that encourages people to believe they can make up for lost time by simply trying hard. We even have an education system that would rather have kids memorize facts, details, and formulas than to teach them how to think. Many kids live lazily for 5 days during the week and then “CRAM” for the final in an attempt to pull out a grade. Our athletes do this as well. They eat junk food constantly, practice relaxation continually, miss practices because they had too many sleepovers, and then wonder why they couldn’t meet the demands of the sport. Once this has occurred then excuses come. “My son or daughter is over worked”, “To much on the plate and coach expects to much” are all part of the masterful system to protect our young people from the sacrifice, dedication, and training that is required to legitimately cultivate a deep unshakeable confidence. I am not talking about those few that truly are over committed and need to learn the art of rest and relaxation. However, I see many young people that believe they can live comfortably in the summer and some how expect that they will have the “spot” they had last year. In my mind every young person, athlete or not, should be training themselves in some manner. They should have to be accountable, push themselves to be uncomfortable. The world does not allow you to cram. Success requires a “Training Program”, a strategy for helping you earn through dedication and sacrifice those accomplishments that are most purposeful and embedded in your being.

Let’s engage in long-term training. Put yourself in situations that force you to deal with disappointment, failure and doubt. This is when you build confidence that is unshakable. When this happens you have truly trained yourself for long-term success.

If you would like to provide your young person with the gift of confidence that is unshakable, call us today at 763-439-5246 or click here to sign up for a free consult. You will not be disappointed.

PS: We have designed Parent Challenge Questions to accompany this article to help you have quality conversations with your kids. Click here for the questions.

Coach Chic’s First AAA Bantam Game

Before I get underway here, I think I ought to remind members about the entries I make under this category, A Coach’s Notebook…

Number One, I’m a notorious note-taker, for reasons you can discover in this category’s first post.

Number Two, I don’t share these with the idea of embarrassing my kids (or others surrounding the team).  My real hope is to share with you the way I view game action, and the things I tend to deem important.  In a way, I’d really like to get older players, coaches and parents at least thinking about the topics I’ve chosen to highlight.

Number Three, the list of observations I made today are specific to older kids, or older youth hockey players who’d I’d like to get playing and thinking like the high school-ers they’ll be fairly soon.  Pretty shortly I’ll do a similar recap of a AA Mite game.

– Dennis Chighisola

Coach Chic’s First AAA Bantam Game

Oddly, the first concern I jotted down resulted in our opponents’ last goal, and it was also the only negative I raised after the game in our post-game lockerroom.

Very early on, I noticed that my guys weren’t covering face-offs properly in our zone.  This isn’t a skill thing at all, but purely a matter of remembering where to line-up, and what to do.  Late in the game one rival sniper fired a point-blank shot past our goaltender without a soul from our team being near him.

After the game, I reminded everyone that:  1) our goaltender is the first guy in charge in this situation, since he has the most to lose; and, 2) our centerman has to be responsible for also looking around to make sure everyone is where he needs to be.

Okay, this note wasn’t about my kids, but to me, instead…

Our home rink has two different surfaces — and they ARE different.  One is a pretty large (regulation) surface, while the other is quite small.

As is always the case, the distance from blue-lines to the goal-lines has to be constant, but where the smaller rink loses is in the neutral zone area and behind the nets.

Adding an even greater coaching challenge is the fact that our bench is almost completely inside the offensive zone during the second period.  So, think about that…

My defensemen have moved to their defensive end door — which puts them just about on the blue line, while my forwards were stationed where they customarily go — at the offensive end door.

And, ugh…  If you can envision the problem, it’s barely possible for my forwards to change on the fly quickly.  They are going to step into the offensive zone, and they’re going to be off-side on a dump-in unless they wait for the puck to enter the zone.  Stated another way, it’s going to be a long skate for my forwards who are trying to get off the ice, and my forwards are always going to be late in trying to apply their forecheck.  (Did I say, “Ugh” yet?)

I’m certainly going to think on this one further, and I’m also going to toss it out to a few guys I know who may have dealt with such conditions before.  At the same time, I would love for us to have a discussion right here (in the Comments area) in hopes a member might think of something I haven’t.

Our first few games have been at arenas where the penalty boxes were right next to our bench.  So there wasn’t much problem with communicating with a guy in the box.  However, it struck me that I’d better later refresh my kids on the hand signals I’ll use when the sin bin is located across the ice…

As I’ve done since, I showed the kids how I’ll be pretty animated in my directions — pointing either down towards our bench or out towards the ice.  Those should let them know that I want them with me or to get right into the action.  However, with the signal for them to come to the bench, I will always follow that with several animated points to my head.   What does that mean?  It means that 1) I do want them to ultimately get to our bench, but that I also 2) don’t want them passing on a chance for a quick breakaway pass, or 3) the need to stop an enemy puckcarrier skating in his path.  In other words, “I want you here, but use your head as you exit the box!”

My last couple of notes had to do with things I’ll want to work on in our next practices.

I noticed our defensemen were a little weak with their forward passes, so I’m going to install a drill that has them skating backwards while passing.  This is the best drill I know for teaching them how to gain strength in an unbalanced posture.

I’ve also noticed that my kids could use a little more physical toughness — along the boards and in the corners.  Hey, they’re still young, so that might not be so surprising.  So, in subsequent practices I’m going to use some basic body-checking drills, and put them in other drill situations where they have to compete a little more vigorously.

Adding Game-like Pressure to Hockey Drills

As happens often between my two teams, I found it easier to shoot the below video in one of my AA Mite practices.  However, as I’ll explain later, the demonstrated drill can easily be adapted for my AAA Bantams and older players.

As for the drill, I tend to teach basics first, but then I look to make the next progressions of the same drill closer and closer to the real game action.  In other words, I feel we coaches have to prepare our players well for the challenges they really face out there in the heat of battle.

With that, let’s use the following simple drill as an example.

– Dennis Chighisola

Adding Game-like Pressure to Hockey Drills

At one time or another, I think all of us coaches send our skaters on goal for mock breakaways, or we hold a shoot-out competition for fun at the end of a practice.  That’s okay, I guess, considering that players need some time to practice their moves, while our goaltenders also need the chance to practice defending in those situations.

Is the typical breakaway drill like a real game, though?  I tend to think not.  The attackers usually take all sorts of liberties, they move to the net too slowly, and I could probably think of a handful of other things that are wrong with that kind of drilling.  And, hey, it’s also rather unfair to our goalers if the skaters can get away with things they can’t do in a game.

In reality, attackers don’t have much time when it comes to working around the net.  As I’ve said often within these pages, they don’t usually get the chance to stand prettily to make their play.

No, real game conditions force players to deal with all sorts of pressure when they have the puck.  And, when it comes to breakaways, they’re likely worrying about defenders breathing down their necks, or even someone almost mauling them as they try to make a play on-goal.

With that, take a look at what my assistant coaches and I are doing with our AA Mite skaters during some recent practices (apologies for the few flickers in the video)…

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Now, I’m thinking that this form of drilling is going to pay-off big time later in our season (and I think we coaches will be able to even increase the pressure as time goes along).   This video was taken on only our second attempts at the drill, so my little guys haven’t totally solved the problems yet.  They will, however, and that’s when they’re going to know how to go to the net with some toughness and some purpose.  (To be honest, I can’t see our opponents progressing if they’re not practicing under similar conditions.)

Okay, I said at the start that this drill is good for just about all levels.  Well, I’ve found it to be so, having used it previously with my high school teams and my college players.  Here’s how things had to be adjusted, however…

In the above video, it’s obvious that we coaches can act as the chasers (and, ya, I take my turn in there, too).  Just as obviously, though, there comes a time when the coaches can’t keep up with the attackers.  No problem.

What I’ve done with my older guys is to have teammates act as chasers.

If there’s a problem with that, some ground rules have to be set, or a pretty good explanation has to precede the drilling.  And in this regard, I’ll usually say something like, “Listen, you don’t want to hurt a teammate.  At the same time, you want to help him get better.  So, aggravate him as much as you can, but use your head.”

Lastly, let me emphasize something I mentioned earlier, in that some drills allow our players to cheat.  And, it’s often our drill selection that causes players to be lazy or not really concentrate.  That in mind, I’m only using the shown drill as an example of how a very basic drill can be made far more game related.

 

 

Just Some Hockey Musing (About Skills)

This will be a short post.  However, since my two teams kicked-off their seasons this past weekend, I thought I’d share a bit about what’s on my mind.

– Dennis Chighisola

Just Some Hockey Musing (About Skills)

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My AA (’03) Mites
Following USA Hockey’s ADM recommendations, my young team begins their long winter schedule with a number of 3 on 3 games.  Our league’s format is interesting, in that four teams report to a rink, and they go about playing each other in three 20-minute games.   Scores are kept as games are in progress, but the final stats are recorded as 1-0 wins/losses, or 0-0 ties.

My little guys won their first contest in convincing fashion, they lost the next in a rather lopsided game, and then lost the finale in a fairly close battle.

Now, let me tell you how I view those three different match-ups…

As far as I’m concerned, our convincing win is done, in the books, and totally forgotten as far as I’m concerned.

That last game loss is something to ponder, but not for that long.  Taking care of the next item will solve any problems we had in this one…

No, it’s the middle game — where we kinda got killed — that I’ll use in a ton of ways.  In other words, THIS is the game that will teach me, my players and their parents the most.  For the time being, at least, our opponents in that game are the model for where we want to be down the road.  How long it will take to reach that status I can’t be sure.  But, we are going to keep aiming for that team’s skills, strength, speed and so forth.

My AAA (’98) Bantam Minors
Due to a ton of personal and professional conflicts, I had to miss my team’s first game of the season.  (Darn, I was sick over this, mainly because it’s rarely happened to me over 40-years in coaching, and I feel it as embarrassing.)  I did, however, get a number of what I’d consider reliable reports upon which I can base some early assessments on a 10-2 loss.

Separate from what I really want to get at in the end, is the sense that my older team has not yet grasped the concept of playing together.   I’m not talking about selfishness so much here, but instead, something that seems too widespread in youth hockey circles.

I’ve written often on this subject in numerous other CoachChic.com posts, but there appears to be a sense within the youth hockey community that there is some generic way of playing the game.  In other words, if the puck goes into an offensive zone corner, every team will do the exact same thing (although few youth hockey parents and coaches can tell me how that goes).  Many seem to believe that all breakouts look pretty much the same, etc.

Not so, of course.  In reality, a team must have it’s own plan to accomplish something like regaining the puck in their offensive zone (this referred to as a forecheck).  There must be a plan for what the first player into the zone should do, a plan for what the second and third guys should do, and further plans for what the defensemen should do when they arrive.  And the plans change as players read what happens henceforth, and then react accordingly.

And, contrary to what most folks in the stands can appreciate, everything that goes on depends on how successful each player is in performing his/her own role.  We lose if the first guy doesn’t do his job, we all lose if the second guy isn’t there to do his, and so forth.  So, as I suggested earlier, every single player really depends on those around him or her.  Furthermore, since my kids have seemingly played without purpose for most of their hockey lives, it’s a struggle to suddenly get them skating and thinking the game at the same time.

(Of course, it should be understandable that hockey gets more complicated as I compare my Bantams’ needs to those of my younger team.)

Back to the main topic here…  What I really tried to glean from those who saw the game was how my Bantams compared to their first opponents.  And in this regard, observers seemed to believe that our opening day opponents fit near the top of our league, or somewhere in the top three or four teams.

In a way, that’s good news for me. In other words, I have a sense of where we’re starting out, and a sense of how much we will or won’t be able to close the gap on such opponents.

If there’s some frustration on my part, it’s that our summer practices weren’t nearly as fruitful as I’d hoped they’d be, owning to so many players missing due to other commitments.  Said yet another way, we’re really starting from Square One entering our fall practice schedule, and we’re only going to catch some of our future opponents if we’re able to make up a lot of ground over the next few months.

The Common Denominator

Ah, yes, the common denominator…  CoachChic.com members have no doubt heard me say or seen me write how a team’s players aren’t just a bunch of X’s and O’s scratched on a piece of paper or greaseboard.  Naw, they’re human beings.

In other words, the X’s and O’s don’t win or lose battles, but individual players do.   And a highly skilled player is going to win far more battles than the lesser skilled one.

As suggested above — in the brief review of my Bantams’ game, how well they think and skate is going to ultimately matter.  And, to a slightly lesser degree, so will it matter with my littler guys.  Still the REAL common denominator…

Ya, the real problem right now — and the area that can help us gain the most ground on rivals — has to do with individual skills.  In other words, both of my teams are being beaten in 1 on 1 match ups when pitted against strong teams, and that highlights our shortcomings when it comes to skating and puckhandling.  (Sure, other skills — like passing, receiving and shooting will need honing, too.  But, first things first, as far as I’m concerned.)

Skating oftentimes — or almost always? — boils down to agile footwork and body control.  And, while it helps to skate smoothly during game action, what I’m really getting at is the need for my Mites and Bantams to be able to skate under pressure.

I mean, an enemy puckcarrier may make a number of shifty moves, so our checker is only going to be able deal with him if he can skate — or react — with him.

I see the same kind of match ups occurring with the puck…  In other words, with the latter roles reversed, my players need to be able to out maneuver enemy checkers to advance or protect the puck.

What I’m talking about, of course, is my players’ need to win 1 against 1 battles, or to be able to compete under relatively intense pressure.  And, while I’ll be considering a number of other drills to help my kids, the “Two-step” and “Snaking” drills (both shown in the Advanced Skating Drills video) will be among those I’ll use regularly, as will be some games of tag and keepaway.

Lastly, this post is all about closing the gap on better teams.  In no way do I want to imply that I’ll vary far from an overall plan I have in place for my kids.  The Bantams will still keep working to perfect their forecheck, covering rushes, defending in their zone, breaking out, cycling, and so much more.   I’ll also continue to very slowly introduce my Mites to hockey’s basic strategies and tactics.  However, greatly elevating each kids’ individual skills is going to also ultimately help them better perform those X’s and O’s.

 

 

Reality Check

The following piece was so moving that I couldn’t go without placing it somewhere within this site.  But, where?  Well, I suspect “My Hockey Experiences” is a fairly appropriate spot.

Then, before turning things over to the star blogger, Jeff Chick, I thought I’d tell my own quick story…

For, you see, although Jeff currently resides in Texas, he calls Whitman, MA his hometown.  Yup, he’s from the same tiny town as I.  Jeff and I aren’t related, though.  In fact, we didn’t really know each other until a mutual Whitman friend sent me the link to his article (she knew I’d enjoy the hockey connection).

There IS more to this story, however…   Jeff’s dad, Dennis Chick (can you believe that?) and I grew-up together, we played against each other in Little League baseball, and then we were teammates through higher levels — into high school and American Legion Baseball.  (I can’t recall if we played semi-pro together.)

And, in a town of only about 5,000 people back then, you can just imagine the occasional confusion when folks would mention one or the other — Dennis Chick or Dennis “Chic” Chighisola.  In fact, to this day, I’m always teasing “the other Dennis” about getting me in trouble with all the girls in town. 

That out of the way, the following is a lot more somber, and something we’ll probably remember for a long, long time, mainly because it has to do with the plane crash that just killed members of the KHL’s Lokomotiv hockey team.  Enjoy it — if you can, but have a tissue ready.

– The REAL Chic — Dennis Chighisola

Reality Check

By Jeff Chick

My day was supposed to be over a little after noon today, but as I dropped off my last client, the office asked me if I could do one more run at 2 o’clock. Being the team player that I am, I said I would. I had 90 minutes to drive back to our company lot, switch into a van and then go to the pickup. Plenty of time to stop for some lunch and mess around on my phone. Peace of cake.

After making the vehicle change, sucking down a burger and fries from BK, and washing it down with a Coke Zero, I proceeded to my pickup location, a full 40 minutes ahead of schedule. I am a happy chauffeur……….for the moment.

I locate the residence that I need to be at, but being that the pickup is at 2, and it is only 1:20, I park a couple blocks away, per usual, and pickup my Thunderbolt to check FB and do some surfing.

First check of FB is littered with numerous comments and links about the tragic plane crash in Russia. 40+ people dead. NHL players, past and present, coaches, prospects and flight crew. Very sad news. I had been reading and hearing about it, off and on, all day. The ramifications reaching virtually all parts of the hockey world, and in less than 5 minutes, ME.

After my FB pitstop, I open up the trip ticket info on my phone, to see who I am picking up. Aaaah, another Dallas Stars transfer to the airport. That explains the van. These hockey guys always have big bags because they are usually traveling overseas. The last name, Skrastins. Never heard of him. No first name. I’ll have to google him. Google search: Skrastins Dallas Stars.

The rush that comes over my body is unexplainable. I am just staring at my phone. He was on “that” plane and he is dead. I am sitting 200 yards from his house and I realize what this pickup is all about. I am about to pick up the family of this man. A family that went to bed last night without a care in the world. A family that had no plans to board a Lufthansa flight to Europe when they woke up this morning. This explains why it was added to my schedule at 12:15 today. Is this for real?

It’s finally time to go down the street and pull in the driveway. Within a couple of minutes, a man comes out to let me know that the family will be out in a few moments. He alerts me to the situation, and tells me not to offer condolences because the children don’t know, and then he returns to the house. I can’t even imagine what his widow must be going through. My heart weeps for her. I am so glad this will be a short ride.

Then it happens. 2 girls, about 2 and 5 come running out the door, completely elated about the trip they are about to go on. Long blonde hair, blue eyes and giant smiles. I nearly burst into tears. My body gets tight. Every second feels like an eternity. The pain inside me is almost unbearable. I don’t even know these people and I am on the verge of a breakdown, right in their driveway. Knowing that these girls are utterly oblivious, to the true nature of their trip, is agonizing. I can’t help but think of my own children, and what it would be like if they woke up tomorrow and I was gone forever. Devastating! The wife and mother in law finally come out and we are on our way.

The entire drive the widow is on the phone. She, as well as the rest of the family, are not speaking English. Although, this would seem trivial, it is not. I don’t understand a single word she is saying, but the pure pain in her voice tells the whole story. The mother in law is keeping the kids entertained in the back of the van, while she sits up front and seems to be getting everything in order, over the phone. I sense sorrow, trepidation, confusion, and despair. Just a few of, what I imagine have been, the many emotions that she has experienced since she woke up today. Again, my heart weeps for her.

We finally arrive at DFW airport, and a liaison from Lufthansa is waiting curbside for us, with a security escort. He “quietly” offers his condolences to the widow while the girls are still getting out of the van. Personnel grab all their bags, and they are off. Girls still giddy about the trip. I, however, am a mess.

I barely get 100 feet away from the terminal when I lose it, crying uncontrollably. I feel stupid, but I don’t care. I can’t get the image of those girls out of my head. The idea that they have no clue that they will NEVER see their father again. What’s worse, is that they probably haven’t seen him in a couple of weeks, and expect to see him when they get where they’re going. Utterly heartbreaking. What a way to end the day.

So, as I sit here recapping this gut-wrenching afternoon that I have experienced, I would like to end it with a final thought. It makes no difference to a child what happens to you when you die. They are going to be devastated either way. Just make sure they know what they mean to you. Remind them EVERYDAY. Hug them EVERYDAY. Kiss them EVERYDAY. Most importantly, love them EVERYDAY. Unconditionally. Because, you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Jeff Chick writes a sports related blog called A CHICKS PERSPECTIVE

Using an Agility Ladder for Hockey Quickness

I’m sure CoachChic.com members now believe deeply in the benefits of off-ice training, as well as the great positive transfer of skills that can take place from dryland to the ice.

In preface to this entry, I’d like you to watch (or review) the video on Sprint Training for Hockey Skating Speed, because it provides some great background, and because there is an overlap in the drills I incorporate in both sprint training and agility ladder work.

With that, there isn’t much need for me to say more in type — the two videos that follow will explain everything.

– Dennis Chighisola

Using an Agility Ladder for Hockey Quickness

 

Video 1 — Introduction…

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Video 2 — Ladder Training – Coach Chic Style

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From there, there’s nothing to it but to do it!

Rebound Control Drill

Contributor: Seth Dussault, MA, USA

Drill Category: Shooting, Screening, Deflecting, Rebounding, Defending Slot and Goaltending

Rebound Control Drill
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Drill Description:

Thinking about most drills — the ones that aren’t expressly designed for
goalkeepers often aren’t very helpful for them. When most drills involve
the goalkeeper, it’s only to stop an initial shot, and nothing else, but
what’s just as important as making the initial save is getting in the
habit controlling where rebounds go. Too often, drills designed for
forwards will allow goalies to leave ugly rebounds. Why not design a drill
that helps forwards and defensemen work on important skills and forces the
goalkeeper to do the same all at once?

To that end, this simple drill will help goalies with rebound control as
well as two other important skills, seeing through screens and dealing
with deflections. At the same time, it will help your forwards with
attacking rebounds and creating tips and deflections, and your defensemen
with protecting the crease in such situations. I call this the “Rebound
Control Drill.”

Set up your goalie in his/her crease with two forwards at the top as well
as a defenseman. Everyone else should be set up in an arc around the
offensive zone, with one puck each. (see diagram of set-up below)

Now, as with a normal warm up shooting drill, the players will shoot one
at a time. However, we have bodies in front this time. The forward nearest
the puck will attempt to tip the shot, and both will go after rebounds if
there are any. The defenseman’s job is to prevent the forwards from
grabbing the rebound if a bad one does come back. Once the puck has been
knocked out of the front of the crease, reset and the next player shoots.
Repeat until everyone has shot.

What you’ll hopefully find is that the goalie will learn to either put the
rebound out of reach of the players in front (i.e. deflect it to the
corner) or catch the puck, rather than kick a rebound out into the middle
where a second chance can be had. If you do this at both ends of the rink
and have four or five shooters per end, you can rotate through and have
everyone work on defending and attacking pretty quickly.

No video is available for this drill.

Challenging Hockey’s Status Quo

I have new member, Gareth, to thank for the inspiration here.

Shortly after he joined CoachChic.com, we connected in a Facebook Chat.  And it was then that he mentioned a want to delve through these pages and “…back up a lot of my thoughts.”  As Gareth continued, “I think coaches just need some guidance and confidences to do what they believe…”

And, ooooooh is he ever so right!  A head coach’s job is a lonely one in some ways.  I mean, the weight of a team falls on our shoulders, and there are usually few people ready and able to counsel us when we reach various sticking points.  Ha, want to talk about the many who second-guess us?  Well, I’ll tell you that we coaches — or at least the good ones — second-guess ourselves even more.

Then, before getting further into this, let me suggest that a parent often feels the same loneliness when his or her youngster meets any sort of crossroad or obstacle.  Oh, the rinks may be filled with opinionated folks.  But, it’s still the parent and his or her kid who lives or dies with a final decision.

– Dennis Chighisola

Challenging Hockey’s Status Quo

What echoes and echoes from my brief conversation with Gareth is that part about needing the confidence to do what he believes.  Oh, man, have I been there, done that.

Of course, back in the dark ages — when I began coaching, there was little in the way of help.  There weren’t even that many hockey textbooks, never mind videos or Internet websites.  Consequently, I second-guessed nearly everything I was doing, skills to X’s and O’s.

My confidence grew with several events that just plain happened (and I’ve documented these in more detail elsewhere).  It was at least comforting when one minor league pro player affirmed my beliefs about defending a 2 on 1, and I got all the more psyched when an NHL defenseman suggested I saved his career with a special skating maneuver.  Some years later, I felt on Cloud Nine when my MP Drill Format was selected as one of the best drills at the 1980 NHL Coaches Symposium.

Those things, however exciting, were only little bumps of adrenaline — positive jolts, for sure, but not all that lasting.  No, the lasting boosts in confidence came with something you’ve probably heard me say before, and it’s something you’ll hear a lot more about in the near future.  What I’m getting at are what I’ve come to call “Coach Chic’s Rules for Winners”.

Here’s how that collection came together…

Maybe in my earliest days as a coach, for example, I started seeing something like a turn over in neutral ice really matter.  In other words, we may have been controlling a game, and then a neutral-ice cough-up of the puck resulted in an opposition goal.  Of course, something like that happening just once only causes a coach to shake his or her head.  However, when it happens every few games, I tend to think there’s more to it than just a rare mistake.

Explaining the problem only briefly, I’ve come to think that a player just exiting his own zone or just trying to enter the offensive zone has his teammates thinking attack.  I mean, most mates — whether they should be or not — are likely leaning forward and they’re not prepared if the puck is suddenly lost.  And off to the races go one or two opponents, walking easily right through our still startled defenders.  Now, I intimated that all our puckcarrier’s teammates shouldn’t be looking to follow the attack.  However, I do believe in human nature, and I do believe it influences even elite players to do the wrong things at the worst of times.  So again, if our puckcarrier isn’t careful near either blue line, there’s a good chance of putting us in trouble.

Okay, so I started seeing something like that happening more often than to believe it’s just a freakish, once in awhile thing.  And I’m thinking also that it’s a principle I need to hammer into the minds of my skaters.

Problem:  I’m maybe a 20-something coach, kinda new on the job, and I’m wondering why I haven’t heard any experienced coaches mention this, never mind suggesting a way to deal with it.  Would there be a confidence problem here?  Think again:  20-something, new at coaching, and not hearing far more experienced coaches address it.  Hmmmmmm…

Well, to me, I could only wait so long — and see that kind of mistake happen so often — before I decided I was right.  Damn other coaches; maybe they know about this, maybe they don’t.  But, I only needed to see my team get burned so many times before I felt the need deal with it.

Now, I think the last time I checked, there were about twenty-one points listed under my “Rules for Winners”.  I don’t think you’d find any of them earth shattering.  If you’d be surprised at all, it might be that I’ve found these kinds of things to be hugely responsible for a team’s success.  As a matter of fact, if a player wants to play smartly at a high level, he or she would be helped immensely by knowing and doing those things instinctively.

Notice, though, how much I anguished over that earlier point.  Ya, that kind of internal wrestling took place often during my earliest years — in coaching, and in parenting a young hockey player.  Like many others here, perhaps, I was constantly asking myself, “Am I right?”  Or, “Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?”

And that brings me back to what Gareth and I both believe when it comes to the value of the CoachChic.com website.

There’s little doubt that beginners will find enough information here to bring them quickly to higher levels of knowledge.  Hey, there are currently over 500 posts on everything from tying skates to over-speed training.

But it’s the advanced player, parent and coach that Gareth reminds me about.  Ya, all of us need someone to talk with when it comes to troubleshooting a problem.  And we all need someone we can bounce our own ideas off.  Frankly, we’ve had a number of spirited — but fun — philosophical arguments within the Comments area, but I’m dying for more.  (I learn as much from those as our members do.)

Finally, speaking of learning…  I’ve found through the years that I’ve strengthened my beliefs about a given principle just by having to explain it to someone else.  Think about that, and then shoot me your thoughts — on unique skill applications, tactics or strategies.  I’d be loving it!

PS:  Oooops!  Any time you’d like to start a new topic, don’t use the Comments area, but instead give that topic a chance to have its own area.  In other words, use the Ask The Coach link up above, and I’ll begin the new topic for you.  We can go back and forth through the adjacent Comments boxes after that.