Critical Periods in Motor Learning – 2

Please be sure to watch Part 1 in this series as a prerequisite to the following.  A lot of the principles described in Part 2 were better explained in the previous entry.

Part 2A – The Answers:

As an introduction to Part 1, I suggested that the information contained there would likely put you far ahead of most other parents, players and coaches.  That should have been the case.

However, I probably also scared you a bit, pointing out the possibility that certain mistakes in training cannot be undone later.  Yes, there are those “windows of opportunity” — or certain periods in a human’s development that had better not be ignored.

Still, while that might be so — that there’s danger in missing those “windows”, I think I might just be able to ease your mind a bit in the following segments.  In fact, I hope to give you some great ideas for helping a young hockey player become far more athletic and far more confident.

Now, due to the length (and file size) required to do this subject justice, I’ve had to divide Part 2 into two sections.  So, here’s Part 2A…

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Now, please go on to Part 2B now…

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As a wrap-up to all this information, let me highlight a few things, as well as offer a few last minute suggestions:

• I hope it did ease your mind, that many of the early motor skills are learned naturally by relatively active children.  At the same time, appreciate that extra activities can help even more.  And, besides typical schoolyard games, rope skipping, running, tag and gymnastic-type activities, participation in other sports can further enhance athleticism and even problem solving.
• Don’t forget the human body’s unbelievable ability to adapt.  And, while the example of weightlifting was used, this would also be the case with speed and agility training, conditioning, and numerous other physical abilities.
• The Theory of Transfer was mentioned here…  Used in a practical sense, my suggestion is that the likes of shooting and puckhandling away from the ice can really help a player’s on-ice game.  And so will mimicking the skating stride, necessary footwork, and numerous other hockey-type movements.  If you think about it, the value of off-ice training is great news for hockey players, since ice-time is expensive and sometimes hard to come by.  (My video on “Food for Hockey Thought” also explains why some off-ice training might be even more productive than training on the ice.)
• I know I only quickly mentioned “muscle memory” in the video, but this is yet another example of the human body’s (and mind’s) amazing ability to learn and adapt.  For, the more one performs a given movement, the more that movement is committed to memory.  If there’s a danger here, it’s that the mind and body can’t distinguish between proper mechanics and faulty ones.  And this suggests that real care must be taken when it comes to rehearsing certain movements.  (I’m usually more concerned with this when it comes to advanced level players.)
• I think we’ll all agree that the right genetics can be beneficial.  Yet, I’m sure we’ll also agree that hard work, dedication and “heart” can overcome many shortcomings.
• Of all the principles I tend to hammer at, perhaps I sense the most resistance when it comes to the subjects of skipping steps and dealing with confidence.
• For sure, some parents and some coaches can’t wait to drag their kids from one level of execution to the next.  If there’s a price to pay for this, it’s that a player might miss truly mastering some basics that he or she could really use later on.  (My brief post on “do-able” drill progressions will help some in this area.)
• Also, if you recall what I said in conjunction with our observing those two sets of twins…  I worry not about the two youngsters who find physical challenges easy; as a matter of fact, they’ll likely to continue to get better because they’ll probably practice a lot on their own.  I think the other two will be okay, because the extra (organized) work we’re giving them is ultimately going to help them also feel good about themselves.  But, left to struggle for any length of time, there’s a good chance they’ll not want to practice or play.  I’ve termed it a “snowball effect”, in that the ones who feel good about themselves tend to get better, and the ones who don’t, well…
• When it comes to believing in oneself, I like to look at is as if every player carries with him a “confidence bank”.  In other words, confidence gets put into that bank with every successful drill, and with every success in a game.  But so are withdrawals made, as the player suffers setbacks along the way.  Here’s my real point, though…  When a struggling player — with an already low confidence account — suffers the next (small or large) failure, there’s a chance he or she will be devastated.  (Depending on the bank account and the nature of the setback, this could even force a player to quit.)  On the other hand, picture what happens to the player who is carrying a near full confidence account when he or she has some difficulty.  I’ve seen it countless time (in hockey and in the business world), and you probably have, too.  For, that guy or gal hardly misses a beat, or he or she is almost shocked that things didn’t turn-out perfectly (because they always have)!
• Along this same line of discussion is the matter of playing levels.  And lest anyone think I’m pushing for a player to be a big fish in a little pond, that’s not the case.  What I am talking about, however, is giving a developmental level player the chance to have his or her fair share of successes — in the practices and in the games.  Here’s a simple test, though…  If a player is in a level where he or she won’t likely control the puck very much — or he or she is just going to play in what I call “panic mode” for a solid hour, I say, “Get ‘em out of there!”  On the other side of the ledger, I think it’s pretty helpful to future development if a player can carry a fair share of the play, and maybe even dare to experiment a bit.

All that said, I’m adding another brief video as sort of an afterthought…  Actually, this is a recruiting video made by my grandson’s prep school so that he could send it to college recruiters.  I didn’t make the video, and that’s not The Old Coach’s voice cheering in the background (I had a hard time getting to many of those distant games).  However, what you should know is that Tony Chic was able to grow in the game according to the principles described here and elsewhere at CoachChic.com.  Actually, you’ll see him demonstrating some of the drills in many video posts (mainly because I would have felt guilty dragging another player away from training).  Anyway, tell me if you think he can move his feet pretty well, if handle the puck and control his body.  Also, let me know whether you think he still has plenty of confidence in his bank…

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