Is That All There Is?
July 2, 2009 by Dennis Chighisola
Just a little daydreaming today, or a little bit of the old coach’s philosophy. Not everyone is going to agree with this. Still, you probably ought to give the gist of this some serious thought, and maybe adapt it a little to your own parenting or coaching approach.
– Dennis Chighisola
Now, older CoachChic.com members might remember the above as the title to a hit song made popular by Peggy Lee. In that song she talks about finally achieving or experiencing certain things that always seemed so — I don’t know — glamorous, perhaps? Each time, however, she’d come to the conclusion that the something special wasn’t all it was cracked-up to be when she did attained it. Or, as the title goes, “Is that all there is?”
Actually, I often jokingly use that phrase with family and friends. But I also tend to keep it in mind as I deal with young hockey players.
For example, by now, you probably know that I’m not in favor of off-season games. That wasn’t always the case, though. No, as I dealt with earlier generations I dragged my teams all over the place, and I had my players skating numerous times per week.
During the winter months, we’d play in tournaments all over creation — throughout New England and to two Canadian provinces.
Of course, some of those experiences were good for my kids. But then… But then…
But then, I heard an interesting interview with a Division I college coach. Because it was long ago, I’ll have to paraphrase it as best I can… His main concern had to do with the difficulty coaches at that level were having with motivating their players. Or, as he explained, “By the time we get them, they’ve already played a hundred of the most important games of their lives!” (Again, I know I don’t have the words exactly right. But, his point is right-on.)
Among the things that comment made me think about?
How about coaching in a Canadian tournament that had me (an adult) as juiced as I’d ever been? I mean, even back in the 70s there were pro-like theatrics — with lights, loud music and all sorts of recognition for the players and coaches. I’m talking excitement here — to the max.
And how about this (adult) coach being so up-tight for a kids’ tournament game that he heaved on his front lawn upon returning from the rink?
And I also have to think about what had to be — and still is — going on at home with families who are engaged in games like I’ve just described. Are the parents prepping their kids in every way, possibly giving those kids the sense that “This is THE most important game of your life!”?
Don’t get me wrong. I understand the reasons tournaments are held, and I even appreciate the efforts folks make to organize such great events.
At the same time, I’ve worried in recent years whether kids reared in the above circumstances can get as excited as they should be skating their first varsity high school game. That should be a big deal, you know. And so should it be considered a very big deal if a young guy or gal gets to play at the junior or college level.
Then, yet another related matter… In my audio program A Lot of Things Change As Players Get Older, I make the point that more serious — and sometimes painful — preparations go into playing at the higher levels. And in order to really attack tough workouts, a young guy or gal needs to have some serious desire or motivation. One of my concerns, if you haven’t guessed it, is that a player might be completely spent before he or she reaches that level.
Combining these two points, perhaps you’ll at least appreciate my hopes that the next (and maybe the next and the next) goal seems a worthwhile one to an athlete. And I’m thinking that’s less likely if he or she has already experienced “the heights”, and maybe even asked himself or herself already, “Is that all there is?”
Finally, you’d probably like to ask me how I can espouse so much year-round training while at the same time suggesting we back-off a bit in some ways. In answer to that, however, I’ll suggest that protecting a player’s love of the game is a really tricky proposition. I mean, there’s a delicate balance required between making sure a player is totally capable and feeling good about himself or herself, while at the same time holding back a bit so that they still want a little more.
Coach, I couldn’t agree with you more. There are many kids that are giving away valuable experiences in the off-season believing if they do not play that summer tournament they will be punished. The off-season is for renewal and re-energizing so one can go through their season fully engaged to be their best. If there are too many “bests” needed it will be hard to gauge consistent performance. Thank you for the writing.
Coach, you’re spot on with this one. Its a shame to see a child “burnt out” on hockey. Where there once was excitement and enthusiasm now rests a zombie-like stare. I know a few families who are like the one you mentioned; running around all year long from tourney to tourney..it does damage. Thankfully most organizations where I live have a nice on ice/off ice seasonal training regiment which keeps the burn out factor low; unfortunately some families don’t adhere to it, and they insist on being on 2 travel teams, a house team, and a HS team year ’round. Little do they know that their child suffers in the long run.
I had a VERY interesting talk with a local high school hockey coach last night…
My travels to local rinks this early summer have given me the chance to watch some area high school leagues in action. Actually, I wasn’t very impressed with the skill levels I was seeing, so our conversation began with that. Ultimately, however, our discussion swung towards the above topic.
What I did was to pose a question to that young coach, asking him, “In all honesty, would you suggest your kids play a summer league game tonight, or would they have been better off working out with my team for two hours?” His very brief answer was something like, “A no-brainer…”
Of course, in a game, a player might get 10 or 12 shifts, and the lesser players — or the ones who need work in specific areas — will hardly get to practice whatever it is they need. Or, as I read recently, a pretty high level coach noted that, “Most of the time players just repeat their shortcomings in a game atmosphere.”
Yes, I guess we can’t blame youngsters for wanting to look their best in front of family, friends and possible future coaches. So they tend to take the safe route, or just repeat whatever it is they’ve done before. In other words, they stay in their comfort zone.
On the other hand, practices — or at least those of good quality — are usually aimed at breaking through that comfort zone. They should be about learning new skills, and bringing basic skills to a higher level.
Oh, on a slightly related matter… I understand that a lot of young players participate in those leagues so they might impress their future high school coaches (or whomever). Hmmmmm… I’d like to reason something with you, though… Which players do you think a coach is going to select once tryouts come? I mean, he or she has probably seen (or heard about) a kzillion players who have skated during the off-season, so it’s doubtful they’ll make their selections based on summertime activities. No, they’re going to wait until the tryouts are winding down, and they’re going to eventually select the very best hockey players they can.
It seems to me then, that the best use of one’s off-season would be to greatly elevate skills, to become a little smarter in playing important situations, and to be in as good a shape as he or she can be. I (and the other two fairly high level coaches cited here) don’t believe games are the place to achieve all those things. Naw. a player has a far better chance of making the team next season through dedicated gym work, with some off-ice training, and with some EFFECTIVE on-ice practices.
Then, of course, there’s the real gist of my original post — in that players need a time to break away from the same-old, same-old. (And the same-old, at least in my book, is games, games and more games.) Yes, the off-season offers the opportunity to vastly improve one’s playing abilities. At the same time, it should be devoted to rejuvenating a player’s love for the game. And, what I find with my players — or at least the ones who heed my advice, is that they ultimately can’t wait to do battle once the fall nears.