The very best coaches always seem to be able to to keep their messages simple and understandable WITHOUT diluting the intended emphasis.
Typically, the skill involved in pulling the afore-mentioned off is attained through many years of trial and error--in other words--experience.
Today, I offer a short-cut for the younger and less seasoned coach in the form of one of my favorite coach-speak slogans. The beauty is in its brevity--and it goes like this:
"Today we are going to play stop and start hockey!"
It is elementary and non-sophisticated and there-in lies its effectiveness and power.
Now let' dissect it for a moment or two and figure out exactly why it it so insightful.
If you truly think about it, hockey is a game best played when a team is exerting the energy required to stop, start and change directions as the play continuously both mandates and dictates.
In other words, no lazy and wide turns "away" from the play or more specifically--your "check."
It most certainly takes a tremendous amount of energy to consistently compete in this fashion but that is precisely why elite-level hockey players train for short bursts of 40 seconds or less.
And I will say that while I really l appreciate the game of roller hockey because it does complement ice hockeyin several important areas. Hands in general, including shooting (quick releases improvement) as well as surface-vision , board-usage, and overall decision-making can be enhanced thus transferred back to the ice game. However, the tendency to roll-away from the play, again, -while executing wide and inefficient turns is a negative habit that is difficult to break a young player of who may compete at each simultaneously.
So please be cognizant of that issue and address it with your youngsters because It is one of the primary deterrents to getting your players to play hard, fast stop and start hockey.
Another key ingredient to contemplate relates to your team's overall physical fitness levels. You have both heard and read in my past columns that having the best-conditioned team in the league in one major way to both obfuscate and make-up for inferior skating-ability and/or general lack-of-skill vs. your competition. A well prepared team from a cardio-standpoint is one that is positioned to literally out-work its more talented opposition.
Strive to build that sort of club and it will be much easier to teach and encourage them to keep their respective shifts short while learning to play stop and start hockey.
Your players future coaches and hopefully the scouts that come to watch them play--will thank you for the effort.
Trust me on that one.
Best of luck.
BONUS TIP
One "coachism" phrase that I personally coined is entitled "SOS." It is an acronym which stands for SUPPORT, OUTNUMBER and SMOTHER. I think you would agree that competing in an "SOS" mode is not even remotely possible if you are not 110% committed to playing a stop & start brand of hockey.
Paul Lubanski
paul.lubanski@yahoo.com
lubanski90@gmail.com
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