Coaches: Ask Players To Consider Mastering Just One Move This Summer (On Or Off The Ice)

By Paul Lubanski

It is extremely easy to feel more than just a bit overwhelmed if you are a youth hockey coach anywhere within the great state of Illinois. Regardless of the level--House through AAA--an ultra-competitive mindset awaits. It simply just comes with the territory.

You have to possess the where-with-all to balance the ever present pressure to win with your mandate to insure that each of your players display a marked improvement as the season unfolds.

So in today's blog, I offer an elementary, singular piece of advice that will aid all coaches in insuring more team success as well as helping to fulfill their obligation to developing stronger and smarter individual players as well.


It is simply this: This summer break, have each or your players master at least one move, fake or deke as chronicled by the world's leading hockey skills instructor Sean Skinner. If you do not know of Sean's work, I would suggest that you become acquainted with the full spectrum as soon as possible.

A Livonia, Michigan native, Skinner's exhaustive research has uncovered 35 useable moves, fakes and dekes and my bet is that each one of your players can be become an expert at executing a minimum of one of those he presents.

If I am correct, you will have made not only your team measurably better, but you will have rewarded yourself by becoming a more knowledgeable skills/hockey teacher and coach.

And that, as I always maintain to my colleagues in the ice world, is precisely what youth coaching is all about.

Best of luck.



BONUS TIP

Throughout history, all roadways leading to monumental, life-changing type achievements have had one common ingredient...they included  a FIRST STEP.

If you haven't already, I urge you to consider taking that FIRST STEP today towards self improvement and becoming your personal best by considering and implementing the advice presented above.








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