ADM: What The Heck Is It?

ADM is an acronym for American Development Model. If you are new to hockey, you need to know it because every piece of Learn to Play literature directed your way at rinks will be plastered with it.

Aside from a marketing crutch for hockey associations, ADM is a program developed by USA Hockey with the goal of changing how hockey is taught to and played by youth hockey players. Here is CAYH Blog's introduction to the much ballyhooed, occasionally maligned ADM.

Despite what you may hear from its detractors, ADM is a philosophy. It's not that the way hockey has been taught for the past 100 years is wrong, it's just not the best way to produce more hockey players with more skill.  At its core, the philosophy is that kids learn in practice. If those practices include more instruction and less standing around, then skills will be developed further.

An ADM practice is immediately recognizable in that multiple "skill stations" are used.  For a full ice practice, the sheet is divided into six parts.  Each part of the ice has a different activity occurring, such as passing instruction, skating around the face off circle, small area games, etc.  As kids go through the station, then move between the stations, the entire practice and the entire ice surface is used.  ADM keeps the kids moving.

Implied in the assertion that kids learn in practice is that they don't learn in games. A player simply does not have the puck often enough in a game to develop skills with it. Further, the ADM philosophy asserts that kids play too many games on the same sized surface upon which NHL players play the game. To address this, the  guidelines recommend that all youth hockey players play fewer games and that Mite (8 and under) games be cross ice rather than full ice.

The ADM program is a set of guidelines for associations (not mandates).  Some of these guidelines have been adopted by the governing body for youth hockey in Illinois, which make them laws of the land for all of us:

In keeping with the USA Hockey ADM, AHAI has put forth two programs for the 2009/ 2010 season to help kick off the implementation of the ADM here in Illinois.

U-8 Developmental Program

A 20 week fully designed program including practice plans and a player evaluation process. The U-8 plan includes two levels; the (LTP) Learn to Play Mite level and the Advanced Mite level.

Game Limits at All Age Levels

Designed to help clubs and coaches acquire a good practice to game ratio and enhance skill development before placing too much emphasis on competition.

Source:  http://www.ahai.org/page/show/223673-adm


Official USA Hockey links:

http://www.admkids.com/

http://usahadm.com/wordpress/

http://www.facebook.com/AmericanDevelopmentModel


Finally, you may find this review of ADM from a parent's perspective to be the most accessible way to dive into the topic:

http://www.youthhockeyinfo.com/blog/24/the-american-development-model-adm-hockey

You should follow me on twitter here.