Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Eleven Ways To Improve Your Practices & Team:


ERZURUM GENÇLİK SPOR 2011-12 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS




This is a copy of my philosophy on practice planning for my 14 and under club. My program is based on 11 ingredients:


1. Structure, Structure, Structure:

A successful practice has to be well planned and organized, following a clear set of objectives from start to finish.
  • Dynamic Stretching & Warm Up Off-Ice  
  • Properly warming up the muscles and ligaments of the body is essential for avoiding injury
  • Proper cool down after practice

2. Simple Warm-up On-Ice Stressing 1 or 2 Passing Drills: 
  • Effective warm-ups allow the players to become mentally and physically focused to begin the practice
  • Spend a few minutes stretching center ice - If you have the ice time available.

 3. Fundamentals & Defense: 
  • We work fundamentals and defense daily
  • We take pride in the fact our players are equipped with the basics in puck handling, passing, shooting, rebounding, and defensive fundamentals 


4) Game Preparation: 
  • Keep things simple and progress 
  • The key is executing the system and tactics being used
  • Always be working on understanding how to read & react both on defense and offense


 5. Predictable & Variety:  
  • Practice can become easily boring with the same drills 
  • I keep my schedule and practice format predictable, but continually introduce new progressions and drills to my practice
  • I stay with drills until they master them 
  • If I sense things are becoming to boring I change the format 

6. Competition: 
  • Encourage an atmosphere of hard competition too simulate a game-like level of play
  • One of the best ways to create competition is to add back and forward pressure
  • Keep score at practice of the things you are focusing on

7. Accountability: 
  • Considering rewarding hard play (I.e. Hustling for loose pucks, winning battles on the boards and getting rebounds.)
  • Hold your players accountable for their performance
  • Provide continuous positive feedback, and punishing poor play

 8. Winning & Improving Is Fun: 

Don't take yourself too seriously. Make sure your players are having fun or they'll lose their drive and focus for training.



9. We focus on drill that stress the following: 
  • Multiple touches & reps
  • Multiple groups
  • Multiple skill drills

10.  Utilize Small Area Ice Drill:

The younger the group, the more time I would spend on small ice drills.

  • Small area drills give you more touches & reps
  • Isolate one or more skills

11. End With Small Games


Work on basic game principles including; Pressure, Possession, Defense,  Passing, Movement, Shooting & Rebounding! Set the game up to target an area of your performance.

  • Design small side to sided games
  • Diagonal half-ice games 


Power Thoughts:

"Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex."
                                                                                                -Norman Vincent Peale




Related Videos & Teaching Points:


Coaching Ice Hockey and Digital Video Technology



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