So Folks, this is the last Philosophical insert for a while before I start to get into Individual and Team Technical/Tactical stuff….. Keep in mind that I am known to ramble and rant from time to time, so don't be surprised when another Philosophical page is posted…

Continuing on with the theme of "Long-Term Development" which I touched upon in my last posting, I want to talk about a model that I believe in, and which is validated by the BC Athlete Training Manual focusing on hockey players.

As many people can attest to with whom I have conversed with on the subject of hockey in general, I believe certain "things" should be stressed at certain ages/levels of hockey. Since returning from Europe after hanging up the blades on my playing career, I have noticed two glaring deficiencies in hockey players in NB…. HOCKEY "IQ", and "passing", which go hand-in-hand.

As I have mentioned in previous postings, I believe the number 1 skill to have is "Hockey IQ", period. Just looking at Skating (Individual skill which can always be taught), player "A" may not be the fastest, but he knows when to skate fast or slow, and he anticipates well which makes up for lack of speed. At the end of the day, player "A" will be more effective in a game, than player "B" who can skate like the wind, and looks terrific doing it, but goes 100 km/h in a 30 km/h zone most times, and goes 30 in a 100 zone the rest of the time….. Player "B" will simply not be where he should be, "when" he should be there. Now, let's say Player "A" and player "B" both can pass the puck well (which is for me the # 2 most important skill), but because player "B" is flying around the ice being fast all the time, for the entire shift, he doesn't pass the puck at a young age, and therefore doesn't learn "When" to pass it as he gets older. By the time player "B" gets to an older age group like Bantam or Midget, where the space on the Ice has all but disappeared from when he was in Novice or Atom, he simply skates into pressure himself and takes away his own time and space, never learning "When" to pass. It is also known as "…going nowhere, fast…" . Player "A" on the other hand, who can't skate quite as well as player "B", developed at a young age the "IQ" to slow down and draw players to him instead of always trying to skate away from them (a rink is enclosed guys…. You can't get away from all 5 opponents all the time. They will time you and catch you…), and when the opponent(s) have committed to him, he simply passes the puck "when" he should... and not "when" he has to. It is too late then. By the Time Player "B" waits until he has no more time, space, and options to pass, and isn't aware of where his support is, he hasn't calculated into to the equation that since he took so long, the opponent has also taken away the time and space of his own support (team-mates). This usually equals a turn-over and bad Defensive positioning, and depending on where this happens on the Ice, it usually results in a face-off at Center Ice and a minus-1 for player "B" and his line-mates.

One of the better and more effective ways of teaching/developing "Hockey IQ" and passing skills, is to learn skills in small areas. Even play games in smaller areas. This forces the players to make quicker decisions, find their support early (head up), read the opponent, anticipate, do things "when" they should and not simply rely on their speed, AND IT IS FUN. It also teaches young players to move to open areas when they don't have the puck. This is IMPERATIVE to do at the youngest of ages so the players can start developing these skills through "trial and error"…. Along the lines of " Oooops, that pass didn't work, maybe I will do it earlier next time", or "I am not getting the puck here, maybe I will try over there"…. Etc. Don't get me wrong, SPEED is very important in today's game, but it is only effective when used properly. Compare it to a Pitcher in Baseball…… If a pitcher can throw a 96 mph fastball, straight as an arrow for strikes all the time, that is good. But if he doesn't have an off-speed speed pitch like a change-up, curve-ball, split finger or slider etc… which changes the velocity and movement (E-W or N-S) of the ball, then a good hitter will time his fastball, catch up to it, and simply deposit it over the center field fence every third at bat……. A hockey player must keep the opponent off balance with his speed and movement, just like a pitcher with 3 or 4 different velocity and movement pitches, does to a batter. The longer it takes a Pitcher, and a Hockey Player to figure that out, the longer it will take them to get to the higher "next levels". This is what the TV hockey analyst Pierre MacGuire (like him or not) refers to in part, as "…getting "IT"…".

As promised, below is the model from the BC Hockey Training Manual which shows generally what should be focused on by Coaches, and at what ages.

In finishing with the "Thinking" motto, here are some thoughts:

Henry Ford once said "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you are right."

Once players realize that their thoughts affect and determine their performance, all they have to do is decide what kind of performance they want!! They can become a Champion, but only when they think like one!

Remember:

"…Luck is simply the combination of Preparation meeting Opportunity…"