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COACHING STAFF
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12U Player Development
Competition
While competition is a big part of youth sport, what competition means to adults and to kids isn’t always the same. At 12U, coaches and parents need to keep kids focused on process over outcomes. It is the effort and striving that teaches the real lessons.
Equal Time
At 12U, the focus should still be on long-term player development and building confidence. Shortening the bench does not accomplish either goal, so providing equal playing time should be paramount. Teams are generally only as strong as their weakest players, so increasing every player's ability will improve long-term player development and help improve the team's overall performance during the season. Coaches and parents should put development ahead of short-term winning in youth hockey games. Remember, these games are for the player’s development, not for the adult’s satisfaction.
Passing & Receiving
You may hear professional players say “there’s no such thing as a bad pass to a good player.” While that may be true, it’s still important to develop both the ability to receive deftly and pass accurately. The 12U age group is an ideal development stage for honing both abilities. By this age, most players can competently sweep the puck in the general direction of a teammate. Now it’s time for them to begin sharpening that focus. The tape is the target now, not the general direction of a teammate. Players should also begin recognizing whether their intended target is a right- or left-handed shooter, and then place their passes accordingly.
Accountability among players and coaches is the real key to refined passing and receiving skills. Close is no longer close enough at 12U and beyond. Taking aim and hitting the target must become the expectation. Passes must be given and received with a higher level of focus and intent. But even with that increased focus, and even at the professional level, passes sometimes go astray. As receivers, 12U players should begin taking more responsibility to coral these wayward pucks.
In baseball, if you can get a glove on the ball, you are expected to catch it. In football if the receiver can get a hand on the ball, he is expected to catch it. So why would this expectation be any different in hockey? If the pass is within reach, players must find a way to collect it. This is an expectation that coaches should begin instilling among 12U players.
Professional players understand that teammates are going to be under duress in games and the pass won’t always be on the tape. They know it’s their responsibility to collect the puck as cleanly as possible so that they can advance the play. It’s also characteristic of being a good, accountable teammate. Conversely, good, accountable teammates must also focus on setting their intended target up for success by putting the puck in the right spot.
So how does a coach begin instilling the on-target mindset at 12U? It starts with the basics. Many teams practice passing drills with zero resistance, no opposition. Once players have the basic technical skills in place, the expectation should become a 100-percent success rate in these zero-resistance drills. Coaches should install this goal among their 12U players, along with the skills to achieve it. Their commitment to the 100-percent success rate puts players in the right mindset for a quality practice. It also positions them for greater success on game day.
Quality
A basic premise of USA Hockey's American Development Model is to make efficient use of the ice time available to our players. In a quality practice, expect to see:
Transition
As much as hockey people think the game is a possession sport, it's even more of a transition game. The puck changes possession more than 200 times during a hockey game. That means players are constantly switching between offense to defense and then from defense back to offense. The teams and players that can think fast and switch or transition fast are usually the most successful. So how do we practice this type of transition? The use of certain small-area games place players in situations where they are forced to transition quickly and often. Click here to see a video example of a game that promotes this type of situational play.
Vagabond
At 12U, players begin transitioning into a more competitive hockey environment, but that’s no reason to lose focus on what’s most important. Individual skill development, not 12U tournament championships, should remain paramount, and the most efficient way to develop skills is with daily programming built on age-appropriate competition and training. That means there’s no need to become a hockey vagabond at 12U, traveling all over the country in pursuit of exposure. Development happens at home.
Content adapted from www.ADMkids.com
While competition is a big part of youth sport, what competition means to adults and to kids isn’t always the same. At 12U, coaches and parents need to keep kids focused on process over outcomes. It is the effort and striving that teaches the real lessons.
Equal Time
At 12U, the focus should still be on long-term player development and building confidence. Shortening the bench does not accomplish either goal, so providing equal playing time should be paramount. Teams are generally only as strong as their weakest players, so increasing every player's ability will improve long-term player development and help improve the team's overall performance during the season. Coaches and parents should put development ahead of short-term winning in youth hockey games. Remember, these games are for the player’s development, not for the adult’s satisfaction.
Passing & Receiving
You may hear professional players say “there’s no such thing as a bad pass to a good player.” While that may be true, it’s still important to develop both the ability to receive deftly and pass accurately. The 12U age group is an ideal development stage for honing both abilities. By this age, most players can competently sweep the puck in the general direction of a teammate. Now it’s time for them to begin sharpening that focus. The tape is the target now, not the general direction of a teammate. Players should also begin recognizing whether their intended target is a right- or left-handed shooter, and then place their passes accordingly.
Accountability among players and coaches is the real key to refined passing and receiving skills. Close is no longer close enough at 12U and beyond. Taking aim and hitting the target must become the expectation. Passes must be given and received with a higher level of focus and intent. But even with that increased focus, and even at the professional level, passes sometimes go astray. As receivers, 12U players should begin taking more responsibility to coral these wayward pucks.
In baseball, if you can get a glove on the ball, you are expected to catch it. In football if the receiver can get a hand on the ball, he is expected to catch it. So why would this expectation be any different in hockey? If the pass is within reach, players must find a way to collect it. This is an expectation that coaches should begin instilling among 12U players.
Professional players understand that teammates are going to be under duress in games and the pass won’t always be on the tape. They know it’s their responsibility to collect the puck as cleanly as possible so that they can advance the play. It’s also characteristic of being a good, accountable teammate. Conversely, good, accountable teammates must also focus on setting their intended target up for success by putting the puck in the right spot.
So how does a coach begin instilling the on-target mindset at 12U? It starts with the basics. Many teams practice passing drills with zero resistance, no opposition. Once players have the basic technical skills in place, the expectation should become a 100-percent success rate in these zero-resistance drills. Coaches should install this goal among their 12U players, along with the skills to achieve it. Their commitment to the 100-percent success rate puts players in the right mindset for a quality practice. It also positions them for greater success on game day.
Quality
A basic premise of USA Hockey's American Development Model is to make efficient use of the ice time available to our players. In a quality practice, expect to see:
- Individual skill work done in a high-activity environment.
- Plenty of repetitions for efficiently refining a player's technical skills.
- Skill development with an increasing degree of complexity and decision-making.
- Game situational play through small-area games to teach the skills, concepts and tactics of ice hockey, along with the ability to make quicker decisions.
Transition
As much as hockey people think the game is a possession sport, it's even more of a transition game. The puck changes possession more than 200 times during a hockey game. That means players are constantly switching between offense to defense and then from defense back to offense. The teams and players that can think fast and switch or transition fast are usually the most successful. So how do we practice this type of transition? The use of certain small-area games place players in situations where they are forced to transition quickly and often. Click here to see a video example of a game that promotes this type of situational play.
Vagabond
At 12U, players begin transitioning into a more competitive hockey environment, but that’s no reason to lose focus on what’s most important. Individual skill development, not 12U tournament championships, should remain paramount, and the most efficient way to develop skills is with daily programming built on age-appropriate competition and training. That means there’s no need to become a hockey vagabond at 12U, traveling all over the country in pursuit of exposure. Development happens at home.
Content adapted from www.ADMkids.com