Skill Development Corey McNabb Director, Hockey Development Programs Hockey Canada cmcnabb@hockeycanada.ca
Hockey Canada s Mission Statement To Lead, Develop, and Promote Positive Hockey Experiences. Challenge Learn Improve 2
Programming Goals Participant Centered Establish the Gold Standard for all hockey programming Provide all participants with a positive experience focusing on building a strong skill base Adhere to the principles of Long Term Participant Development (LTPD) in the design and application of agespecific programs 3
Long Term Player Development Mission 10/10,000 Research has concluded that it takes a minimum of 10 years and 10,000 hours of deliberate training for a talented player to reach elite levels (Starkes and Ericsson, 2003). This means before the 10 year or 10,000 hour rule comes into play: 1) A player must have developed the fundamental skills 2) Be physically literate For a player and coach this translates into slightly more than 3 hours of training or competition daily for 10 years. 4
Long Term Player Development Ensures physical literacy upon which excellence can be built Ensures that optimal training, competition, and recovery programs are provided throughout an athlete s career. Provides an optimal competition structure for the various stages of an athlete s development. A need to better educate parents on the hockey development of their child. It is okay for parents to want their kids to get to the highest levels but they need to know the best way to go about it. 5
Programming Goals MHA Centered The most important aspects of Minor Hockey Association or Club Team development are: 1) Consistency in the coaching philosophy 2) Consistency in what the coaches are teaching. 6
Key Steps to Building a Programming Model A Minor Hockey Association, a Club or a Team s success from a coaching / player standpoint will be based on 3 main aspects: 1) Enjoyment of players coming to the rink everyday 2) Improvement of players skills 3) Developing of players to play at the next level 7
Long Term Player Development This model for hockey has been developed based on the following principles: Doing the right thing for the player at the right stage in their development Adopting a player centered approach and not treating the development of all players the same way. Viewing player development as a long term process 8
Long Term Player Development What an MHA needs to do to improve: Focus on supporting the complete athlete not just the athlete in training and competition. Introduce athletic skills in a systematic and timely way Recommend other sports, cross training methods to get away from hockey and avoid burn out Remove the focus of winning at all levels and age 9
Long Term Player Development Drawbacks in our development system Over competing & under training Adult programs imposed on children Male training programs imposed on females Preparation geared to short term outcomes Knowledgeable coaches at the elite levels Competition system interferes with athlete development Early specialization is demanded 10
Long Term Player Development Consequences What are the results of these shortcomings? Poor movement abilities. Lack of proper fitness. Poor skill development. Bad habits developed from over competition focused on winning. Undeveloped and unrefined skills due to under training. Female athlete potential not reached due to inappropriate programs. Children not having fun as they play adult based programs. No systematic development of the next generation of successful International athletes. Failure to reach optimal performance levels in international competitions. 11
Skill Development is only important if you plan to do something about it.
Introduction High Performance players and especially players on the pathway to High Performance need to continuously perfect and advance individual skills and tactics. The results will contribute significantly to team success both in practice and in games. The coach must understand how these skills and tactics are executed for efficient practicing and maximum development of the players.
Introduction As an example of this: A coach will need to determine the overall strengths and weaknesses from a skill standpoint of the team as well as each of the players. Ie. Need to improve the foot speed of defensemen or the deception and creativity of the forwards.
Introduction Once a coach has determined the areas of skill improvement to be worked on, it is necessary for the coach to include skill improvement in all practices with efficient drills focused on repetition and specificity.
Learning Outcomes Understand qualities required by players for skill performance at high performance levels of the game. Comprehend how you can improve individual player skills Comprehend the techniques and the application of biomechanical principles in improving skills including skating, puck control, shooting, passing and receiving, and checking. Develop drills that will improve skills and are integrated into individual and team tactics.
Assessment 1. Overall assessment of your team 2. Overall assessment of position specific F / D / G 3. Overall assessment of each individual player High Performance Player Evaluation Sheet Player_Evaluations_ _HP 2016.xls
Decision Mechanism Select a course or plan of action that will fulfill the objective. Decisions are difficult to make correctly when information gathered from the environment is vague or unclear.
Must Know Knowledge of where you are at Knowledge of where you need to get to Knowledge of the skill development required Knowledge of tactical development required Knowledge of quality instruction Knowledge of the teaching process Knowledge of game / team play
Needs Assessment Don t get fooled by A Master
INDIVIDUAL OFFENSIVE TACTICS ATTACKING 1 ON 1 Skating Fakes and Skating agility Puck Skills Attack Triangle Puck Skills Quick Hands Puck Skills Body fakes Shooting and Passing Fakes Puck Protection Puck Control Creativity.mov Puck Control Puck Protection.mov Skating Agility Puck Protection.mov Stick Handling Driving to the Net SHAKING A DEFENDER 1 ON 1 Turn up/ Delays Driving to the Net Walkouts INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE TACTICS DEFENDING 1 ON 1 Positioning Closing the gap Body contact Stall DEFENDING AN OPPONENT IN THE DEFENSIVE CORNER Positioning Closing the gap Body contact Contain Skating Defence Skating Escapes.mov DEFENDING ALONG THE BOARDS Pinning BACKCHECKING
Observation DETECTION CORRECTION DEVELOPMENT WOODEN S EIGHT LAWS OF LEARNING 1.Explanation 2.Demonstration 3.Imitation 4.Repetition 5.Repetition 6.Repetition 7.Repetition 8.Repetition
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but is a habit. So, what are you going to do about it? Aristotle
High Reps Not Game like Situation Game Simulation Low Reps
Skill Development 5 Key Points to Consider 1) Technique 2) Practice 3) F.I.O. 4) Practice with Purpose and Speed 5) Game Application 25
Skill Development Technique Teach skills not only for technique, but also for results. Repetition helps players to become consistent performers. Results happen when repetition of technique can be mastered so technique can be incorporated into drills and ultimately into games. Puck Control Warm Up 3 Puck Dots.mov 1
Skill Development Technique 5 Components 1) Feet wide apart for stability and balance 2) Bottom hand needs to be able to slide for range of motion. 3) Move the puck first then the body for puck protection 4) Quick hands and quick feet but also quick hands and slow feet 5) Every move needs to have a set up and a pay off Puck Control Warm Up 1.mov 1
Practice Skill Development Practice at a speed so players can learn Practice needs to be done in progression: 1) if you can t do it standing still 2) you can t do it moving 3) and you can t do it to beat an opponent Work on the same skills in a variety of drills Puck Control Warm Up 2 Random Obstacles.mov Players need to learn at a speed where they can practice, think and create without worrying about making mistakes 1
Skill Development F.I.O. Figure it Out Figure It Out means creativeness and improvisation If players are attached to the outcome ie worried about making a mistake, they will not fully realize their potential to be creative. They need to let go! Create or set up the drill, then let players decide the patterns Puck Control 4 Pylon Agility.mov 1
Skill Development Practice with Purpose and Speed Once technique has been practiced it then has to be done with purpose. Scoring Corner Puck Protect.mov Practice with purpose then has to be done at speed GAME SPEED Scoring Crosby Delay.mov When stickhandling can be done with purpose and speed it can then be done without thinking. It then happens automatically and deception and creativity can come into play 1
Skill Development Game Application Once they have technique, once they have practiced, once they have figured it out with purpose and speed then comes the most important aspect of all!!! Scoring Crosby Behind Net.mov We all know great practice players, but the great ones can do it in a game! In order to gain buy in, and keep buy in, the players will eventually need to know how it applies in a game. 1
Skill Development Best place to go for game application watch pros, watch games, watch video How do we encourage creativity? Watch goals scored in the NHL and develop drills out of what you see. Scoring Eberle Move.mov 1 HP1 / HP2
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