Home of the Coaches’ Site’s article on coaching hockey.
Coaches often tell their players to ‘be more intense’ or ‘battle’ or ‘compete’. Experienced players likely have an idea what this means. But for younger players from junior to minor hockey these instructions are often not clear. So players will often hear these terms but never act on them because they simply aren’t sure what […]
Goal-setting is one of the most important tools in the mental training tool box. Goal-setting is the foundation of personal success in all walks of life. Why do we need to set goals? Goalsetting will do the following: 1) improve skills 2) give clarity of vision and purpose 3) challenge oneself to improve in all […]
Want to skate like Connor McDavid. We all do. And we can! Sort of. You will often here people say that McDavid is the fastest player in the NHL. This might be true. But their are many players very close to his speed, yet none have the same ability to beat defenders wide so consistently. […]
“The truth is that there is no actual stress or anxiety in the world; it’s your thoughts that create these false beliefs. You can’t package stress, touch it, or see it. There are only people engaged in stressful thinking.” – Wayne Dyer We all know intuitively that when we are under stress we show up […]
Update: Aaron & I recorded a quick podcast to tee up the conference. Listen here! —- I’m sitting in the backyard of an AirBNB in Naples, Florida waiting for the start of the American Hockey Coaches Association’s annual convention in Naples, Florida. Our podcast gear is set up, my talented colleague Jay Aikenhead is tapping […]
At this time of year while teams are grinding through the playoffs it becomes increasingly more difficult for the D to get pucks on net. With a greater commitment to blocking shots and overall team defense, the D are challenged and forced to be creative to avoid killing offense zone possession. For those of you […]
In a perfect world we would celebrate and genuinely enjoy the joys and accomplishments of others. Yet if we use others as a benchmark to evaluate ourselves, that creeping twinge of jealousy may undermine our ability to truly cherish the good things that come to others. Just remember: over time, things may even out, and a friend’s […]
A growing trend in the national hockey league and beyond is the art of puck placement. As players get bigger and faster, it stands to reason that there’s going to be less space in which the skilled players in the game can operate. Placing the puck with self chips off the boards buys time and […]
If you can show me a frightened hockey player, football player, or any athlete who makes a great play despite being afraid of the consequences should the play fail, then I’d say you’ve got not only an exceptionally gifted athlete on your hands, but one who defies logic itself. Seriously, why would such a player, […]
It’s interesting how slow the hockey industry is when it comes to adopting new tactics to improve your team. I’m not old enough to remember Roger Nielsen re-inventing hockey by literally cutting video tape for hours on end in order to show his players what he was seeing. I’m also not old enough to to […]
