Practice Plan for 6U Hockey; Have Fun!

On Ice sessions for younger hockey players should be treated differently than those for more experienced players. 

One thing that always gets brought up from parents of young hockey players is whether or not their daughter or son is doing enough to improve. Often times these questions get brought up from parents who are newer to the hockey world and just haven't had any experience with player development. 

And it is understandable that a parent would want their child to become a better player as quick as possible. However, my advice (and I guarantee it would be the same advice a more tenured coach that has experience with coaching youth hockey would give) is that at a young age, "practices" shouldn't be practice to the kids on the ice. All it should be is fun. 

The Controlled Chaos of Intro Mites. This is part of a game of Noodle Tag, the coaches are using foam swim toy noodles that have been cut in half. The kids are competing and having fun while working on their skating. 

I haven't had that long of a coaching career, but I have been coaching summer camps and developmental sessions since I was 14. I was probably even a little bit younger when I started helping out with some smaller groups. What I've learned is, that especially with groups younger than 8 years old, attention span is a major factor in the types of “drills” you can accomplish with a group on the ice.

http://www.admkids.com/page/show/915460-practice-plans

Just check out some of the USA Hockey Practice Plans for 6U. These are the types of practices that look like kids are just “playing” the whole time. And they are! These are the types of drills that work on necessary skills for future player development. Relay races, Sharks and Minnows and games of tag are all games that will force kids to use their edges,  keep their head up and will get them to compete in a fun way. It is building essential abilities for when they are old enough to focus on and isolate particular skills.

In the past, I have coached a program called Intro Mites at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. The programs typically run about 8 weeks with one session a week. On occasion, we had 30 kids on the ice. Some of these kids weren’t even able to stand up on skates at the start of the program. At times, the coaches joked that it was like herding sheep! But the most important thing is to always keep players interested by making each “drill” fun.

Here is what a typical hour long session might look like for us with an Intro Mite group:

• 10 minutes- Free time with the aptly named Bucket of Fun. We have a trash bin filled to the brim with foam noodles, rubber ringettes, mini hockey pucks, Big Pucks (Pügis), small tires, hula-hoops, foam balls and any random item we could find that looked like it could be fun on the ice!

• 5 minutes working on a new skill- At the start of the program this was something as simple as lifting up one leg. We have the kids line up on the boards and just skate the width of the rink trying their new skill. So if we were practicing touching a knee that week, we have them skate across the ice and try touching a knee as many times as they could. Some of the skills we have younger groups learn include; balancing on one foot, C-cuts, knee touches, 360-spin, heel touches while bending your knees low, jumping.

• 10 minute game with whole group- We have a game that works well, probably because of the large fishing culture in Minnesota, called Going Fishing. We have 3-6 kids hop in the net, the boat, at a time, they’ll sit down and we’ll push them to a “fishing spot”. The rest of the players will have some item (a puck, ring or anything else you have on the ice!) and skate around. The “fishers” will try to take away the item and bring it back to the boat. We do this until each kid has had a chance to be the fisher. We also implement our skill for the day. So if you’re balancing on one foot or touching a knee for example, you can’t get “caught”. The biggest thing to remember is to keep it simple. If it doesn’t work with a group, it doesn’t work. Switch it up before they lose interest.

• 20 minutes split groups(10 minutes each station)- One group scrimmaging cross ice (it is hockey after all!) and another group either doing relay races or, another game we like that works on skating skills, soccer.

• 10 minutes of another full group game- My personal favorite and one that seems to have the kids compete the hardest is Noodle Tag. We bought foam swim toys and cut them in half, so they are probably only about 2.5” long and don’t hurt when kids tag each other with them. We play that if you get tagged, you go down on one knee but you can get back up if another player without a noodle touches you on the shoulder. We have at least 4 different color jerseys that the kids will wear, which makes splitting up for games a whole lot easier so we will give each group a chance being the designated taggers.

• 5 minutes free time if time allows!

Keep the practices fun and you will be amazed with how much improvement you will see. Like I said, there were times where we would have kids who couldn’t even stand in the beginning and by the end of the program they were Rink Rats flying around during games of tag or Going Fishing.

Here are some great tips from USA Hockey for coaching younger groups:

http://assets.ngin.com/attachments/document/0042/1169/Basic_Structure_for_6U_Mite_Practices2.pdf

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor

P.S. I don’t want to pump his tires too much, but look at some of the testimonials from Intro Mites. Coach Tadd has received quite a bit of praise for the program! Must be doing something right… 

The Small World of Hockey

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to set up at the Stick it to Cancer tournament in Blaine, MN. For those of you who have been to the National Sports Center, it is pretty commonplace in our hockey lives; but I know first hand that watching someone see if for the first time is entertaining. Eight rinks in one complex is pretty dang impressive. As the tourney proved, the place is a Rink Rat’s dream. Give your kids a few quarters and they’ll keep themselves entertained for hours (a few at our booth).

The Stick it to Cancer tournament is a benefit event to help fight breast cancer. All of the 64 teams participating volunteer six combined hours of their time for helping run the tournament. The referees are also volunteering their time. It is an undeniably great cause and absolutely great to see so many people turn out to raise money for cancer research. 

There is a theory floating around out there that I share with others (this Lets Play Hockey piece by John Hamre nails it). It might also tie into the success of this tournament as well. I’ve discussed it with other hockey players too, they all agree with me.

There is something about the hockey community that makes it feel a lot more connected than other social circles.

I was set up at a booth with Travis Baker from Blade Hockey (go check them out) and each person that we spoke with for more than three minutes we could figure out that at the very least, we knew someone who knew someone in common. I know that isn’t the greatest example, but think about the circles we plug ourselves into through the sport. Our core team, our hockey camps, our spring leagues, the coaches we know, our opponents; it is all part of the same ecosystem that keeps evolving and creating more bonds. And maybe there are other sports that do this, but I haven’t heard of too many stories that could rival hockey narratives.

Think about the connections you have made through hockey. Think of all the people that you know because you share the same love of the sport.

My Easter was spent with family and friends, as usual, and I am extremely lucky to have so many of those people in this area. But my family consists of ex-pro hockey players, a USHL player, youth hockey players, a DEL coach, an NCAA coach, high school hockey coaches, all around enthusiasts; and because of the friendships that have formed over the years through hockey, an MN Wild beat writer and another ex-pro-now-coach.

Through running Pügi's social media pages, I see the hockey community growing even faster and with a wider reach than in prior generations. There are kids with awesome Instagram accounts showing off their mitts and connecting with other hockey players from around the world, there are guys like Jeremy Rupke running websites and posting YouTube video tutorials helping coach kids and adults that want to get better and endless pick-up games formed. Let’s keep the community growing and thriving; make some buddies the next time you’re at the rink! You never know what teams they've played for, who they've coached or have been coached by or who they are related to in some form.

Maybe the reason that it is such a strong community is that we enjoy both hearing and telling those kind of stories; it becomes a sort of verbal history that we get to pass on to others. We have a culture of our own that shapes its history through goals, assists, hits, blocked shots, missing teeth, nights on the town, training, off seasons, playoffs, wins and loses. 

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor

P.S. ScramBoll Eggs- the sleeper product in our lineup! They were flying off the table. The last day of the tournament, we were using our training tools in front of the booth and folks had to stop by and ask, try and then walk away with a couple. The ScramBoll Eggs work wonderfully. Instead of rolling predictably, they bounce and get away from you like a puck might when it is being battled for. They are a great tool to toss in your bag or for the driveway. Well, that is my pitch on those.

The Importance of Great Goaltending

If your NCAA Bracket looked anything like mine after the first two rounds of the tourney, you probably aren’t too happy with Minnesota teams. I had the U of M winning it all, beating Mankato in the Championship.

But if this weekend of hockey proved anything, it is the importance of goaltending. Eight of the twelve games played in the tournament were won by teams with four or more goals. In six of those games, the winning team held their opponents to only one goal.

At all levels we see good goalies influence his/her team’s play. It is easy to rally behind a goalie that you can trust. I might be partial since I am from here, but let’s take a look at the Minnesota Wild. Since Devan Dubnyk has joined the team, his record in net has been 26-6-1. He was just named the NHL’s player of the week for the second time this season.

Having the ability to play knowing that you have solid goaltending gives a team the ability to go out, score goals and not have to worry as much about their defensive zone. I guess we will see what happens in Boston for the #FrozenFour and also in the NHL Playoffs.

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25127031/watch-goalie-scores-goal-finnish-announcer-completely-loses-it

But, then again, maybe we should just hope for goalies who can pull that off.

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor

Blade Hockey; Minnesota Brand Giving Back and Cutting Costs

It isn’t a secret, hockey is an expensive sport. When all is said and done, a player can be skating around in more than $2,000 worth of equipment, easily. Skates get lighter, helmets are getting safer and sticks are made with technology that fifty years ago would have been unthinkable even at N.A.S.A. Some will note that the best pair of skates doesn't make you a good player, that is true. But still, even if you’re looking at a conservative price range of all the equipment that isn’t top of the line or maybe even used, a family that is considering having their child play might be convinced to stay away from the sport altogether. And truly they aren’t crazy for doing so.

It adds up quickly.

Blade Hockey is looking to tackle (or slash) the issue of cost. The Minnesota start-up has launched their brand with a mission to “reduce the cost of playing hockey for families in Minnesota”. Their goal is to provide low cost, but comparable quality equipment and apparel.

It also isn't a secret that hockey has a very tight knit community. Minnesota hockey players have a sense of pride in their hockey roots and the associations that they cut their teeth in. The other, equally important half of Blade Hockey’s two pronged mission is to give a percentage of their sales back to youth hockey programs across Minnesota. 10% of their stick sales go back to those programs and you get to choose which association you would like the donations to go to.

The founder of Blade Hockey has a story that is not too unfamiliar for many in the State of Hockey. He played youth hockey, high school, juniors and finished his playing career at a D-3 M.I.A.C. school. He knows what quality gear feels like, because he’s seen and experienced the progression throughout his career. 

I tried the Blade RZ stick out for myself the other day. It is a one-piece that has a very similar feel to a Bauer. The reason the price can be lower than the bigger names is because he is cutting out the middle man and selling directly to you. The pre-order price for a senior model is $149.00, with multiple different flex and curve pattern options and $99.00 for a junior model. And again, 10% of the stick sales go back to a youth association of your choice! 

Check them out at http://bladehockeyus.com/ . 

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor