Knowing and Accepting Team Roles – Part 2
Understanding and accepting roles is one of the biggest areas for developing a successful team. This is Part 2 of the article “Knowing and Accepting Team Roles.” In this article we discuss two ways to define and clarify player roles on a team.1. Individual Meetings with Each Player
There are a few ways that you can help to define and clarify your individual players’ roles. One is to meet privately with each player to discuss his or her role. It usually is best to begin the meeting by asking the player about the roles or contributions the player is making presently. Find out how satisfied the player is with his or her present role as they see it as well as any future roles that they would like to play. Either the player sees things the way you do or you need to bring in your perspective as a coach. If a player would like to play a greater role, discuss what you think it will take for the player to have a chance to play the desired role. It may range from extra practice to transferring to another team to a reality check. The key is to have honest and open communication between you and each player.
2. Teammates Clarifying Roles for Each Other
An excellent and effective way of clarifying and appreciating roles is to have your team members define roles for each other. Our team has found this exercise to be quite beneficial. Have your players sit in a circle and describe each player’s role. Ask the team, “What does Jason bring to this team? What do we need from him in order to reach the team goals we have set for ourselves?” If the person is a starter, the players will probably discuss his strengths and help him see his role more clearly. If he is a sub, players will talk about the need for him to push the starters to get better as well as appreciate the “little” things he does.
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Jeff Janssen and Steve Horan of PositiveSports.net for the above article.
Knowing and Accepting Team Roles – Part 1
Understanding and accepting roles is one of the biggest areas for developing a successful team. The obvious problem with getting individuals to play roles is that certain roles have more outside appeal than others. Who gets the most praise and pats on the back after the games? Too often it is the player who scored the most points, not the one who made the perfect pass or made the painful check. Coach, parent, and player attention to the “glamour” roles is one of the biggest obstacles for getting individuals to accept and embrace less popular roles. However, these roles are absolutely critical to your team’s success.Championship teams have players who not only accept these roles, but understand their significance and value to the team and they actually take pride in playing them. As Pat Riley says, “The key to teamwork is to learn a role, accept that role, and strive to become excellent playing it.”
Accepting Roles
Your goal as a coach is to have your players accept and embrace the role that they are given. When each player accepts his/her role and takes pride in playing it, your team will have its best chance of being successful. How do you get your players to understand and accept their roles?
ACCEPTING ROLES = DEFINING ROLES + APPRECIATING ROLES
Defining Roles
A key aspect of role acceptance is helping to clearly define roles for each of the players. Role definition means that each player knows what is expected of him/her both on the court and off the court. It includes the responsibilities that they are expected to handle and fulfill. Let’s take the six-time NBA World Champion Chicago Bulls as an example. Steve Kerr/John Paxson basically had to find the opening and knock down the outside jumper. Dennis Rodman/Horace Grant had two responsibilities, rebound and defend. Ron Harper just had to play defense. It’s usually your superstars who have to take on additional roles (Jordan & Pippen). But the majority of the “role” players just need to play their role effectively and everything else takes care of itself. Each player should have one or two primary responsibilities that when executed successfully, propel the team toward its ultimate goal.
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Jeff Janssen and Steve Horan of PositiveSports.net for the above article.
Improve Passing and One-Timers with the PassMaster
The PassMaster is a product designed to help players develop soft and quick hands for receiving a pass. It’s also designed to help players improve their one-timers. So is it worth it? Here’s our review of the PassMaster.Overview: The PassMaster is intended to help improve passing, develop soft hands, and practice one-timers. The PassMaster can be used by up to 3 players at one time. The 3 sides allow for many drill possibilities. This product can be used at home - in the basement, garage, or driveway - as well as on the ice. This makes the PassMaster appropriate for home users as well as coaches, who can incorporate it in practice-time drills.
How it works: The principle is simple: the reflex band on all 3 sides provides puck rebound to the passer for many drill possibilities. The PassMaster is also designed to help players practice one-timers.
Video: Here is a great video showing the PassMaster in action:
Price: $99.95
Top Features: The top feature of the PassMaster is the puck return provided by the reflex band. Over the past year, the elastic band has been improved, providing greater durability. Pucks rebound from all 3 sides of the PassMaster, which makes it a good tool for drills. The PassMaster can be used both off-ice for dryland training and on-ice. The unit is anchored on the ice with spikes. It comes with 1 Reflex Band and removable spikes for on-ice use.Final Period: The PassMaster is a product that helps with passing skills. It will also help you develop softer hands, which should make for an improvement in your play on the ice.
Editor’s Note: For a limited-time, when you use the code “teamcares″ at HockeyShot.com, parents will receive 10% off any purchase.
Should Kids Really Lift Weights?
The commonly held belief that strength training for kids is dangerous to the growth plates is simply not accurate provided that appropriate guidelines are followed with respect to, specifically, exercise execution. In fact, improved sport performance, increased muscular endurance, and enhanced bone strength are all likely benefits of resistance training for children.
Moreover, the rigors of a typical soccer, football, or hockey game place far more strain on the structures of kids than does a well-executed lift. In fact, Mel Siff, in his book Facts & Fallacies of Fitness, suggests that “stresses imposed on the body by common sporting activities such as running, jumping, and hitting generally are far larger (by as much as 300%) than those imposed by Powerlifting or Olympic lifting.”
The real crux of this issue stems from the argument of which type of resistance training is most safe or suitable. In North America, we tend to buy into the concept that fitness machines are most safe due to their static nature and fixed paths that remove our need to stabilize during a movement – which would be fine if the body actually worked like that, but it doesn’t! This is why I am so outspoken against “youth sized” strength training machines. To the uneducated eye, they certainly appear more safe and prudent than training with free weights, especially in dynamic movements such as Olympic lifts … but are they? Should kids stay away from dynamic strength training exercises like the Olympic lift?
If there is not a fully qualified and exceptionally experienced coach involved, than yes – without question. However, can the Olympic lifts actually be beneficial for younger athletes … let’s examine that.
While machine-based strength training for children has been shown clinically to be positive, it does not appear that the clinical evidence supports anything other than the fact that isolated strength has increased. Moreover, due to their static nature, it can certainly be concluded that machine-based strength training does not positively impact coordination or movement skill – something that is extremely crucial for young athletes.
On the other hand, North American research has never sought to prove whether or not Olympic lifts are dangerous for young athletes; it has always just been assumed so. Furthermore, according to Mel Siff in Facts & Fallacies of Fitness, “Epidemiological studies using bone scans by orthopedists have not shown any greater incidence of epiphyseal damage among children who lift weights.
“On the contrary, bone scans of children who have done regular competitive lifting reveal a significantly larger bone density than those who do not lift weights – In other words, controlled progressive competitive lifting may be useful in improving the ability of youngsters to cope with the rigors of other sports and normal daily life.” In addition, because of their dynamic nature, Olympic lifts are actually quite ideal for aiding in the development of coordination and movement skill.
I try whenever possible to make sure that physicians, parents, and coaches here in North America don’t become too dogmatic with respect to their viewpoints on how children should exercise. Although North Americans view Olympic lifting as entirely unsafe for pre-adolescents, they have been adopted as part of a physical education curriculum in sections of Europe.
Strength Training Tips for Youngsters:
- The essence of systemic strength training is found in basic activities such as running, jumping, and throwing. Be sure to have younger athletes use both sides of their bodies equally when learning unilateral skills.
- From a motor skills perspective, I have always found that children around the ages of 8 - 10 are best suited to start learning the form and function of basic lifts. Start with body weight positioning, but don’t be afraid to teach “bar skills” and patterning with light pre-weighted bars (5 - 8 pounds) or brooms.
- Reps and sets are an interesting topic … as opposed to conventional theory (3 sets of 15 - 20 reps), I have always found more success in teaching appropriate lift functioning by making the sets high (8 - 10) and the reps low (3 - 5). In this set/rep range, kids are first taught the basics of set up and movement and then asked to reproduce the lift a minimal number of times per set. This aids in developing quality motor sequencing and doesn’t afford the opportunity of developing poor habits during the multiple reps set.
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Brian Grasso for the above article.
Good Attitude Is Key to Hockey Success
No one masters hockey. There is too much to learn and every game presents a new combination of challenges and opportunities. A positive attitude is essential to becoming a better player.
Attitude is a combination of physical and mental approaches. A positive attitude is demonstrated in many ways such as:
- Giving maximum physical effort on the ice
- Staying positive no matter what is happening in the game
- Being open to new ideas
- Seeking ways to improve your game
- Being constructive when problems come up
- Focusing on team play and cooperation
- Listening
- Setting and working toward personal goals
Having a good attitude can give a player an edge over someone else who is quicker or faster but lacks a good attitude. When playing against a good opponent, players often encounter constant frustrations trying to pass, stick handle, shoot or block shots. Having a good attitude in the face of frustration is critical to improving skills and having fun.
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Sports Esteem for the above article.
What Makes You A Good Coach?
What should a coach care about most: winning, teaching, or giving everyone a chance to play? KidsHealth.org asked their readers this question, and hundreds replied. The results are instructive.
What They Value
Survey respondents said they respond best to:
- Coaches who understand and motivate their players
- Coaches who are tough but fair
- Coaches who teach life skills along with sports skills
- Coaches who make it a team effort
- Coaches who try to make practice varied and fun.
Importantly, athletes are able to recognize that some parts of practice are necessary and not much fun. They just want the coach to do their best to keep things interesting whenever possible.
What Turns Them Off
Survey respondents said they are turned off by:
- Coaches who focus on only a few players
- Coaches who yell or put players down
- Coaches who can’t teach or don’t give it their all.
The full KidsHealth.org article has more detail and some insightful quotes from survey respondents.
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Steve Horan of PositiveSports.net for use of the above article.
Read This Before Creating Fundraisers
Don’t make the mistake of staging frequent fundraisers on the premise of small efforts add up. Parents have a limited amount of time. So when doing fundraisers, be sure to create maybe two at the most or one bigger event that brings you a lot of money. If your team is not making at least $2,000 for the fundraiser, then look at alternatives.
How to Choose the Right Hockey Stick Blade
There are many factors that go into choosing a blade that is right for you. Besides the material, construction, and weight there are plenty more factors to consider. The curve type, depth, loft, lie, and toe shape will drastically change the manner in which the puck reacts when shot, passed, or tipped.Material
Blades come in either wood, carbon fiber or a combination of both. Wood blades will offer the most feel and responsiveness however it does not perform like carbon and is heavier. A carbon blade will offer the highest performance and lightest weight but will suffer in feel. However, advancements in the core and carbon thicknesses are closing the gap. A blade that is a combination of both tries to marry the best aspects of each.
What the Pros Use
Majority of pros use one of two patterns. The most widely used is a slight to medium heel curve that is open and has a round toe. This offers a large flat surface which creates a big sweet spot for off center shots, big slap shots, deflections and one-timers since you have a better chance at getting more “wood on it”. The open toe allows them to get the puck up quick from the slot to pick the top corners and aids in chipping the puck up quickly in scrambles in front of the net. The second pattern is a medium mid cure that is open with a round toe. This helps to sling the puck for added velocity on wrist shots and snap shots. The mid curve is better for stickhandling and dangling around defensemen.
Curve Type
The curve is the first blade aspect you will want to decide on. Blades curve in three spots; Heel, Middle and Toe.
Heel Curve – Heel curves are most popular with players who take mostly slap shots, one-timers and like to sit in front of the net and deflect pucks. Since the blade curves at the heel it creates a large flat surface which creates a big sweet spot for off center shots. Defensemen will reap the benefits when they are being pressured at the point and need to get the puck on net. It will also help in one-timers since you have a better chance at getting more “wood on it”. A heel curve is not the optimum curve for stickhandling.
Toe Curve – If your goal is to pull off the sickest moves possible, the toe curve is for you. With the blade curving at the toe you are able to cup the puck more for exception control. The toe curve is also great for quick shots as it pulls the puck to the center of the blade. The toe curve offers exception control to pull off sick moves. This is the toughest blade to use. Your backhand will suffer and it is not great for slap shots and one-timers.
Mid Curve – This curve starts in the middle of the blade and makes a nice smooth pattern. A mid curve is the all around do everything pattern. It is great for puck control, backhands, shooting and passing. Since it does everything well it does not do any task great. For instance the heel curve will be better for slap shots and one-timers and the toe curve offers exception control to pull off sick moves. The mid curve is the most popular of all curves and it is the best starting point for beginners.
Curve Depth
The depth of the curve is the next aspect to consider. There are generally three different depths; Slight, Moderate and Deep.
Slight – A slight curve depth gives you an advantage with slap shots, one-timers, deflections and backhand shots due to its large flat surface. The disadvantages of a slight curve are that it is hard to raise the puck and harder to control the puck as it really does not cup the puck at all.
Deep – If you’re desire is to pull off ankle breaking moves then you may want to try a deep curve since it cups the puck for increased control. The deep curve will also help you hit the top shelf from close quarters. Since the curve is deep it makes it much harder for backhand shots, slap shots, one-timers and deflections. The deep curve is not a good beginner’s pattern.
Moderate – The moderate curve depth is the most popular. It will help with puck control, raising the puck on slap shots, backhand shots, one-timers and deflections. It may affect backhands some but not the extent of a deep curve.
Loft
Loft is the angle of the blade from bottom to top. There are generally three different angles; Closed, Slightly Open, and Open.
Closed – A closed face will give you more control of your shot and it will be easier to keep it low on longer shots. A closed face will also aid in stickhandling and backhand shots.
Slightly Open – This face angle aids in getting the puck in the air. It is the most widely used face angle of the three. It will help with slap shots, deflections and saucer passes.
Open – If you need some help getting some air under the puck, you may want to try a blade that has an open face. An open face sill also help chip the puck up quickly in scrambles in front of the net.
Lie
The lie is the angle which the blade comes off the ice and up the stick. When your lie is incorrect your shooting will suffer. In order to maximize power you need the complete blade on the ice so you can achieve maximum energy transfer. You want to find the lie that suits your playing style. Lie angles are broken into three categories; High, Mid, and Low.
High Lie – A higher lie allows you to maneuver and keep the puck in tight and close to your body. This lie will put you in perfect position for to use your leverage for quick hard shots. Check your stick; if there is more wear on the toe then you need to go to a higher lie to get the heel down.
Mid Lie – Allows you to still keep the puck close yet still maintain control of passes and shots at a longer reach. A medium lie is versatile for all shots and will also allow you a full range control for stickhandling and passing.
Low Lie – A Lower lie gives you maximum control with longer sticks and lengthens your reach. Will open up more room for large passing lanes and is the optimum angle for slap shots. Check you stick; if there is more wear on the heel then you will need a lower lie to get the toe down.
Toe Shape
The last factor to consider is what type of toe you want on your blade. The toe shape is the least important of all the aspects. The higher level you play than the more it will matter to your game. There are two basic toe shapes; Round and Square.
Round – A round toe will aid in pulling off some more advanced moves and allow for greater puck control.
Square – A square toe has a bigger surface area so it make it easier in receiving passes, taking one-timers and collecting the puck off the boards.
If you have any other questions about blades please contact HockeyX.com by phone (877-837-4427) or email (service@hockeyx.com). We love to sit around and talk hockey with our customers!
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to HockeyX.com for the above article.
Focus on Effort, Not Results, Good Things Follow
Your child looks to you for approval, and your opinion of them is more important than anyone else in the world. When discussing a mistake they made during play, be sure to phrase your words carefully.
Be sure to discuss the effort and not the result. If you focus on the result, players will equate approval based on results and not effort. In youth sports, this leads to kids “freezing up” and “choking.”
Focus on effort and kids will become less hesitant to take risks for fear of failure. Encourage kids to take risks and to fail. Doing this will improve their performance over the long-term and will keep them playing sports.
What’s Hurting Your Player’s Performance?
Parents can have a tremendous impact on helping their child get into and stay with sports activities. Kids develop at different rates and even though two kids are the same age, there can be as much as six years of physical difference between them. Differences in physical ability and skills can affect the confidence that young kids have. This confidence then has a big influence on a child’s attitude towards playing. From the sidelines, many things that parents often attribute to lack of “hustle” or perhaps a bad attitude are often due to problems in other areas.Parents need to be open to looking at these other areas that might be affecting their child’s enjoyment and performance. After a game, some areas to consider are:
- Were there external distractions, such as problems at school or with friends or siblings?
- Were there physical difficulties, such as an illness, lack of proper nutrition, or insufficient rest?
- Is there a diminished lack of interest in the sport caused by burnout or a lack of time for other activities?
- Is physical conditioning in areas such as stamina or strength adequate for playing an entire game?
- Does a lack of fundamental skills hinder more advanced play?
- Is there a good understanding of strategy and positioning so that a young player knows how to react in specific situations?
- Is the child playing at the right level of competition? Playing with kids who are much more or much less talented can be demotivating and slow improvement.
If it is not clear what the problem is, parents should have a positive conversation with their child or with the coach to better identify the problem and the necessary corrective actions. Sports are learned activities and require time to master. Parents must be patient in helping their child and must avoid over-correcting. The age of the player and the length of time between events give parents plenty of opportunity to take the right actions.
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Sports Esteem for the above article.
