Coaches’ Corner

Introduction  

It takes thousands of repetitions to master a skill. To that end, the HDC has launched the Skills Development Initiative so that a coaching staff can work on age- and level-specific skills until a reasonable level of mastery is achieved and then move onto more advanced skills. The focus of this initiative is to provide examples of how to introduce drill progressions focusing on skill development to re-enforce and develop players’ skills in a fun, competitive environment. These guidelines and coaches’ tools are designed to provide a consistent, highly organized experience for our young hockey players and their parents.

WHA Skills Development Expectation of Coaches

Practice Plans – We expect that each head coach will prepare a written practice plan for each practice.  Ideally, the coaching staff will also prepare a written season-long practice plan (see Practice Plans for examples).

Skills Development – We expect that each teams’ practice focus will generally follow the Skills Development Guidelines prepared by the WHA Hockey Development Committee.

Dryland Training – We expect that each team will supplement its on-ice development with age-appropriate dryland training as outlined below (see also Drill Bank – Dryland):

	Dryland Training
Age Level	Requirement	Focus Areas	Intensity
Mite/Ice Mite/U8	Optional – Some dryland training preferred	Stick handling, shooting, passing,  floor hockey	Light
Squirt/U10	Optional – Some dryland training preferred	Stick handling, shooting, passing,  floor hockey	Light
Peewee/U12	Strongly preferred	Stick handling, shooting, passing,  systems, conditioning, plyometrics	Moderate
Bantam/U14	Required	Stick handling,  systems, conditioning, plyometrics, strength	Intense

Pre-Game/Pre-Practice Preparation – We expect that each team will follow, at a minimum, the pre-game/pre-practice preparation routine recommended by the WHA Hockey Development Committee (see below):

	Arrival Time		Dryland		Chalk Talk
Age Level	Practice	Game	Practice	Game	Practice	Game
Mite/Ice Mite/U8	20 min.	30 min.	Optional	No	No	Optional
Squirt/U10	30 min.	40 min.	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended	Yes
Peewee/U12	45 min.	1 hour	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bantam/U14	45 min.	1 hour	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Player Evaluations – We expect that each head coach will complete a mid-season and end-of-season player evaluation for each member of the team (see Practice Plans – Player Evaluation)

Coaches Resources

Practice Plans – Click on the Practice Plan link to view / download / print sample practice plans and blank practice plan 

Drill Bank – Click on the Drill Bank link to view / download / print skill-specific drills

Visit the Coaches section of the Minnesota Hockey Web site for additional coaching information, including an archive of newsletters.

Please send suggestions and comments to Eric Mattson at emattson@mchsi.com.