Colorado Hockey Institute
Let Them Play
By Jim Plummer
Colorado Hockey Institute Founder
Article Last Updated: July 17, 2007
We recently completed a summer clinic that ran over the course of the past two months where we were coaching girls of all ages and ability levels. The program was designed to give players approximately two on-ice sessions per week ranging from 60 to 80 minutes each.
A 30 minute classroom session kicked off the topic and focus for the week and went into specifics of each skill, technique and drills that were planned. This included instructional video and professional game action video clips. Each on-ice session was designed so that the first half was skills and drills and the second half was pond hockey.
Pond hockey? Some of the girls had never heard of that and were confused. "Hey Coach, it's summer time how are we going to play hockey on a pond?" I explained the rules during the first classroom session and told them that it's just you on the ice. No coaches blowing the whistle. No coaches telling you what to do. Just go out and play the game. They just looked at me.
I further explained that this is your opportunity to try something new, invent, and be creative. There is no pressure here because you are not trying out for a team and you are not going to be cut. I told goalies to come out of the net and play the puck. Most importantly I told them to have fun. They didn't need to be told that - because that is what comes naturally to them.
It took them about a minute to figure it out. They policed each others shift time and played hard end to end and over the course of the summer they looked forward to this in each session. I saw five way passing plays, I saw girls trying out fakes and moves that we had been working on, and they did it on their own.
Some parents were wondering why coaches were not stopping the play, to point out the mistakes or to point the opportunities for plays that didn't happen. We purposely did not want to, because we wanted the kids to figure it out on their own. I believe our kids are over coached today and by doing this we are creating robots - ready to respond to our commands whether they are coming from bench or from the stands.
At the end of the last session I asked the players what did they enjoyed the most? A loud and unanimous "Pond Hockey" was heard bouncing off the walls of rink.
I guess it was successful. They had fun playing hockey. The way I did growing up in Ottawa - in the winter coming home from school at the end of the day, grabbing my skates and running around the block to Greenlawn Park, or Agincourt Public School where it was just kids playing the game on an outdoor sheet of ice. Some days we were lucky and Steve Payne, Tim Higgins or even Bobby Smith would show up to play with us. But every day, we were lucky to just be able to play.
I was pleased to have been able to offer the instruction free zone for half of the session time, and to give the kids the opportunity to enjoy on-ice freedom, and to think for themselves.
About a month ago I ran across this video posted on YouTube where Don Lucia, Head Coach of the University of Minnesota mens hockey team, was addressing a Pee Wee youth hockey organization. His experience goes far beyond anything that I have ever done in hockey, but, his pleas to do some things differently fall right in line with what we accomplished this summer. Let them play.
Colorado Hockey Institute Founder
Article Last Updated: July 17, 2007
We recently completed a summer clinic that ran over the course of the past two months where we were coaching girls of all ages and ability levels. The program was designed to give players approximately two on-ice sessions per week ranging from 60 to 80 minutes each. A 30 minute classroom session kicked off the topic and focus for the week and went into specifics of each skill, technique and drills that were planned. This included instructional video and professional game action video clips. Each on-ice session was designed so that the first half was skills and drills and the second half was pond hockey.
Pond hockey? Some of the girls had never heard of that and were confused. "Hey Coach, it's summer time how are we going to play hockey on a pond?" I explained the rules during the first classroom session and told them that it's just you on the ice. No coaches blowing the whistle. No coaches telling you what to do. Just go out and play the game. They just looked at me.
I further explained that this is your opportunity to try something new, invent, and be creative. There is no pressure here because you are not trying out for a team and you are not going to be cut. I told goalies to come out of the net and play the puck. Most importantly I told them to have fun. They didn't need to be told that - because that is what comes naturally to them.
It took them about a minute to figure it out. They policed each others shift time and played hard end to end and over the course of the summer they looked forward to this in each session. I saw five way passing plays, I saw girls trying out fakes and moves that we had been working on, and they did it on their own.
Some parents were wondering why coaches were not stopping the play, to point out the mistakes or to point the opportunities for plays that didn't happen. We purposely did not want to, because we wanted the kids to figure it out on their own. I believe our kids are over coached today and by doing this we are creating robots - ready to respond to our commands whether they are coming from bench or from the stands.
At the end of the last session I asked the players what did they enjoyed the most? A loud and unanimous "Pond Hockey" was heard bouncing off the walls of rink.
I guess it was successful. They had fun playing hockey. The way I did growing up in Ottawa - in the winter coming home from school at the end of the day, grabbing my skates and running around the block to Greenlawn Park, or Agincourt Public School where it was just kids playing the game on an outdoor sheet of ice. Some days we were lucky and Steve Payne, Tim Higgins or even Bobby Smith would show up to play with us. But every day, we were lucky to just be able to play.
I was pleased to have been able to offer the instruction free zone for half of the session time, and to give the kids the opportunity to enjoy on-ice freedom, and to think for themselves.
About a month ago I ran across this video posted on YouTube where Don Lucia, Head Coach of the University of Minnesota mens hockey team, was addressing a Pee Wee youth hockey organization. His experience goes far beyond anything that I have ever done in hockey, but, his pleas to do some things differently fall right in line with what we accomplished this summer. Let them play.
Click to view the video clip