Coaches: Go beyond X's and O's by Enio Sacilotto 10/23/2004 - We are two months into the season and coaches have had time through tryouts, training, exhibition games and a few early-season games to observe and evaluate their teams. They are getting to know each individual뭩 tendencies and overall team tendencies on and off the ice. With all this information a coach can prepare for the competitive phase of the season and implement what fundamentals his players need to work on, implement an on-ice system of play, prepare an off-ice program and begin to set goals and expectations for the regular season. This article will focus on this competitive phase of the season. Fundamentals are the key ingredient to any sport; from beginners to the NHL, the good players and coaches take time to work on the fundamentals. Coaches need to evaluate their team뭩 needs, through observations and evaluation drills and come up with a formula. AT ALL LEVELS, players need to work on their skating, puck handling, passing, shooting and checking ?it is up to the coach to determine what skill needs more work. Systems of play are important for young hockey players from the Peewee level and up. Below Peewee, a coach must train his players to be fundamentally sound in all areas. From the Peewee level and up, we must organize our players on the ice and teach them to think. All that is necessary is some simple breakout plays, defensive zone coverage, a few simple forechecking systems, penalty killing system, power play system and what I call play situations: 1 on 1, 2 on 1, 2 on 2, 3 on 1, 3 on 2, 3 on 2 with a back checker. Players must be aware of their responsibilities on the offensive and defensive side of situations. There are many coaches that complain about lack of ice time, but there is lots a coach can do off the ice. A dry land program can be implemented; stretching, speed training, skill training (shooting, puck handling, etc.), anaerobic and aerobic training can all be done off ice at little and no expense. Videotape game analysis can also be easily incorporated into an off-ice session. Although time consuming, it can be done for one game per month. A 15-minute video clip can be one of the best teaching tools a coach can use. Keep it short but more important, keep it positive. It is a coach뭩 duty to go beyond the X뭩 and O뭩; at all levels use this opportunity to teach players about life and not just sport. Discipline, respect, self-esteem and trust are just some of the areas that we can work on. A coach may consider bringing in guest speakers, on a volunteer basis to cover such topics as; sports injuries, nutrition, fitness and mental training. When you get into your car and start driving, you usually have a plan and an expectation to get where you are going. Coaching a hockey team is like driving, the coach along with the players must set expectations and direction for the team. This is accomplished through goal setting. The younger the players, the simpler the process must be, but as the players get to Peewee and older it is an area where the coach must spend some time. It is important to have team meetings and ask the players what they want to accomplish as a team and as individuals for the season. There are many brainstorming activities a coach can incorporate to promote team discussions. The more players take part in the goal-setting process, the more likely the coach is going to have a full commitment from all of them! Remember to set S.M.A.R.T. goals: Specific ?know exactly what you want to achieve, cut down our goals against Measurable ?Can we measure what we wan to achieve, go from a 3.5 GAA. to a 3.0 GAA Achievable ?We know it is not going to be easy, but deep down inside we know we can do it Realistic ?Do we have the skills to reduce our goals against by .5? Time ?Set a time limit for the goal you want to achieve. Goals without time limits are only wishes! I usually break down the season into segments. If your team plays 40 games, you can have four 10-game segments. Set goals for each segment. Meet with the team and each player to discuss strong and weak points. A coach can never communicate enough with individual players, the team, the manager, assistant coaches and parents! Finally, take some interest in your players away from the rink. Make sure they keep up with their academic commitments; take some time to have off-ice team building activities. If you want a guest speaker, need some further advise on the contents of this article or some further sources then feel free to call or email me! (Enio Sacilotto has extensive head coaching experience in Minor Hockey, Junior and professional teams in Switzerland, Italy and England, and was coach of the year in the BCHL and West Coast Junior Hockey League. He runs international hockey camps and is available for guest speaking and coaching consultation. He can be reached at 604-255-4747 or [email protected])