Principles of

Practice Planning Key expectations:

-  Understand the key practice components - Be able to plan an effective practice, including routines, drill progressions, resistance, tempo, teaching points, SAGs - Be able to maximize ice and participation using ½ rink or other space

“If you don’t know where you’re going,

any road will take you there.”

Who are my athletes? What are the

logistics of my practice?

What do athletes have to

train in my sport?

How will I organize my practice?

What am I trying to accomplish

with my practice?

What are the safety risks and how

should I prepare for them?

How am I going to deliver my

practice?

The Practice

Who are my athletes?

"  Number of athletes in attendance "  Age/maturity of athletes "  Skills and abilities of athletes "  Gaps in ability level among athletes "   Injuries to account for "  Reasons why athletes are involved

What are the logistics of my practice?

"  Facilities available "  Equipment needed/available "  Length of the practice (time available) "  Time of day of the practice "  Number of practices per week "  Availability of assistant coaches and

their experience

What do athletes have to train?

"  Motor abilities "  Physical abilities "  Technical abilities/skills "  Decision-making abilities "  Mental abilities

How am I going to deliver my practice?

"  Key points to make "  Teaching methods I will use "  Where I will position myself "  What I will be watching for "  How and when will I intervene

How will I organize my practice?

 Structure of practice  Activities chosen  Order of the activities  Transition between activities to

avoid wasting time

What are the safety risks?

 The nature of the activities the athletes will do and the conditions in which they will take place

 Weather (travel to and from)  Playing surface/facilities  Equipment  Human error  Emergency procedures to follow in

case of an accident

What am I trying to accomplish with my practice?

 What athletes need to improve  Purpose of the practice  Team goals and short-term

objectives  Goals of coaching staff  Time of the season  Links with previous practices and

competitions  Links with future practices and

competitions

Principles of Practice Planning

1. State goals of the practice.

2. Consider the components of an effective practice:

Warm-up, review, skill development, individual/group/team tactics, skills needed by position, fitness, fun, cool down.

Principles of Practice Planning

3. Effective teaching.

Use progressions, keep players active, variety of drills, positive feedback, have a plan but be flexible.

4. Use the HC Skills Manuals for reference.

Important routines… * Arrival times - Greet the players * The dressing room – it starts here! * Talk to individuals before practice * Talk to team before practice. Why? How long? * Brief the coaching staff - Do NOT "wing" it!

Important routines… * Stretching/calisthenics etc. BEFORE going on ice (should be led by a coach/trainer in an organized manner) * Warm-ups short, quick, include agility skate with/without pucks (max 10% of practice time) * Stay focused on tasks and individual successes * Post-practice informal evaluation

* A coach first on and last off * What if assistant or head does not show up!? * Safety: Doors, water bottles, throat protectors, mouthguards * No distractions beforehand…eg. parents, manager, etc. * 3-4 pucks per player

Important considerations…

Important considerations… * Up-tempo - Work:rest ratio! * Number of trials per player * Quick execution (except for new skills) * Active coaching and teaching, including assistants! * Lots of opportunities with pucks NOTE: Whatever you do without pucks should also be done with pucks! * Constructive beginning * Fun activity at the end which is creative and productive

Using assistants in practice

* They should be actively assisting, not playing or watching.

*Give the assistant 2 or 3 specific key teaching points to review/show/teach in a drill.

*Have the assistant work with a specific group (eg. Def. or best 3 players in a skill/tactic and need more of a challenge

* Your ideas?

Half-Ice DOs!

Do: Move goalie drills elsewhere Do: Have at least 1/3 of the team doing something at any moment Do: Use visual cues and naturally- ending drills Do: Consider shared warm-ups & final activities (fun games etc.) Do: Consider safety, eg. Stopping or turning near centre line Do: Count your pucks and pylons before you start (and ask other coach to do the same)

Half-Ice DON’Ts!

Don't: Have one shooting drill on the goalie Don't: Use line-ups of more than 4 players Don't: Use whistle to stop and start (vs. to gather/collect) Don't: Scrimmage full length Don't: Neglect planning and foresight to prevent problems Don't: Start the practice by throwing pucks out.

The use of circuits in half-ice practices

Note the location of the coaches in the top two diagrams

Hey, what about the goalies!?

A Sample Practice Template (50 min. practice)

WARM-UP (5) – Full group – “large” activity – medium speed

SKILLS/TACTICS REVIEW (10) - 2 stations(1 coach each) – medium/high speed – 1:2

NEW STUFF (15) – 3 stations – explore the skill/tactic – low/medium speed – 1:3

L.O.G./SPECIAL SCRIMMAGE (10) High speed (1:1) - Competitive component – FUN!

MORE NEW STUFF (10) – full group – application of above – medium speed – 1:2

The Practice Template

LOGs – Low Organization Games (ie. minimal equipment and explanation, everyone plays)

FLOW DRILL – The beginning and end of the drill are constant – players determine when to go – multiple skills – no long rest periods

Eg. Tag, Torpedo, British bulldog (with and without pucks!), Crazy puck, Baseball…

Using SAGs in practice

– 1 vs. 1 / 2 vs. 2 /3 vs. 3 across rink – score on car tire or garbage can (both teams on 1 net) – back to back nets inside the blueline - Play opposite shot (righties play left, lefties play right)

And, no, SAGs do not need to be at the end! When else can you play them?

The Practice Template

Dividing up the ice:

What are your practice options?

Other important points:

Drills need to follow one another. One should lead to the next.

They need to progress to reach an objective.

Develop practices that include both defensive & offensive teaching

opportunities…

"   Must be quick "   Fluid "   Timing "   Reading & reacting "   Start with small numbers to larger

Graduate Players through…

"  Slow Speed "  Medium Speed "  Fast Speed "  Game Speed

Graduate players through…

"  No Resistance "  Limited Resistance "  Some Resistance "  Aggressive Resistance "  Game Resistance

"   Play by the Rules (make it as game-like as possible) eg. NEVER allow offsides in practice

"   Switch the transition by a cue (eg. stick upside down on defense)

"   Use different visuals & cues

"   Fun & Games will help teach

Challenge the old…Challenge the traditional…

Challenge yourself…Challenge the kids…

Practice Planning

“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion…

…You have to set yourself on fire!” - Fred Shero