Coaching Tips For Developing Young Players in Your Hockey League

Coaches of junior or travel teams have many ways to develop young hockey players in your league. Following these tips will help create an environment where your players can learn and hone their skills at a young age, leading them to success as hockey players in the future.

Hard Work
Assure that your young players are working hard on a daily basis. Doing so will keep them motivated throughout the season and make them better teammates.

Maintain Focus on Development & Goals
When coaching young players, it’s essential to set short, medium and long-term objectives. Doing this helps you plan your practice so that the correct skills are developed at the appropriate time.

Take Your Time To Build Confidence And Balance In Your Young Player
When a player first begins playing hockey, they’ll need to gain confidence in their skating technique and stick handling capabilities. This can be done through various techniques such as taking turns around the ice without holding a stick. After mastering these basics, they can progress on to learning proper ways to hold their stick, start, stop and control speed while moving around on the ice.

Don’t Become a Screaming Coach in the Stands
When your kids are watching the game on TV or at the rink, there’s no need to shout instructions from the stands. Doing so puts players in an uncomfortable situation and may cause them to lose focus on the game.

Your role as a coach is not only to teach your players the necessary skills for success on the ice, but also how to work together and support one another during practice and games. Doing this will enable them to become better teammates and leaders on the ice.

Be Willing To Adjust & Modify
The ideal coaches are adaptable and capable of making changes when necessary, enabling them to tailor their practices and trainings according to each player’s individual requirements. This shows that they value their players’ input into everything they do.

Be Willing To Encourage Their Players – Do not be shy when giving encouragement and praise when they do something well. Doing this will encourage them to feel good about themselves and boost their self-esteem.

Show Your Players That You Value Them – Showing your players you care about them can be as easy as dropping by their house or showing up early to practice on time and asking about their school, sports or other extracurricular activities. Doing this shows them you value their time and effort, which in turn, they will appreciate.

Motivating Your Players – Motivating your players is paramount for any youth program, especially hockey. Everyone has their own reasons for playing the game, and it’s up to you to identify what drives them most.

Your children will admire the best hockey players for their hard work, commitment and drive to improve. When your children witness these qualities in their teammates, they’re more likely to strive for perfection themselves.