10 Questions to Help Your Player Evaluate Last Season
“Most of the time, you’re a great player on a mediocre team or a mediocre player on a great team. Only when the stars align are you a great player on a great team.” A friend told me this when I described my son’s losing hockey season one year, and I’ll never forget it. When I described coach and locker room issues to another friend, he said, “Tell him this is just one coach and one team of the many coaches and teams he’ll have through his life. Some are good and some are bad.” Read more
Q&A: How Do I Motivate Players to Give 100% Against Lesser Opponents?
Keeping players motivated when they are playing a “not as skilled” team can be difficult. Hockey expert and author, John Shorey, provides an answer to this reader submitted question: Read more
How to Excel in a Face-Off
The whistle blows and the puck is dropped. The fastest and most skilled player is about to win the hockey face-off. The following article provides great tips and advice to beat your opponent in the face-off so that your team gains control of the puck. Read more
Video: Learn the Important Art of Checking
Checking is a key defensive technique, that if done correctly can mean the difference between time in the penalty box and gaining control of the puck. Read more
Video: Tips For How to Perfect Your Specialty Skills
Becoming a great hockey player does not happen overnight. It requires a lot of practice and skill development. Once these basic skills are mastered, there are many specialty techniques that can help take your game from average to the head of the class. Read more
Learn Proper Wrist Shot Technique
The wrist shot is probably the most effective shot in hockey. It is a very accurate shot and it can be released fairly quickly. This is the shot that a player should learn first. While not as fast as the slap shot, with practice, proper technique and upper body strength, the wrist shot can be very powerful. Read more
The Secret to Becoming a Better Hockey Player
Players don’t just get better. They improve at many small things that add up to an overall better player. For example, passing requires improving at things like vision, timing, balance, speed and decision making. If players improve in all of these areas, then they become better passers. Read more
8 Practical Tips to Help Your Player Overcome a Loss
Any athlete who plays a sport long enough is going to lose their share of games – and sometimes lose badly. Handling these losses is actually a more important lesson than learning to handle wins. A player’s reaction to a loss has a huge impact on their long term success. Here are eight great tips to help your player when the game just doesn’t go their way: Read more
What to do When Your Child Doesn’t Hustle
Sooner or later, every parent will have to face the perceived shame and humiliation caused by a child who didn’t “hustle” during a game. Most of the other parents will be polite and say things like “Is your child feeling okay?” or “Hope everything is okay at home.” Some parents will suggest private lessons or maybe even other teams to play on, but most will be quiet and avoid direct eye contact. When this happens, parents can either put on a brave face and laugh off the comments, or just pretend to be on their cell phone while quickly walking their child to the car. When confronted with too much shame and humiliation, parents quit youth sports and never return. Read more
Rethinking the Idea that “Losing Only Teaches You How to Lose”
America prides itself on all forms of competition and tracking wins and losses is an ingrained part of the nation’s character. This winning attitude should be carried over into youth sports. However, without understanding what it is we are trying to win, we run the risk of losing and losing big. Read more
